Wow. I think I needed an extreme fluff story fora little break from my angsty depressing one! I am a totally RM SS fan so next chapter will be SS. I will warn u right now this story is extremely fluffy so don't read if u don't like that kinda stuff! I promise I will not loose track of my angsty one it's just that I'm going crazy here w. out fluffiness!

Dru

Chapter 1

The Atwood's

Ryan Atwood sat up in the attic of his home watching the light of a nearby candle play off of the darkness. He didn't know how he had become so lucky. It used to be that nothing in his life ever went the way he planned. But once he moved in with the Cohen's things took a turn for the better. He was now married to the girl he fell in love with the first time he saw her standing at the end of her driveway.

Marissa Cooper. Even though the first conversation they ever had was over a cigarette and about his brother Trey stealing a car and crashing it, they were destined for greatness at that very first moment.

Ryan and Marissa Atwood didn't move into a mansion, per say. It was no Cohen house and it surely wasn't like the house Marissa was forced to spend the last two of her high school years in, but rather it was decent size. It was two stories and had everything their family ever needed. The family's Australian Shepard tugged at Ryan's pant leg and rested his head on his shoe. Ryan checked his watch and sighed. It was almost 8:00 and Chino was ready for his walk.

Chino. The dog's name came from Ryan's nickname given to him by Summer Roberts, his Brother Seth's wife. Summer and Seth had gone through high school with Ryan and Marissa. They were the people who were closest to the Atwood's. When they moved into there home 6 years ago Seth and Summer had brought over a tiny puppy with a red bow stuck on the middle of his head. Marissa went crazy over him. Ryan remembered asking what his name was.

"Chino," Summer had said. Ryan remembered his eyes growing wide.

"You haven't called me that since high school," he replied.

"No. She wasn't calling you Chino, honey that's the dog's name," Marissa said as the tiny puppy licked her face and wagged his stub of a tail back and forth.

Chino let out an unsettled bark and Ryan blew out the candle. He followed his impatient dog out of the attic and down the stairs to top main floor, stopping at his daughter's room.

"Angel, are you ready to go walking?" he asked poking his head into her room. Angel lifted her head up from an old notebook and smiled.

Angelica Marie Atwood was Ryan and Marissa first born and only daughter. She had been a handful to the first time parents when she was younger, but now she was proving herself to be quite the golden one. Angel was now fourteen years old and almost an exact replica of her father. Her hair was sandy blonde, wavy at times like her mothers, and her eyes deep blue and trusting. She even had that rebellious look to her even though she was far from one.

"Alright Dad. How come you've been spending so much time up in the attic?" she asked getting to her feet and throwing a jacket on around her shoulder.

"It's quiet up there," he replied. "I need that sometimes."

"Adrian! Let Mommy help you with your button!" Marissa's voice carried from downstairs.

"NO! I want Daddy to help me!" the two-year-olds whiny voice followed.

"Daddy help me too!" Adrian's twin brother, Ashton, cried loudly. Adrian Michael Atwood and Ashton Aaron Atwood were the family babies at two years of age. Adrian was more like Ryan. He was sweet but rebellious at times. His identical twin Ashton was quiet and shy, more like Marissa. He knew how to charm people with just a couple of his baby words which was also like his mother. Both boys had soft brown eyes and shaggy blonde hair.

"James! Please get off of the counter, honey! Daddy will be down in a minute so we can go walking," Marissa's voice now sounded like it was in the kitchen. James was a five year old terror and he was almost exactly like Ryan and Angel. His hair was shaggy and sandy blonde like his little brothers but his reactions to things were pretty close to the way Ryan would act. He kept most of his feelings inside of him. But, unlike his father, he would have times when he would explode into a tantrum once things got to be too much. James wasn't even the little boy's first name either. His full name was Ryan James Atwood Jr.

"No! I don't want to get off of the counter!" James shot back struggling against his mother as she tried pulling him off of the wood island in the middle of the kitchen.

"Ryan James Atwood Jr.!" Marissa cried. Ryan walked into the kitchen and saw his son hang his head as he obediently allowed her to lower him to the ground. He knew she was serious when she used his full name.

"Sorry mommy," he murmured.

"It's fine honey. Go put on your coat," Marissa sighed and rubbed her head feeling a major headache coming on.

"Hi Daddy," James stopped to hug his fathers leg before running back out in to the family room.

"Hi…honey," Marissa's voice sounded tired. Staying home all day with two toddlers and a rambunctious pre-kindergartner was enough to drive Marissa crazy some days. Ryan put his arms around his wife's waist as she rested her forehead on his chest.

"He drives me crazy," she murmured as he stroked her hair gently.

"Well we better get him outside so he'll actually fall asleep tonight," Ryan smiled down at Marissa as she went in to give him a kiss.

"Gross! Sorry, I should really learn to knock…in case…you know…my parent's are making out in the kitchen! See Adrian this is what we call bad timing. And this is why Mommy and Daddy need you to sleep in your own bed," Angel grabbed her little brothers hand and drug him out of the kitchen. It was one of Angel's common habits of flooding her mouth with words after getting embarrassed. Marissa said it was a trait she shared with Seth.

"Think we ruined her?" Marissa asked grabbing Ryan's hand.

"Nah. She's probably seen worse at school," Ryan assured her.

"Ryan! She's fourteen!" Marissa scolded.

"Dad can we please get a move on!" James cried impatiently reaching up to unlock the front door.

"We're anxious tonight," Ryan commented grabbing Chino's leash and snapping it in place around the dog's neck.

"He's been rowdy all day," Marissa said as they walked out into the cool, spring evening. Ryan handed Marissa Chino's leash so he could lag behind with James.

