The Square Root of Time.
This is going to be a light weight, summer novella. I have no clue how long it's going to be, maybe as long as it takes to get some OC re-runs on tv. This will be slightly AU. It takes place just after the season finale. Theresa is still pregnant, but the baby is definitely Eddie's. Ryan didn't go back to Chino with her. Julie and Caleb are married and they're living beside the Cohens.
All OC characters are the creation of Josh Schwartz. I'm only playing with them for a few months and I promise I will return them in time for season two.
The Square Root of Time.
Chapter One.
What brought Sandy Cohen back to reality was the way the pool house door closed so quietly. It was almost inaudible. He sat down hard on the bed and looked at his hand. The knuckles on his right hand were red and starting to swell.
"Dad?"
Sandy looked up at his son.
"What did I do?" He whispered hoarsely.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ryan walked. He willed his legs to move. He didn't bring his hand up to touch the side of his face. He knew what it looked like. It wasn't the first time he'd had this experience. This was the payback for hope. He had spent most of the last year waiting for something like this to happen. He had started to believe the lies he'd been fed; how he was part of the family now, that he was safe now, he had a future now...
He had only himself now.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"I have to find him..."
Sandy stood up, searching his pockets for his car keys. Seth stood with him.
"Dad... He'll come back... Give him a little time... I need a little time...."
Sandy looked at Seth. His eyes were red. He was shaky and he'd been crying.
"Seth...?"
Seth drew an uneven breath.
"I don't know how things got so fucked up... Ryan's.... Ryan's been sleeping with...." Seth couldn't finish the thought. "How could he do this to me? I hit him... He tried to tell me he didn't know what I was talking about... I told him if he was going to screw my girlfriend then he should have the guts to tell me the truth when I call him on it. I trusted him... He knew what Summer meant to me..."
The tears started to flow again. Seth made no effort to wipe them away.
Sandy reached for Seth and held him close. His mind replayed the scene he had walked in on. He had opened the door of the pool house just as Seth lunged at Ryan. He watched as Ryan put his hands up. In that moment Sandy Cohen had forgotten that he had two sons. He had one son and the juvenile delinquent he brought into his house. He pulled Ryan away from Seth screaming at him never to touch his son again. His fist connected with the side of Ryan's face. The boy's eye and cheek began to discolour immediately. The three of them stood there in horrified silence.
Sandy watched as Ryan's soul shattered.
What brought Sandy Cohen back to reality was the way the pool house door closed so quietly. It was almost inaudible. He sat down hard on the bed and looked at his hand. The knuckles on his right hand were red and starting to swell.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ryan folded the cash he had taken from the ATM and stuffed his wallet back in his jeans. He studied his receipt before tearing it up. After withdrawing $300 he still had $2500 and change. He had been careful with the money he'd earned working at the Crab Shack. Sandy and Kirsten wanted him to quit during the school year, but in the end they had allowed him to work Friday nights and Saturday afternoons provided he kept his grades up. He had held up his end of the bargain. None of that mattered now. He walked back to the Greyhound terminal and bought a ticket for the next bus leaving the station.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Seth locked himself in his room, leaving Sandy alone with his fractured thoughts. The persistent throbbing in his hand provided the background for the images of him striking Ryan. Rewind. Replay. Sandy had never hit anyone before. As a kid he never even hit one of his siblings. Now, as a man in his early 40's he hit a kid. His kid. The kid he made a commitment to. The kid he'd promised that everything would be better; he was part of the family now, he was safe now, he had a future now. One moment of uncontrolled anger threatened to destroy all they had worked so hard to build over the last year. Sandy took out his cell phone and dialed, praying he'd find the right words.
The vibration in his pocket startled Ryan. He didn't realize that he still had the cell phone the Cohens gave him. He hesitated before he pulled it out and flipped it open. He glanced at the number and closed the phone. He couldn't do this... Not again. He squeezed the Nokia tightly before he shoved it back in his pocket. He leaned his head on the window of the bus, closing his eyes to the changing scenery.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kirsten found Sandy outside, staring dolefully into the pool.
"Hey..." She said quietly as she sat down beside her husband. She knew as soon as she walked into the house something wasn't right. This house with Sandy, Seth and Ryan was her refuge from the outside world. Now it was too quiet and tension enveloped her sanctuary like a thick fog.
