Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nada.

Rating: PG-13

Author's Note: Here it is, the last chapter. It's been a really long ride, but now it's over. I promised I would get it out before the premiere, and I made it, by one day. I know it's like totally cheesy, but it's the only ending I could come up with. I've been really busy lately, and haven't had much time to write, but I hope you enjoy anyway. The song that goes with this chapter is The Cure's Close to Me, one of my favorite songs ever. I have a lot of ideas for new stories, but I'm going to have to put them on hold for awhile, since I have a lot of tests coming up in the coming weeks. Thanks for leaving comments and reading, I really appreciate it. Happy The OC watching tomorrow night!

I re-uploaded it, because I received an email from a reader that said the chapter wasn't up, so I think fan fiction . net has a glitch or something today, but maybe this will work now...

Still Fighting It

Chapter 12: Just try to make it work…

I've waited hours for this

I've made myself so sick

I wish I stayed…asleep today

I never thought this day would end

I never thought tonight could ever be

This close to me

But if I had your faith,

Then I could make it safe and clean

If only I was sure,

That my head on the door was a dream…

-- The Cure

Summer walked into her bedroom while Seth packed up the last of his things. He was leaving tomorrow. She didn't know how to tell him that she wanted him to stay. And she did want him to stay even if she was still mad at him for the concert debacle. But she might have already ruined her chance. It was still early, but she lay down, just to rest. Tomorrow would be a long day. The first of many without him.

He crept into her bedroom, praying that she was asleep. She was. He tucked her in, and touched her hair for the last time. He set the papers down on the pillow next to her, knowing that by the time she found them, he'd be gone.

---

She woke up a few hours later, at 2:36 AM, her throat dry. She turned over and came face to face with the papers she have given Seth. His name scribbled next to the x. This was it. It was what she had wanted all along. She folded up the papers and set them on the nightstand. She would deal with this tomorrow. She slipped into Danny's room and checked on him. Sleeping, looking like an angel. He had been tossing and turning again though. His sheets were kicked about and perspiration wetted his curls. He was no doubt worrying about his father's departure tomorrow. She hated to see him this way. His computer play list was still on, but she didn't turn it off. The soft music soothed her nerves, and was probably doing the same for her son.

Softly, she padded down the stairs, to get herself a glass of water. She was tired, but couldn't really feel anything. She quietly got the water, and gulped it down. She finished her glass and got another.

"Thirsty much?" She turned around to see Seth sitting at the kitchen table, a glass of milk in hand.

"Not really," she set the glass down, feeling very uncomfortable with his eyes boring through her body. "What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep, I guess. You know how I get before flights." She silently nodded.

"Seth--" she opened her mouth to speak…

"Summer--," he shook his head, "Sorry, you go first."

"No, you."

"Thank you."

"For what?" she looked at him. She wanted to know what he was feeling. Deep down inside, she was hoping that they could be a family even if she couldn't admit it to him.

"For inviting me back and letting me into Danny's life. I'm sorry I wasn't there for so long, I just…I didn't know if you wanted me here, or if he hated me or what."

"He couldn't hate you. I would never let that happen, you know that. It was all circumstance, he knows that. And I should be thanking you for coming here. I mean, he's so much happier now. I'm sorry for keeping you two away for so long." She walked over to the table and sat down next to him. She suddenly felt very adult-like.

"It wasn't your fault. I could've come back at anytime, but I was a chicken, and I was afraid."

"I'm sorry for making you afraid," she took his hand, but he pulled it away. Her heart ached.

"I put the papers on the bed."

"I know," she whispered, her eyes locked on the table. She didn't want him to see her wet eyes. He abruptly got up from the table.

"I gotta get to sleep, early flight tomorrow," he said, with false confidence. He wasn't sure how the sentence came out so steady when the large lump in his throat was threatening to make his voice crumble into a thousand pieces. He didn't turn around to look at her. He couldn't let her see him cry.

"Yeah, me too. I have a lot of work to do tomorrow." She wanted to get into her bedroom as quickly as possible before the tears started erupting right then and there. She wanted to scream after him Please don't go! Don't leave me! at each step he took, only feet in front of her.

"Well, goodnight."

"Nite."

When they got to the top of the stairs, both parents froze. That song. Out of the small crack of the door, Ryan Adams' voice caught their ears and they both had to stop. The first night they made love, really, actually made love came flooding back to them both. What were they doing? They weren't in high school anymore. They were adults, with responsibilities and needs. Were they really going to let pride stand in the way of a stable and complete future? Seth couldn't let that happen. He had made a mistake once, but now he was going to make things right. He turned around and saw Summer's puffy eyes. He hated himself for making her feel that way.

"Cohen, is it too late for me to ask you to stay?" he barely heard her. She barely heard herself. She opened her mouth to speak again, but he held a finger up to her lips to silence her. He held out his hand, like he had done so many years ago. She took it, and felt the warmth emanating from his body. He pulled her close, and they sway together in the hallway to the music. He towered over her, but somehow they fit. He squeezed her tightly. He didn't ever want to let go. He was afraid he was going to wake up from this dream and everything would be as it was when he fell asleep. The song restarted over again, and she looked up at him with a tear streaked face.

