For the tenth time in ten minutes, Seth looked over his shoulder towards the back of house. Why, he didn't know. It was pointless. He couldn't actually see them. And yet his head kept craning around anyway.

"Ow!" he protested loudly, as a sharp jab nearly poked through his ribs. He never figured Ryan to have such a pointy elbow. Though he fixed a dirty look on his opponent, it didn't seem to faze him.

"Come on, man, get your mind back on the game," Ryan said, proceeding to tear off his brother's head in a blazing and gory moment of triumph. "Oops. Too late. I think I killed you."

Seth watched as the video game version of himself expired without even a whimper. "Oh, you think? Thanks, bro."

"Ready for a rematch?" Ryan grinned, looking rather pleased with himself.

"Okay, Mr. Serious Gamer. You've kind of got me at a disadvantage here. I'm a little distracted right now. What do you think they're talking about?"

"Who?" Ryan had somehow perfected the wholesome, innocent routine.

"Oh, you're funny. I would laugh but I have no head."

"And yet it speaks."

"Ha. Witty comeback. I think I've been a bad influence on you because you never used to have a sense of humour. I'm talking about Superman and Lois Lane out there. Spiderman and Mary Jane." Once again, Seth twisted around to try to see beyond the walls. Superman wouldn't have this problem. X-ray vision was highly underrated.

Ryan tossed down the controller, as if coming to terms with the fact that their gaming session had ground to a halt. "I thought Summer was Wonder Woman," he pointed out.

"Hey, Summer is my Wonder Woman," Seth stated, with as much dignity as he could muster. "I don't share with annoyingly perfect, water polo playing, superhero wannabes." He came to an impulsive decision. "I think I need to go out there."

"No you don't."

"Yes, Ryan, I think I do."

"Seth, you're not going out there." Ryan's tone left no room for argument but when had that ever stopped Seth?

"I'll be subtle. I'll go out with a tray and offer them some drinks. Then I'll just smoothly inquire what the topic of conversation is. It's a foolproof plan."

Ryan stared at him with an intriguing mix of horror and disbelief. "Please tell me this is one of those times you're talking just to hear the sound of your own voice and that you don't actually think this is a good idea."

Seth gave up the pretense. "All right, I'm a pathetic loser. I know that. It's just killing me, man. I need to know what's going on out there."

"Just keep reminding yourself what you've told me twenty times already. She called you. She's staying at your house. She came into your bed."

"Yeah, and now she's doing God knows what with him," Seth huffed.

"Aren't you being a bit dramatic?" Ryan observed dryly. "I'm sure they're just talking."

"And what does talking lead to? Kissing, of course. And kissing leads to the three-letter word that I had to endure getting lectured on by my father. A most awesomely humiliating experience, I might add. No, this has got to stop here."

Ryan's eyes rolled so dramatically, Seth was mildly surprised they didn't keep rolling out of his head. "You need some serious help," Ryan muttered.

The ringing of the telephone vaguely registered in Seth's mind as he decided to execute his plan. He hadn't actually gone so far as to figure out what he would say when he got out there, but he'd think of something. He got to his feet. "Seth…" Ryan's voice held a tone of warning.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing," Seth tried to assure him. He quickly headed for the kitchen as Ryan followed behind.

"Don't do this!"

Seth had almost reached the door leading outside when he was stopped by his mother's voice.

"Oh, honey, would you mind going outside to get Summer?"

Say what? This was unexpected. With surprise, Seth turned to look at Kirsten. She was holding one hand over the mouthpiece of the phone and pointing at it with the other. "It's her father."

"Oh." He glanced back at Ryan with an air of satisfaction. "See? And you thought I didn't have a good G.P."

Kirsten frowned at her son. "What's that? Guinea pig?"

Ryan snorted with laughter and tried to cover it with a cough, managing to sound like he was suffering from a bout of bronchitis.

Seth gave him a withering look, then returned his gaze to Kirsten. "Yes, mother, it's the one thing that's always been lacking in my life. A good guinea pig. And in case you didn't notice, this is my voice dripping with sarcasm. I'll go get Summer."