Sandy didn't answer Kirsten, he couldn't find the words to explain what happened. He had been looking at the placid water trying to make sense of the afternoon.
"Where are the boys? Did they go out?"
Sandy shook his head. Kirsten placed her hand on her husband's shoulder.
"Sandy?"
"Seth is in his room...."
Kirsten waited for Sandy to finish the sentence, to tell her where Ryan was, but he didn't say anything else. She felt the knot tighten in her stomach.
"Where's Ryan?"
Sandy leaned over and rested his head on his hands, his elbows digging into his thighs.
"Talk to me Sandy... What's going on?"
"Ryan's gone... I don't... I don't know where..." Sandy couldn't even look at Kirsten when he spoke to her. Kirsten had never seen him this distraught. She fought to keep her voice calm. What the hell had happened?
"Why...?"
Kirsten got no further when Sandy turned and looked at his wife.
"Seth and Ryan were fighting... I pulled Ryan away and I... I..."
She knew what he was going to say next.
"NO! Sandy... No.... How could you? After all he's been through...? Why would you...?"
Kirsten pulled away from her husband.
"Kirsten... I thought..."
Kirsten stood up.
"No, you didn't think...!" Kirsten raised her voice. She didn't care if the neighbours heard. Hell, she didn't care if all of Newport heard. "You would have never hit Seth... You've been telling me that you love Ryan like a son...Is this how you show him? What could he have possible done to make you think he deserved that?"
"He slept with Summer..."
Kirsten turned and saw Seth standing by the French doors. Sandy got to his feet. She walked away from him and stood in front of Seth.
"Do you really believe Ryan would do that to you?" She asked gently.
Seth looked down at the ground.
"I don't.... I don't know?"
Kirsten gently lifted her son's chin with her hand and looked into his tear filled eyes.
"Yes, you do know... He would never hurt you like that."
"But why would..."
No one noticed that Summer had walked up behind Seth. She wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Happy six month anniversary, Cohen..."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ryan blinked several times as he got off the bus and took in his surroundings. The bus terminal in Sacramento didn't look much different from the one in Newport. He found his way to the washroom. He relieved himself and went to the sink to wash his hands. He tried to avoid looking in the mirror but he caught a glimpse of himself anyway. This time he did bring a hand up to his face. His left eye was swollen shut. The bruise extended from just above his eyebrow down to his jaw line. As often as he had been smacked around before, nothing had ever hurt him as much as this had. He dried his hands. Ryan buried his feelings. The life he had with the Cohens was over.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Summer felt Seth stiffen in her arms. She smiled. She knew he'd forgotten their anniversary and now he'd have to spend the next few days making it up to her. She held out the neatly wrapped package.
"Admit it Cohen... You forgot..."
"Summer.... I..." Seth started to stammer.
She was oblivious to his discomfort.
"Open it Cohen... Don't keep me waiting...." Summer noticed that Kirsten stepped back towards Sandy. She realized she was the only one smiling.
"Cohen?" She said softly.
"Did you think I wouldn't find out about you and Ryan?" Seth whispered.
"It was supposed to be a secret... How did you find out? Where is he any way? I know he wanted to see the look on your face when..."
Seth angrily cut her off.
"The look on my face? This look?" Seth yelled. "The look when I found out you were sleeping with my best friend...?"
The silence that followed was earth shattering. Summer was the first to speak.
"Cohen, what the fuck are you talking about?"
"Did you think I wasn't going to find out? I'm just "clueless Cohen"...Too stupid to realize you're getting it on with Ryan? Did you guys have a good laugh at my expense? Was our dating just a game to you?" Seth seethed through gritted teeth.
Summer took a couple of steps towards Seth. Her anger now matched his.
"I don't know where you got the idea that I was cheating on you... With Ryan? EW!...He's like your brother... He was helping me with this!"
She threw the still wrapped packed to the ground and turned to walk away. Anger and sadness jockeyed for control. She looked at him one more time.
"Cohen... You're an ass..."
Seth bent down and picked up the package. The wrapping paper had torn, revealing the contents; three hard to find imported comics and two tickets to Comic-Con, one in his name and one in Summer's.
The tears fell freely as Seth sat down, clutching the comics. Sandy walked slowly into the pool house, trying to process what he had just heard and desperately wishing he could undo the events of the last 8 hours. Kirsten stood amidst the rubble of her broken family.
Ryan walked. He willed his legs to move...
