24 Gifts Of 2007 - Influence
Dec. 10th, 2007 10:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
missmara13This one is a major, big time AU. Kaitlin is Ryan's biological sister, and after the whole Trey thing and Dawn abandoning them, the Cohens took in both Ryan and Kaitlin. This is a glimpse into that universe during the Oliver mess. Assume that things basically went the same way as on the show in terms of the big events. This one has angst in it... a lot of angst. But it also has some not-so-angsty moments.
"Ry?"
Ryan sighed and opened his eyes, looking over at the poolhouse door to see Kaitlin standing there, chewing on her lip and looking, for once, unsure. "Yeah?" he said, sitting up.
"Why'd you do it?" Kaitlin asked, coming in and sitting on the edge of his bed. "I mean, I know he's creepy and weird, but..."
"I just have this feeling, Kaitlin," Ryan replied with a sigh. "He's really bad news, and no one believes me."
"I do," Kaitlin said. "If you say he's bad news, then he must be. Because you wouldn't lie to me."
"Thanks," Ryan said, reaching out to take his sister's hand and squeeze it.
"Now if only everyone else was as smart as me..."
Ryan cracked a smile and shoved her shoulder lightly. "No one could possibly be as brilliant as you, Kaitlin Atwood."
"Damn straight," Kaitlin replied with a grin. "What's gonna happen now?"
"I don't know," Ryan admitted. "But no matter what, we'll be okay. I'll figure it out."
"You always do," Kaitlin said, nodding.
~~~
"I need your help," Ryan said, pulling Kaitlin aside.
"Anything," Kaitlin agreed automatically.
"I need you to distract Sandy and Kirsten so I can go somewhere."
"You're gonna get in trouble..."
"I need to go," Ryan said. "I promise, I'll be back before they even know I'm gone."
Kaitlin bit her lip, then nodded. "Okay."
"Thanks," Ryan said, smiling. "I owe you."
"Where are you going?" Kaitlin asked.
"Oliver's penthouse. Marissa called and she needs me to pick her up. I'll take her home then be back here in no time, I promise."
"Be careful," Kaitlin said.
"Always," Ryan promised, kissing the top of her head, then watching her go to work.
~~~
Ryan froze as the gun turned in his direction, and for a moment all he heard was Kaitlin's order that he be careful. There was a knock on the door, and no one said anything as Ryan and Oliver faced off while Marissa stood to one side, shaking in fear.
"Is everything okay, Oliver?" a woman called.
"Everything's fine, Natalie!" Oliver replied with false cheerfulness, his hand shaking as it aimed the gun at Ryan.
"Are you sure? There's someone here who says his foster son came to get your friend, but neither of them have left..."
"We're just hanging out, everything's fine!" Oliver repeated.
"Can we come in?" Sandy called. "I need to get Ryan home..."
"We worked things out," Oliver called. "Why don't you let him stay?"
"Oliver, open the door," Sandy said.
"No!" Oliver yelled, his facade slipping.
"He's got a gun!" Marissa screamed.
The door burst open, but Ryan didn't dare to turn and look, his gaze staying locked on the gun as he heard Kaitlin's voice in his head, her admonishment and his promise on repeat. He didn't want to turn into a liar, not to Kaitlin, not when he hadn't yet gotten to see his baby sister grow up into the amazing person he knew she would be.
"Why did you do that?!" Oliver demanded of Marissa, glancing away for half a second before looking back at Ryan, his hand steading. "This is your fault," he said.
"Please don't do this," Ryan said. "My sister... she made me promise to be careful and be home in no time. Don't make me lie to her for the first time in our lives. Please don't make me another person who says they love her and then leaves her all alone. Please, Oliver... please don't leave my baby sister all alone."
For a moment, it looked like Oliver was listening, as he shifted the barrel towards the floor every so slightly, and the entire room held their breath as hotel security took a step forward. Then, Oliver jerked the gun up again.
"No!" Ryan yelled, but it was drowned out by the gunshot.