"Adrian! Ashton! Mommy can't run with Chino! Angel…please get your brother off the neighbor's lawn!" Marissa cried ahead at her children and hurried after them, Chino running along side of her, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

"What's the matter buddy?" Ryan asked putting his arm around his son's shoulder as they walked. James would always have a special place in Ryan's heart as being his first son. Plus they had named James after him. Ryan James Atwood Jr. even if they weren't names his son liked hearing all in a row and even if Ryan was skeptical when Marissa first expressed the idea of naming their son Ryan Jr.. James shrugged his shoulders.

"Nothing."

"How come you're giving your mother such a hard time lately?" Ryan asked. They were already a ways behind Marissa and the twins. Angel was only a few paces ahead of them with Chino jogging next to her. Ryan knew that she was listening. James had been rebelling quite a bit against Marissa the last couple of days and it didn't set entirely well with Ryan. Angel said it was because he felt left out.

"Mommy loves Ashton and Adrian more then she loves me," he stated simply, kicking sheepishly at the sidewalk.

"James, you know that's not true. Mommy loves us all the same," Angel piped up.

"Angel, catch up with your mother please," Ryan instructed.

"Yeah! Go away Angelica!" James snapped.

"I don't need your help James," Ryan stated. James knew Angel hated it when anybody except Marissa or Ryan called her Angelica. Like James, it meant that she was in trouble or she was being antagonized. Angel did as she was told.

"Can you please explain to me why you think Mommy loves the twins more then she loves you?" Ryan asked switching his attention back to his son.

"She just does. She pays more attention to them. She never pays attention to me," James pouted. He crossed his arms over his chest and Ryan couldn't help but smile slightly. He was definitely his mother's son.

"I know what you mean son," Ryan said tightening his grip on his son's shoulders. "You know when Mommy and I were growing up I always used to think that she paid too much attention to Aunt Summer and not enough attention to me."

"Really?" James asked staring up at Ryan.

"Really. But do you know what I eventually realized?"

"What?"

"That it was really me who wasn't paying enough attention to Mommy," Ryan said as if it all made since. "I know it may seem that Mommy pays more attention to the twins then she does to you but that's just because Ashton and Adrian need more of Mommy's attention. You're a bigger guy now and Mommy knows that you'll be a good big brother and help her out sometimes."

"Did she pay more attention to me then she did to Angel?" James asked excitedly as if he was happy to get a step up on his perfect big sister.

"Yes she did. She still does. But that doesn't mean she loves Angel any less then she loves you or she loves the twins," Ryan said. Marissa and Ryan had only planned on having two children. But then Marissa found out she was pregnant with twins and Ryan worried that Angel and James would be in bigger competition for their attention. And tonight proved his worries. They finally arrived home after their small 5 minute walk around the corner. Marissa had sent Angel in with the twins and Chino and she was now sitting on the porch sipping a bottle of water. Seeing her there made Ryan think of the high school days again. For some reason he saw her sitting on the porch of the Cohen house all over again, waiting for him to get there.

"Alright," Ryan sat down on the porch and sat James in between Marissa and him. "Now, I think we should tell Mommy what we talked about on our walk." James quickly shook his head and lowered his eyes, avoiding any contact with Marissa.

"What's the matter honey?" she asked running a hand gently through his hair.

"Mommy, you love Ashton and Adrian more then you love me!" he burst into tears and Marissa took him into her arms.

"Oh baby, you know that isn't true," she hugged him tightly.

"Yes it is! You never pay any attention to me," he cried. It felt like a dagger had gone through Marissa's heart. She felt like she had neglected her little boy.

"James, Mommy's very sorry. I know it seems like I pay more attention to the twins because their littler and they need more of Mommy's attention right now."

"But I still want all your attention!" James pouted pulling his head away from Marissa's chest and staring her in the face.

"Oh I see," Marissa said softly realizing why her son had been acting out. "That's why you've been naughty lately? To get my attention."

"I haven't been naughty lately," James insisted.

"I'll tell you what. You and I are going to set apart some special James Mommy time that just you and I can be together," Marissa said grabbing James' hands and holding them in her own.

"Just all by ourselves?" he asked suspiciously, waiting for the catch.

"All by ourselves. I promise," Marissa smiled gently.

"Can we start tonight?" he asked excitedly.

"Yes. After I get your brothers in bed I'll come and read to you okay?" Marissa said.

"Can Daddy come too?" he had clearly forgotten why he was upset in the first place.

"I'll think about it," Marissa smiled and gave James a kiss. "Go put your pajamas on and I'll be there in a little bit."

James hopped off of his mother and ran in through the front door.

"Yeah because that didn't just depress the hell out of me," Marissa buried her face into her hands. Ryan felt playful and squeezed her sides. She jumped and hit him in the shoulder.

"Ryan Atwood!" she cried.

"Marissa Atwood!" he mimicked. He wasn't able to fit any more words in before Marissa pulled him into a kiss.

"You know. I've always liked the way that sounded," she pulled away slightly and gazed into his blue eyes.

"I know. That's why you married me," Ryan stated cockily going in for another kiss.

"Mom, Chino won't get off my…HELLO! Could you two kindly get a room or something?" Angel snapped closing the front door quickly after seeing her parents in the midst of romance again.

"Maybe that time we ruined her," Marissa giggled.

"I love you," Ryan stated, rubbing her face gently with his hand.

Marissa remembered when she had first told Ryan that she loved him his response had been thank you. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Do realize that we have been married 15 years?" she asked.

Ryan smiled. It would be 16 in October.

"And yet it still feels like we're a couple of newlyweds to me."

"Seth and Summer will have been married 18 years in December," Marissa sighed. "Makes me feel so old."

"Were still all hanging in there. 15 years and 4 kids later," Ryan put his arm around Marissa's waist and rested his chin on her head.

"Yeah," Marissa agreed. "We're still hanging in there."