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missmara13Title: Walk On
Author: Mara
Fandom: The OC
Pairings: Ryan/Anna, Seth/Summer, past Ryan/Taylor.
Rating: R
Warnings: Some language, possible sex in later chapters.
Summary: "I didn't think it was possible for you to look any better than when we were teenagers, but the dad thing suits you."
Notes: For![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
supreme_empress for the 'Pay it Forward Meme'. She wanted Ryan/Anna, so her wish is my command. This will most likely be another long one... ::sigh:: as if I don't have enough long ones already... lol... This chapter short, but... the others should be longer...
Walk On
Anna Stern had figured out a long time ago that California sucked, at least for her. There was constant Seth Drama, Summer Drama, and of course Seth/Summer Drama, and she just didn't want to put up with it anymore. So, she stayed on the east coast, jumping from her parents in Pittsburgh, to school in New York City, to Miami for Spring break with her roommate and friends.
It wasn't until she got a job offer in San Francisco almost 11 years after last seeing anyone from Newport that she ran into Ryan Atwood again. She'd been picking up groceries at the store, planning on hunkering down with the patient files she'd inherited from the last shrink at the Prescott Psychiatric Organization, when she spotted him at the other end of the aisle, looking at a the dietary information on the side of a box of cereal like it was the most important thing in the world.
With a raised eyebrow, Anna walked over. "Great literary work, huh?" she teased.
Ryan looked up, startled, but soon a smile spread across his face. "Anna?"
"Long time no see, Atwood," Anna replied, giving him a hug that he returned automatically. "I missed you."
"Missed you, too," Ryan replied. "What are you doing in my neck of the woods?"
"New job, I'm a shrink at the Prescott Organization. Fancy name for..."
"A loony bin," Ryan concluded, nodding. "Yeah, I know it."
"You do?"
"I used to see someone there," Ryan admitted. "Went through a tough time right after college."
"What happened? Is everything okay?"
"Short version? My life kinda imploded. I graduated, Seth and Summer got married, I got dumped, then 8 months later my ex shows up on my doorstep and..."
"Daddy! Can I have this?"
Anna was surprised to see Ryan crouch down to take the box from the little blonde haired, blue eyed girl.
"You really want this, baby girl?" he asked, wrinkling his nose. "You know I like healthy stuff, but soy cereal?"
"But Auntie Sum eats it!"
"Auntie Sum also married Uncle Seth, so we have to question her judgment," Ryan replied. "Do you really think you'll eat this?"
"Uh-huh."
"Do you eat it when Auntie Sum gives you some of it?"
"Nu-huh."
"Then why would you eat it now?"
"Because!"
"How about Frosted Flakes? They're covered in sugar, but they aren't made of soy, so they are automatically better."
"I like Tony the Tiger..."
"So?"
"Okay!"
Ryan smiled and set the box of Soy-Tastic Cereal on the shelf before grabbing a box of Frosted Flakes and putting them in the cart. "Can you check off 'cereal' for me?" he asked as he crouched down again, holding out a list and a little marker.
"Who's the pretty lady?" Lily asked as she distractedly crossed it off the list, looking up at Ana and subsequently drawing on her dad's hand.
Ryan smiled and scooped Lily up. "Lily Atwood, meet Anna Stern. She's old friend of mine from way back when me, Auntie Sum, and Uncle Seth were still in school."
"Wow, that's forever ago!" Lily proclaimed.
"It's nice to meet you, Lily," Anna said, smiling and offering her hand to the little girl. "How old are you?"
"Don't you know never to ask a lady that?" Lily asked, tilting her head and looking for all the world just like Ryan.
Ryan burst out laughing. "I think it's okay for one lady to ask another," he said. "She's almost 5," he added to Anna. "My baby girl turns five in three weeks," he repeated, grimacing.
"Uncle Seth says that means Daddy's getting old," Lily said in a 'whisper' that was almost as loud as her regular voice.
"I see," Anna replied, covering her mouth to hide her smile.
"I doubt Uncle Seth will be saying that when Maddie gets to be five."
"Don't be silly, Daddy! Uncle Seth can't get old, 'cause he's just a big kid! That's what Auntie Sum says."
Anna couldn't hide the snicker at that. "Sounds about right," she said.
"I like you, Miss Stern," Lily said, nodding. "You wanna come over for ice cream floats?"
"You're just asking her so I'll buy you ice cream!" Ryan protested, tickling Lily's sides. "But I would like to have dinner sometime, catch up. Especially since you're gonna be living in town now."