~~~
It was all Kirsten could do to keep Kaitlin from running down the hall to the room the nurse had directed them to, but when they got to the doorway, she let the girl go to run to Ryan's bedside.
Ryan immediately gathered Kaitlin into his arms, holding on to her like both their lives depended on it, his shoulders shaking slightly.
"At least he's reacting to something," Sandy said quietly, guiding Kirsten back outside.
"What happened?" Kirsten asked.
"Oliver killed himself," Sandy said. "Shot himself in the head."
"Did..." Kirsten began, looking back into the room.
"He saw it," Sandy confirmed.
~~~
Ryan couldn't close his eyes without seeing Oliver's head coming apart, and Kaitlin refused to leave his side, so they wound up spending the night sitting on the couch, Ryan watching TV and Kaitlin curled up against his side, her arms wrapped tightly around his middle. Sometime around 3 am, Sandy came out to check on them and found Ryan stroking Kaitlin's hair as she slept. "I kept thinking of what you said, before I left," Ryan was whispering. "About being careful, and how I promised I would be. I was so scared I was going to be another person who left you, Kaitlin. I didn't want to be the one who left you all alone, and I... I'm so sorry I wasn't more careful. I promise, though. Never again, okay? I'm never gonna put some stupid girl before you, because you're all I've got, Kaitie. You're the only person who's ever really believed in me, and I'm not gonna let you down again, I promise."
Sandy felt like he should step in and say something, but Kaitlin beat him to it, sitting up and looking at her brother.
"You've never let me down, Ry. But... but stop being stupid and getting in trouble, okay? Because my main influences are you and Trey, so be the better role model, okay?"
Ryan smiled a tight, forced, smile. "I'll try harder," he said softly.
"You better," Kaitlin said, smiling slightly and snuggling against his side again. "What's this movie?" she asked, changing the subject.
"I don't know, something with Jackie Chan."
"Cool."
The End
Three more days of work and then I'm off for like 3 weeks... I MAY get called in if my manager is desperate for someone to cover a shift, but... lol... I don't HAVE to agree to come in if I really don't wanna... I probably would, but... lol... and I only have to work 5 hours a day for the next 3 days, so... WOOHOO! lol
"Ry?"
Ryan sighed and opened his eyes, looking over at the poolhouse door to see Kaitlin standing there, chewing on her lip and looking, for once, unsure. "Yeah?" he said, sitting up.
"Why'd you do it?" Kaitlin asked, coming in and sitting on the edge of his bed. "I mean, I know he's creepy and weird, but..."
"I just have this feeling, Kaitlin," Ryan replied with a sigh. "He's really bad news, and no one believes me."
"I do," Kaitlin said. "If you say he's bad news, then he must be. Because you wouldn't lie to me."
"Thanks," Ryan said, reaching out to take his sister's hand and squeeze it.
"Now if only everyone else was as smart as me..."
Ryan cracked a smile and shoved her shoulder lightly. "No one could possibly be as brilliant as you, Kaitlin Atwood."
"Damn straight," Kaitlin replied with a grin. "What's gonna happen now?"
"I don't know," Ryan admitted. "But no matter what, we'll be okay. I'll figure it out."
"You always do," Kaitlin said, nodding.
~~~
"I need your help," Ryan said, pulling Kaitlin aside.
"Anything," Kaitlin agreed automatically.
"I need you to distract Sandy and Kirsten so I can go somewhere."
"You're gonna get in trouble..."
"I need to go," Ryan said. "I promise, I'll be back before they even know I'm gone."
Kaitlin bit her lip, then nodded. "Okay."
"Thanks," Ryan said, smiling. "I owe you."
"Where are you going?" Kaitlin asked.
"Oliver's penthouse. Marissa called and she needs me to pick her up. I'll take her home then be back here in no time, I promise."
"Be careful," Kaitlin said.
"Always," Ryan promised, kissing the top of her head, then watching her go to work.