Stepping outside, the first thing he heard was Summer's full-bodied laugh. It wasn't one of her pretending-to-be-amused forced laughs that she sometimes used. This one was from the heart. Now he could see them sitting at the table, facing each other with mutual smiles. He tried to console himself with the fact that she looked happy. And if Zach was the one that was making her feel that way…well, perhaps for once in his life, he should do the unselfish thing and leave his nose out of their business. It wouldn't be easy but maybe he should be willing to try. He cleared his throat. "Hey, sorry to interrupt. Summer, your dad is on the phone."

She shot out of the chair in an instant. "My father? Are you sure?"

"That's what my mom says."

As she started towards the house, Zach spoke up. "I'm gonna get going, Summer."

She had strode past him, so she stopped and turned around. "Okay. I'm glad we talked."

"Me too."

With a little wave, she disappeared inside. For several seconds, the two remaining boys regarded each other in uncomfortable silence. Zach pulled back his chair and stood up.

"You sure you don't want to finish our match?" Seth offered. "I think I was beating your ass when we left off. Now's your chance to redeem yourself."

"That's okay. You've already won," Zach stated rather cryptically. He stepped closer with a hand extended.

Although puzzled, Seth shook the offered hand. "Happy New Year, Seth. I mean it this time."

"So you didn't mean it last night?"

Zach shrugged lightly. "Let's just say I mean it a little more sincerely now. I think it'll be a good year for you."

Seth had no clue where this was coming from but he decided it was best to just play along. "Is that your Spidey sense tingling?"

Chuckling, Zach nodded. "Exactly. And my senses are also telling me that it wouldn't be a bad idea for you to sit down and talk with Summer."

"I'll, uh, keep that in mind."

"I'll let myself out. See you in school."

Seth's gaze followed Zach's back until he went in the house. Bizarre. Totally bizarre. Zach was advising him to have a talk with Summer? What was that all about?

He supposed there was only one way to find out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Love you too. Okay." Summer held the phone out towards Kirsten, who had returned to her workstation at the kitchen table. "He wants to talk to you."

Handing over the receiver, Summer stepped aside, feeling a little drained. Her father hadn't had any idea of what had happened last night. He'd tried calling her at home to wish her a Happy New Year and had gotten worried when he couldn't reach her. He'd next attempted to contact the Coopers to no avail and had finally thought to try the Cohen household. Summer had explained most of the details, trying to assure him that she was really okay and that he didn't have to catch the next flight out to come home. He and her step-mom were scheduled to return tomorrow anyway. One more day wouldn't make any difference.

"No, truly, it's no trouble at all. Sandy and I are happy to do it," Kirsten was saying into the phone. "Yes, I will. We'll see you tomorrow. All right. Bye now."

Summer glanced at her rather guiltily. "I guess I should have called him but I didn't know what to say. How to tell him what happened without freaking him out. I think he's mad."

"No, he's not mad. Not at you, anyway. He's just relieved that you're okay."

Unconsciously, Summer's hand went to the base of her throat. "The guy took my necklace. My dad gave it to me for Christmas." Her father had been so thrilled and excited when he'd given it to her Christmas morning. She hadn't had the heart to tell him that the car wasn't the only thing that had been stolen.

As if sensing her feelings, Kirsten came to stand before her. "Honey, believe me, he's not going to care about the necklace. You're safe. That's all that matters."

Summer nodded glumly. "Yeah." With arms crossed in front of her, she headed for the side door, peering outside. Seth sat alone at the patio table, looking absorbed in thought. She started to reach for the door handle and hesitated. It would be so much easier to avoid him right now. Ryan was probably still playing video games. She could join him and take out her stress on the buttons of the game controller. Wouldn't that be more fun than talking to the boy who waited outside? With a final sigh, she turned her head to find Kirsten still regarding her with concern. "I'll just be outside," she stated.

Seth glanced up as she approached him. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hey."

"What did your dad want? How did he even know you're here?" he asked, curiosity in his voice.

She sat down beside him, taking a sip of her coffee first. Ugh. It had gone cold. "He did a little sleuthing to find me. He got worried when I didn't answer at home."

"You told him what happened?"

"Yeah."

"Did he freak out?"

She grimaced, recalling the conversation. "Pretty much. He must have asked me ten times if I was all right. They're coming back tomorrow anyway."

He leaned forward, elbow on the table and cradling his head in one hand. "So, any more bad dreams last night? After joining me in bed, I mean."