This is going to be a light weight, summer novella. I have no clue how long it's going to be, maybe as long as it takes to get some OC re-runs on tv. This will be slightly AU. It takes place just after the season finale. Theresa is still pregnant, but the baby is definitely Eddie's. Ryan didn't go back to Chino with her. Julie and Caleb are married and they're living beside the Cohens.
All OC characters are the creation of Josh Schwartz. I'm only playing with them for a few months and I promise I will return them in time for season two.
The Square Root of Time.
Chapter One.
What brought Sandy Cohen back to reality was the way the pool house door closed so quietly. It was almost inaudible. He sat down hard on the bed and looked at his hand. The knuckles on his right hand were red and starting to swell.
"Dad?"
Sandy looked up at his son.
"What did I do?" He whispered hoarsely.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ryan walked. He willed his legs to move. He didn't bring his hand up to touch the side of his face. He knew what it looked like. It wasn't the first time he'd had this experience. This was the payback for hope. He had spent most of the last year waiting for something like this to happen. He had started to believe the lies he'd been fed; how he was part of the family now, that he was safe now, he had a future now...
He had only himself now.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"I have to find him..."
Sandy stood up, searching his pockets for his car keys. Seth stood with him.
"Dad... He'll come back... Give him a little time... I need a little time...."
Sandy looked at Seth. His eyes were red. He was shaky and he'd been crying.
"Seth...?"
Seth drew an uneven breath.
"I don't know how things got so fucked up... Ryan's.... Ryan's been sleeping with...." Seth couldn't finish the thought. "How could he do this to me? I hit him... He tried to tell me he didn't know what I was talking about... I told him if he was going to screw my girlfriend then he should have the guts to tell me the truth when I call him on it. I trusted him... He knew what Summer meant to me..."
The tears started to flow again. Seth made no effort to wipe them away.
Sandy reached for Seth and held him close. His mind replayed the scene he had walked in on. He had opened the door of the pool house just as Seth lunged at Ryan. He watched as Ryan put his hands up. In that moment Sandy Cohen had forgotten that he had two sons. He had one son and the juvenile delinquent he brought into his house. He pulled Ryan away from Seth screaming at him never to touch his son again. His fist connected with the side of Ryan's face. The boy's eye and cheek began to discolour immediately. The three of them stood there in horrified silence.
Sandy watched as Ryan's soul shattered.
What brought Sandy Cohen back to reality was the way the pool house door closed so quietly. It was almost inaudible. He sat down hard on the bed and looked at his hand. The knuckles on his right hand were red and starting to swell.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ryan folded the cash he had taken from the ATM and stuffed his wallet back in his jeans. He studied his receipt before tearing it up. After withdrawing $300 he still had $2500 and change. He had been careful with the money he'd earned working at the Crab Shack. Sandy and Kirsten wanted him to quit during the school year, but in the end they had allowed him to work Friday nights and Saturday afternoons provided he kept his grades up. He had held up his end of the bargain. None of that mattered now. He walked back to the Greyhound terminal and bought a ticket for the next bus leaving the station.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Seth locked himself in his room, leaving Sandy alone with his fractured thoughts. The persistent throbbing in his hand provided the background for the images of him striking Ryan. Rewind. Replay. Sandy had never hit anyone before. As a kid he never even hit one of his siblings. Now, as a man in his early 40's he hit a kid. His kid. The kid he made a commitment to. The kid he'd promised that everything would be better; he was part of the family now, he was safe now, he had a future now. One moment of uncontrolled anger threatened to destroy all they had worked so hard to build over the last year. Sandy took out his cell phone and dialed, praying he'd find the right words.
The vibration in his pocket startled Ryan. He didn't realize that he still had the cell phone the Cohens gave him. He hesitated before he pulled it out and flipped it open. He glanced at the number and closed the phone. He couldn't do this... Not again. He squeezed the Nokia tightly before he shoved it back in his pocket. He leaned his head on the window of the bus, closing his eyes to the changing scenery.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kirsten found Sandy outside, staring dolefully into the pool.
"Hey..." She said quietly as she sat down beside her husband. She knew as soon as she walked into the house something wasn't right. This house with Sandy, Seth and Ryan was her refuge from the outside world. Now it was too quiet and tension enveloped her sanctuary like a thick fog.