~~~
Ryan froze as the gun turned in his direction, and for a moment all he heard was Kaitlin's order that he be careful. There was a knock on the door, and no one said anything as Ryan and Oliver faced off while Marissa stood to one side, shaking in fear.
"Is everything okay, Oliver?" a woman called.
"Everything's fine, Natalie!" Oliver replied with false cheerfulness, his hand shaking as it aimed the gun at Ryan.
"Are you sure? There's someone here who says his foster son came to get your friend, but neither of them have left..."
"We're just hanging out, everything's fine!" Oliver repeated.
"Can we come in?" Sandy called. "I need to get Ryan home..."
"We worked things out," Oliver called. "Why don't you let him stay?"
"Oliver, open the door," Sandy said.
"No!" Oliver yelled, his facade slipping.
"He's got a gun!" Marissa screamed.
The door burst open, but Ryan didn't dare to turn and look, his gaze staying locked on the gun as he heard Kaitlin's voice in his head, her admonishment and his promise on repeat. He didn't want to turn into a liar, not to Kaitlin, not when he hadn't yet gotten to see his baby sister grow up into the amazing person he knew she would be.
"Why did you do that?!" Oliver demanded of Marissa, glancing away for half a second before looking back at Ryan, his hand steading. "This is your fault," he said.
"Please don't do this," Ryan said. "My sister... she made me promise to be careful and be home in no time. Don't make me lie to her for the first time in our lives. Please don't make me another person who says they love her and then leaves her all alone. Please, Oliver... please don't leave my baby sister all alone."
For a moment, it looked like Oliver was listening, as he shifted the barrel towards the floor every so slightly, and the entire room held their breath as hotel security took a step forward. Then, Oliver jerked the gun up again.
"No!" Ryan yelled, but it was drowned out by the gunshot.
~~~
It was all Kirsten could do to keep Kaitlin from running down the hall to the room the nurse had directed them to, but when they got to the doorway, she let the girl go to run to Ryan's bedside.
Ryan immediately gathered Kaitlin into his arms, holding on to her like both their lives depended on it, his shoulders shaking slightly.
"At least he's reacting to something," Sandy said quietly, guiding Kirsten back outside.
"What happened?" Kirsten asked.
"Oliver killed himself," Sandy said. "Shot himself in the head."
"Did..." Kirsten began, looking back into the room.
"He saw it," Sandy confirmed.
~~~
Ryan couldn't close his eyes without seeing Oliver's head coming apart, and Kaitlin refused to leave his side, so they wound up spending the night sitting on the couch, Ryan watching TV and Kaitlin curled up against his side, her arms wrapped tightly around his middle. Sometime around 3 am, Sandy came out to check on them and found Ryan stroking Kaitlin's hair as she slept. "I kept thinking of what you said, before I left," Ryan was whispering. "About being careful, and how I promised I would be. I was so scared I was going to be another person who left you, Kaitlin. I didn't want to be the one who left you all alone, and I... I'm so sorry I wasn't more careful. I promise, though. Never again, okay? I'm never gonna put some stupid girl before you, because you're all I've got, Kaitie. You're the only person who's ever really believed in me, and I'm not gonna let you down again, I promise."
Sandy felt like he should step in and say something, but Kaitlin beat him to it, sitting up and looking at her brother.
"You've never let me down, Ry. But... but stop being stupid and getting in trouble, okay? Because my main influences are you and Trey, so be the better role model, okay?"
Ryan smiled a tight, forced, smile. "I'll try harder," he said softly.
"You better," Kaitlin said, smiling slightly and snuggling against his side again. "What's this movie?" she asked, changing the subject.
"I don't know, something with Jackie Chan."
"Cool."
The End
Three more days of work and then I'm off for like 3 weeks... I MAY get called in if my manager is desperate for someone to cover a shift, but... lol... I don't HAVE to agree to come in if I really don't wanna... I probably would, but... lol... and I only have to work 5 hours a day for the next 3 days, so... WOOHOO! lol
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Date: 2007-12-25 10:55 pm (UTC)Kaitlin Cooper
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