Frowning slightly, her gaze slid to his. If he was about to crack jokes about sleeping together, she would kill him. He met her eyes without the hint of any sly humour, however. It seemed his question was purely sincere. "No. I slept pretty well." She paused but when he didn't comment, she went on. "Thanks again for, well, not making fun of me. I feel kind of stupid now for how I acted."

"Don't. You were scared and didn't want to be alone. I wouldn't make fun of you for that. However, I would like to take this moment to point out that those pyjamas are ridiculously big on you and you look about ten years old. But coming to my bed last night? Nothing funny in that."

He smirked at her but in a gentle, teasing way that made her smile. Being this close to him, with those warm dark eyes and charming dimples, was dangerous. She could feel herself being sucked into the Cohen spell. She'd been there before and gotten burned. Wrenching her gaze away, she searched for something to say. "So Zach is gone," she blurted out inanely.

"Yup. He said something weird before he left."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. He basically said I should sit down and have a chat with you. And look. That's what we're doing. Guess he's psychic or something."

Zach had also said that Summer was still in love with Seth. Was that part of his psychic powers? "Humph," she grunted intelligently.

"He also said something about how I've already won. No clue what he's talking about. Is that supposed to mean something?"

"How would I know?" she snapped.

Seth blinked in apparent surprise at her surly tone. "Uh, I don't know. You were out here for a while talking. I thought maybe it came up."

Gripping the armrests of her chair, she watched the knuckles turn white. She couldn't believe the words that came out of her mouth next. "We broke up." Once they were out there, hanging in the air, she groaned inwardly. It was too late to snatch them back. Despite her horror, she found herself looking at Seth, watching the play of emotions across his face. Shock gave way to a decidedly pleased expression, which quickly gave way to a feigned nonchalance.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. And don't go doing the happy dance, Cohen. It's not like I'm going to jump back into your arms."

It was brief, but she saw the flash of irritation cross his features. "You didn't seem to mind my arms last night," he pointed out.

He was right. In fact, she had been the one to ask him for the embrace. But it had only been out of comfort and friendship, right? Right?

"Seth…" Her voice trailed off weakly and he took full advantage of the lull.

"Summer, just give me another chance. That's all I ask. And it's not like I'm asking you to get back together with me right away. I mean, you just broke up with Zach fifteen minutes ago. I'm not gonna pressure you to come back to me this second. But I need to know that you've forgiven me. I was a total ass in how I left last summer. I know that. But I still love you. I've never stopped. You know that, right? And no matter how much you deny it, I think you still feel something for me."

He leaned in closer, until he was mere inches away. Though she wanted to draw back, she found she couldn't, frozen into place. "So, first, have you forgiven me for last summer? I've never heard you say it and I need to know."

That was an easy one. The experience had been hurtful but she'd given up her anger. "Yes."

"Good. That's a relief. And now for the million-dollar question. Do you still love me?"

Time morphed out into a strange and elongated eternity as they sat and stared at each other. Her stomach clenched at the same time her mouth went dry, making her swallow uncomfortably. Parting her lips, the one word answer was a low breath of sound. "Yes."

His eyes flickered downwards, focusing on her mouth and he closed his eyes. She knew he was going to kiss her. "Stop," she demanded, though the command was spoken softly.

His eyelids fluttered open and she could read the unspoken question in his eyes. She rushed to get the words out before she lost her nerve. "I do still love you. I admit it, okay? But I'm afraid of trusting you again. Do you remember what I said that night of the carnival? You love to chase after me but once you have me, you take it all for granted."

"It won't happen again." He sounded so earnest. Desperate, even.

"You say that now but I don't know. I don't know if I believe you."

"What can I do to prove it to you? Just name it. I'll do anything."

She began to think. Formulate a possible plan, even as she was speaking. "Anything?"

"Anything," he reiterated. "As long as it doesn't involve water polo or heavy lifting. I'm not into sports or manual labour."

"Point taken. No, I was thinking more like taking things slowly. I mean, really, really slowly." She stretched out the words for emphasis. "Then we'll see what happens. I make no promises. You have to earn my trust back. And I'm not the most trusting person to begin with so you've got your work cut out for you. It's not going to be easy."