Sandy didn't answer Kirsten, he couldn't find the words to explain what happened. He had been looking at the placid water trying to make sense of the afternoon.
"Where are the boys? Did they go out?"
Sandy shook his head. Kirsten placed her hand on her husband's shoulder.
"Sandy?"
"Seth is in his room...."
Kirsten waited for Sandy to finish the sentence, to tell her where Ryan was, but he didn't say anything else. She felt the knot tighten in her stomach.
"Where's Ryan?"
Sandy leaned over and rested his head on his hands, his elbows digging into his thighs.
"Talk to me Sandy... What's going on?"
"Ryan's gone... I don't... I don't know where..." Sandy couldn't even look at Kirsten when he spoke to her. Kirsten had never seen him this distraught. She fought to keep her voice calm. What the hell had happened?
"Why...?"
Kirsten got no further when Sandy turned and looked at his wife.
"Seth and Ryan were fighting... I pulled Ryan away and I... I..."
She knew what he was going to say next.
"NO! Sandy... No.... How could you? After all he's been through...? Why would you...?"
Kirsten pulled away from her husband.
"Kirsten... I thought..."
Kirsten stood up.
"No, you didn't think...!" Kirsten raised her voice. She didn't care if the neighbours heard. Hell, she didn't care if all of Newport heard. "You would have never hit Seth... You've been telling me that you love Ryan like a son...Is this how you show him? What could he have possible done to make you think he deserved that?"
"He slept with Summer..."
Kirsten turned and saw Seth standing by the French doors. Sandy got to his feet. She walked away from him and stood in front of Seth.
"Do you really believe Ryan would do that to you?" She asked gently.
Seth looked down at the ground.
"I don't.... I don't know?"
Kirsten gently lifted her son's chin with her hand and looked into his tear filled eyes.
"Yes, you do know... He would never hurt you like that."
"But why would..."
No one noticed that Summer had walked up behind Seth. She wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Happy six month anniversary, Cohen..."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ryan blinked several times as he got off the bus and took in his surroundings. The bus terminal in Sacramento didn't look much different from the one in Newport. He found his way to the washroom. He relieved himself and went to the sink to wash his hands. He tried to avoid looking in the mirror but he caught a glimpse of himself anyway. This time he did bring a hand up to his face. His left eye was swollen shut. The bruise extended from just above his eyebrow down to his jaw line. As often as he had been smacked around before, nothing had ever hurt him as much as this had. He dried his hands. Ryan buried his feelings. The life he had with the Cohens was over.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Summer felt Seth stiffen in her arms. She smiled. She knew he'd forgotten their anniversary and now he'd have to spend the next few days making it up to her. She held out the neatly wrapped package.
"Admit it Cohen... You forgot..."
"Summer.... I..." Seth started to stammer.
She was oblivious to his discomfort.
"Open it Cohen... Don't keep me waiting...." Summer noticed that Kirsten stepped back towards Sandy. She realized she was the only one smiling.
"Cohen?" She said softly.
"Did you think I wouldn't find out about you and Ryan?" Seth whispered.
"It was supposed to be a secret... How did you find out? Where is he any way? I know he wanted to see the look on your face when..."
Seth angrily cut her off.
"The look on my face? This look?" Seth yelled. "The look when I found out you were sleeping with my best friend...?"
The silence that followed was earth shattering. Summer was the first to speak.
"Cohen, what the fuck are you talking about?"
"Did you think I wasn't going to find out? I'm just "clueless Cohen"...Too stupid to realize you're getting it on with Ryan? Did you guys have a good laugh at my expense? Was our dating just a game to you?" Seth seethed through gritted teeth.
Summer took a couple of steps towards Seth. Her anger now matched his.
"I don't know where you got the idea that I was cheating on you... With Ryan? EW!...He's like your brother... He was helping me with this!"
She threw the still wrapped packed to the ground and turned to walk away. Anger and sadness jockeyed for control. She looked at him one more time.
"Cohen... You're an ass..."
Seth bent down and picked up the package. The wrapping paper had torn, revealing the contents; three hard to find imported comics and two tickets to Comic-Con, one in his name and one in Summer's.
The tears fell freely as Seth sat down, clutching the comics. Sandy walked slowly into the pool house, trying to process what he had just heard and desperately wishing he could undo the events of the last 8 hours. Kirsten stood amidst the rubble of her broken family.
Ryan walked. He willed his legs to move...