"I actually have a full night planned, doing paperwork and reading files," Anna began, making a face. "But maybe we could hang out this weekend?"
"I've got Soccer on Saturday morning, but afternoon's good for me," Lily said innocently.
"She spends a lot of time with her uncle Seth, doesn't she?" Anna asked, smiling.
"Too much time," Ryan agreed, rolling his eyes.
"Well, if it's a game, I'd love to see you play," Anna told Lily.
"And then you could have lunch with us before I go to Megan's for my sleepover!" Lily said excitedly.
"Sounds like a plan," Anna agreed.
Lily beamed, arms around Ryan's neck. "We'll see you Saturday then," she said.
"Let me give you my number, in case anything comes up and you can't make it," Ryan said.
"Program it in, and give me your phone so I can program mine in," Anna said, handing him her cell. "This is my private cell number, call anytime and if I don't answer, leave a voicemail."
"Same here," Ryan replied. He reached into his wallet before passing her phone back to her, and gave her a card too. "My business number is on there, in case you can't reach me on my cell and it's important. Just ignore the rude receptionist, she's almost family so I'm stuck with her."
"You love Auntie Kait!" Lily protested.
"Just like I love Uncle Seth, in a 'if they weren't family, I'd kill them' kinda way," Ryan replied, placing a kiss in Lily's temple. "We'd better get going, finish shopping then head over to Kirsten's, I promised to bring Lily by to see her and Sophie Rose."
"I'll see you on Saturday," Anna said with a wave as she watched them go. As she went back to her own shopping she replayed the conversation they'd had in her mind, and came up with a few questions to interrogate him with on Saturday if they got a moment without Lily around.
To Be Continued...
Author: Mara
Fandom: The OC
Pairings: Ryan/Anna, Seth/Summer, past Ryan/Taylor.
Rating: R
Warnings: Some language, possible sex in later chapters.
Summary: "I didn't think it was possible for you to look any better than when we were teenagers, but the dad thing suits you."
Notes: For
supreme_empress for the 'Pay it Forward Meme'. She wanted Ryan/Anna, so her wish is my command. This will most likely be another long one... ::sigh:: as if I don't have enough long ones already... lol... This chapter short, but... the others should be longer...Walk On
Anna Stern had figured out a long time ago that California sucked, at least for her. There was constant Seth Drama, Summer Drama, and of course Seth/Summer Drama, and she just didn't want to put up with it anymore. So, she stayed on the east coast, jumping from her parents in Pittsburgh, to school in New York City, to Miami for Spring break with her roommate and friends.
It wasn't until she got a job offer in San Francisco almost 11 years after last seeing anyone from Newport that she ran into Ryan Atwood again. She'd been picking up groceries at the store, planning on hunkering down with the patient files she'd inherited from the last shrink at the Prescott Psychiatric Organization, when she spotted him at the other end of the aisle, looking at a the dietary information on the side of a box of cereal like it was the most important thing in the world.
With a raised eyebrow, Anna walked over. "Great literary work, huh?" she teased.
Ryan looked up, startled, but soon a smile spread across his face. "Anna?"
"Long time no see, Atwood," Anna replied, giving him a hug that he returned automatically. "I missed you."
"Missed you, too," Ryan replied. "What are you doing in my neck of the woods?"
"New job, I'm a shrink at the Prescott Organization. Fancy name for..."
"A loony bin," Ryan concluded, nodding. "Yeah, I know it."
"You do?"
"I used to see someone there," Ryan admitted. "Went through a tough time right after college."
"What happened? Is everything okay?"
"Short version? My life kinda imploded. I graduated, Seth and Summer got married, I got dumped, then 8 months later my ex shows up on my doorstep and..."
"Daddy! Can I have this?"
Anna was surprised to see Ryan crouch down to take the box from the little blonde haired, blue eyed girl.
"You really want this, baby girl?" he asked, wrinkling his nose. "You know I like healthy stuff, but soy cereal?"
"But Auntie Sum eats it!"
"Auntie Sum also married Uncle Seth, so we have to question her judgment," Ryan replied. "Do you really think you'll eat this?"
"Uh-huh."
"Do you eat it when Auntie Sum gives you some of it?"
"Nu-huh."
"Then why would you eat it now?"
"Because!"
"How about Frosted Flakes? They're covered in sugar, but they aren't made of soy, so they are automatically better."
"I like Tony the Tiger..."
"So?"
"Okay!"