"I've missed you so much." She put her face back into his shoulder, but he lifted her chin up. He softly kissed her and it was better than before. They both meant it. Quickly, the kiss deepened, and his hands started roaming her body. It had been too long since they were last together. She started to unbutton his shirt and kiss his chest. She wanted this so badly. He held her close, but connected with her lips again, picking her small frame up. He kissed her neck, and down the low neckline of her camisole. She still wore those flimsy things that he loved so much. She sucked in a breath. She hadn't felt like this in a while. He let his hands travel on her skin and she couldn't take it. She whispered into his neck, "I want you so much, Seth." Her hot breaths on his skin drove him crazy, and he needed the pressure of her lips on his once more. After what was forever, she broke the kiss abruptly in horror.

"OMG, ew," she whispered.

He had to catch his breath before asking, "What?" She nodded her head in the direction of their son's room, where he was sleeping only a few feet away.

Seth cursed to himself. They were one of those couples--like his own parents were, PDA-ing all over the place. He carried her into the bedroom and shut the door, locking it with his free hand, and supporting her with his other. He lay her on the bed, and she pulled him on top of her, taking off his and her clothing as fast as humanly possible. They had both wanted this for so long, they just didn't know how much.

It wasn't some coincidence that Danny had Wonderwall looped at the end of his play list. Danny had done his research. And it paid off because everything was going to work out the way he wanted. He had hatched his own plan to get them together, and he wanted it to work so badly.

Seth held Summer's hands and kissed them. He kissed every inch of her, he made sure. She clutched the back of his head, running her hands through his sweaty curls. He rested his head on her chest, and exhaled. He let his breath raggedly rest on her neck. She hugged him closer to her and shifted the sheets over their bodies. She felt unbelievably euphoric. Everything was perfect.

"I love you, Summer." He dreamily looked up at her, and kissed her lips again.

"I love you, too, Seth." He wrapped his arms around her body and shut his eyes. She watched him as he fell asleep, remembering how good it was to be like this. To be with him. To be in love with him.

His eyes fluttered open, and he smiled when he saw her looking back at him. "Summer?"

"Yeah, Cohen?"

"I want you to be my wife."

"I am your wife." She grabbed the divorce papers off the nightstand and ripped them in half. "See?"

"Yeah, technically we're already husband and wife, but I want to start over. We didn't get a real wedding last time, and you deserve one."

"I don't care if we didn't have a real wedding. All that matters is that we're together again."

"Please, I want to do this right this time. So, Summer Roberts, will you marry me, again?"

"Yes, I will." He kissed her and pulled the sheets over their heads.

---

He opened his eyes slowly, and let them adjust to the shining light. He looked out at the crowd, at his family and friends. He looked at his beautiful wife. He saw his parents, smiling after so many years of marriage. This was how it was always meant to be. He ran his hand through his sweaty curls, and wiped it on his already soaked shirt. He grabbed his guitar and sat down in the middle of the stage with the lights turned down low. The single spotlight was on him.

"This next song is very, very special to me and I would like to dedicate it to all of you who have come out to support me tonight. I know it's been awhile, but thank you for welcoming me back with such open arms." He started to play the chords, but stopped abruptly. He retuned his guitar and started up again.

He shook his head and stopped.

"You know, this song just isn't right with the guitar. I don't think I would really be doing the man who wrote it justice unless it was played on the piano as it was originally meant to be played." There were hushed whispers creeping through the crowd; no one knew what was going on. "Luckily, the man who wrote it is with us tonight. Dad? Would you mind coming up here and singing it with me?"

The spotlight panned over the crowd until the beam rested on Seth Cohen. He covered his face as he laughed, but Summer urged him to get up, pushing him out of his seat. The crowd exploded in applause as Seth walked up to the side of the stage, reemerging on the stage a few moments later. The two men hugged and it was like seeing two versions, one young and one old of the same man.

"Thanks, Dad. Ladies and gentlemen, in his first performance in almost a decade…"

"Hey, it hasn't been that long--but thanks for taking me out of my retirement…"

"My father, Mr. Seth Cohen. Hopefully, he still remembers how to play this song," Danny teased.

"Very funny. You're grounded," Seth deadpanned while the audience erupted in laughter.

"Aww, Dad," he whined, eliciting chuckles from the audience.

"It's an honor to be up here with my son, playing this song that I wrote for my family. It means a lot to me personally, and I would like to dedicate it to my wife, Summer who has stood by me through everything. I would also like to dedicate it to this wise-guy standing next to me on stage right now and his brother who's in the audience. I love you all very much."

Danny wiped an imaginary tear from his eye, while Seth rolled his eyes at him. "All kidding aside, I love you too, Dad. Anyway, thanks for coming out tonight, Newport, the guys and I really appreciate it and hope that we can be back out here soon. This song is called The Luckiest, and I would like to dedicate it to my friends and family because I really do feel like I'm the luckiest person in the world."

Where was I before the day

That I first saw your lovely face?

Now I see it, everyday

And I know that I am…I am…

I am the luckiest

Danny looked at his wife, who patted her very pregnant abdomen lovingly. They had just found out yesterday that it was going to be a boy. A boy! He still couldn't believe that he was going to be a father. He looked over at his own dad and then to his mother in the audience and just hoped that he could be as good of a parent to his son as his were to him.

Seth met Summer's eyes as he played the chords that had imprinted themselves in his heart. This was their life that they had forged together. And now their kids had families and soon they were even going to be grandparents. Life had had it's ups and downs, but everything eventually turned out all right.

The Luckiest by Ben Folds

The End