"So you're saying that you're willing to give us another chance?" He gazed at her with hope mixed with a smidgen of wonder. "I have no problem with taking it slowly. That's a good plan. Excellent, in fact. Very wise of you."

The corner of her lip twitched upwards in spite of herself. "Yes it is. Flattery is always welcome but don't expect it to be returned. It's a new year, right? So I guess we can try to start clean."

He grabbed her hand, stroking her fingers. "You won't be sorry. I swear. I'll never take you for granted again."

She found her hand being lifted and she wondered what he was doing. The move was a bit clumsy and he ended up kissing her thumb. Her heart melted just a little at the sweet gesture as he gave her a lopsided smile.

"Hey, sorry to break up the moment," called out a cheerful voice.

Withdrawing their hands, they looked up to find Sandy striding towards them. "I was told I'd find you out here, Summer. Good news. The police just called. They found your car."

She looked up at him, amazed. "Already?"

"Yeah. It was just a couple of miles down the road from where it happened. It's been stripped for parts, I'm afraid, but that was expected. But the best news is that your purse was left inside. No cash but everything else was intact, including your credit card and keys."

She chewed on her lip thoughtfully, feeling an automatic sense of relief but wanting to be sure it wasn't premature. "So, that's good, right? It's over now?"

Sandy nodded. "Looks that way. You should still go ahead with getting the locks on your home changed just to be safe but yes, I think it's over. They got what they wanted. Car parts for fast cash." He patted her shoulder for extra reassurance. "Kirsten tells me your father will be back tomorrow so I insist you stay with us until then. You've got nothing to worry about now, okay hon?"

Bobbing her head, she murmured, "Thanks."

As Sandy headed back for the house, Seth turned to her, a bounce in his voice. "That's great news, huh? Not so great about the car but at least you get your purse back."

She tried valiantly to match his enthusiasm but instead, to her utter dismay, she burst into tears instead. Embarrassed, she twisted away from him, but not before she saw the startled look of concern on his face. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.

She couldn't answer. Not when she was sobbing into the sleeves of Kirsten's pyjamas. She wasn't upset or unhappy. Sandy's announcement had indeed been good news so why in the world was she crying? She supposed it was just an overwhelming combination of emotions. A lot had happened since she'd ran out of her house last night with no thought but of enjoying the last party of the year.

Thankfully, the crying slowed to a trickle much more quickly than the last time she'd broken down in front of Seth. Though he didn't embrace her as before, she felt his hand rubbing soothing circles across her back. She hiccupped softly and swiped at her eyes with one sleeve.

"Sorry. I seem to be doing that a lot, lately," she said thickly.

"Any particular reason?" He stopped the circling motion but kept his hand steady, just between her shoulder blades.

She shrugged. "Nope." She had no desire to explain the complexities of her emotional state of mind. The response was hardly satisfying but she was pleased that he didn't press her for more.

"Okay. Well, I know how you feel about video games but why not give it a try? It might be therapeutic for you to do some kicking and punching. It's a great stress reliever."

"Is that your professional opinion?"

"Why, yes it is," he replied, with mock seriousness. "Along with lounging around all day in our PJs, eating junk food and watching movies. Sound good?"

Laughing, she got to her feet. "Yeah. As long as there's popcorn."

"Microwave popcorn. It's what I do best. Right up there with reheating Chinese."

As they continued bantering while walking back to the house, Summer slipped her hand into his. A silent indication that she was ready to let go of the past and look towards the future. Seth's chattering flowed on but he gently squeezed her hand and smiled down at her.

It was a new year, after all.

THE END

---

A/N: So, I know that conclusion may not be satisfying for some of you but I wanted to end this fic on a somewhat realistic note ie. that Summer doesn't go running back to Seth and bam, everything is perfect. And this fic was always intended to be within the timeframe of a single night and morning so this is indeed, THE END.

I also want to announce here that I'm going to take a break from writing OC fics. I want to try writing in a new fandom (Phantom of the Opera). The story I have in mind is a long one and I want to have a good portion of it written, if not completely, before I post it so it'll be quite a while before you see anything new from me.

In any case, writing my OC fics has been a blast and I thank you all for your support. Who knows, if my foray into POTO doesn't go well, I may return to the OC sooner than I think. Thanks for reading!