Ryan smiled and set the box of Soy-Tastic Cereal on the shelf before grabbing a box of Frosted Flakes and putting them in the cart. "Can you check off 'cereal' for me?" he asked as he crouched down again, holding out a list and a little marker.
"Who's the pretty lady?" Lily asked as she distractedly crossed it off the list, looking up at Ana and subsequently drawing on her dad's hand.
Ryan smiled and scooped Lily up. "Lily Atwood, meet Anna Stern. She's old friend of mine from way back when me, Auntie Sum, and Uncle Seth were still in school."
"Wow, that's forever ago!" Lily proclaimed.
"It's nice to meet you, Lily," Anna said, smiling and offering her hand to the little girl. "How old are you?"
"Don't you know never to ask a lady that?" Lily asked, tilting her head and looking for all the world just like Ryan.
Ryan burst out laughing. "I think it's okay for one lady to ask another," he said. "She's almost 5," he added to Anna. "My baby girl turns five in three weeks," he repeated, grimacing.
"Uncle Seth says that means Daddy's getting old," Lily said in a 'whisper' that was almost as loud as her regular voice.
"I see," Anna replied, covering her mouth to hide her smile.
"I doubt Uncle Seth will be saying that when Maddie gets to be five."
"Don't be silly, Daddy! Uncle Seth can't get old, 'cause he's just a big kid! That's what Auntie Sum says."
Anna couldn't hide the snicker at that. "Sounds about right," she said.
"I like you, Miss Stern," Lily said, nodding. "You wanna come over for ice cream floats?"
"You're just asking her so I'll buy you ice cream!" Ryan protested, tickling Lily's sides. "But I would like to have dinner sometime, catch up. Especially since you're gonna be living in town now."
"I actually have a full night planned, doing paperwork and reading files," Anna began, making a face. "But maybe we could hang out this weekend?"
"I've got Soccer on Saturday morning, but afternoon's good for me," Lily said innocently.
"She spends a lot of time with her uncle Seth, doesn't she?" Anna asked, smiling.
"Too much time," Ryan agreed, rolling his eyes.
"Well, if it's a game, I'd love to see you play," Anna told Lily.
"And then you could have lunch with us before I go to Megan's for my sleepover!" Lily said excitedly.
"Sounds like a plan," Anna agreed.
Lily beamed, arms around Ryan's neck. "We'll see you Saturday then," she said.
"Let me give you my number, in case anything comes up and you can't make it," Ryan said.
"Program it in, and give me your phone so I can program mine in," Anna said, handing him her cell. "This is my private cell number, call anytime and if I don't answer, leave a voicemail."
"Same here," Ryan replied. He reached into his wallet before passing her phone back to her, and gave her a card too. "My business number is on there, in case you can't reach me on my cell and it's important. Just ignore the rude receptionist, she's almost family so I'm stuck with her."
"You love Auntie Kait!" Lily protested.
"Just like I love Uncle Seth, in a 'if they weren't family, I'd kill them' kinda way," Ryan replied, placing a kiss in Lily's temple. "We'd better get going, finish shopping then head over to Kirsten's, I promised to bring Lily by to see her and Sophie Rose."
"I'll see you on Saturday," Anna said with a wave as she watched them go. As she went back to her own shopping she replayed the conversation they'd had in her mind, and came up with a few questions to interrogate him with on Saturday if they got a moment without Lily around.
To Be Continued...
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-08-21 11:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-22 03:19 am (UTC)That was an AMAZING start !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Date: 2007-08-22 04:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-22 07:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-22 01:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-22 08:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-22 01:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-22 07:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-23 01:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-23 02:23 am (UTC)I love the ending, with Anna taking mental notes. She's gotta be so confused with all the names being tossed around by Ryan and Lily.
One thing though; I don't think Ryan would use the phrase "I'd kill them" around Lily. He strikes me as just too concious of how language can impact little ears. Just my opinion though.
no subject
Date: 2007-08-23 05:37 am (UTC)While watching Anna's goodbye to Ryan and her earnest admonishment for him to have "the best life" while he kindly and gently thanked her for teaching him to waltz, I found myself longing for more moments between them.
Now you give us them on their own terms, without self-aborbed!Seth in the mix to see them both only as secondary satellites. You also give Ryan quite a full plate already with Lily, but having him functioning wonderfully as a parent. That relationship seems very special.
Ryan, Lily, Anna and Tony the Tiger... what's not to love?
no subject
Date: 2007-08-25 04:02 pm (UTC)