OC Fic: Consequences
Title: Consequences
"AU-ish" missing scene from Season One's The Outsider (AU-ish because these Cohens try to parent)
Part 1A (Because LJ has a fetish for short chapters and I have a thing for length)
Characters: Cohens+1
Author: ChaseII
Story Rating: PG-13 (language)
Disclaimer: The OC Universe, with all its assorted characters, belongs to Josh Schwartz, et. al. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended, nor is any money being made.
AN: Many thanks to Beachtree for her insightful and thought-provoking Beta services! However, as always, all mistakes are mine!
Ryan flinched involuntarily as he saw Sandy get off the hospital elevator. He rose to his feet, relieved when his legs supported him. Seth’s face lit up, his relief evident.
“Dad,” Seth breathed, already moving toward his father. “You came.”
Sandy’s eyes found his son’s as he placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, “You called me - of course I came.”
Words tumbled out over one another, as Seth unleashed the flood he must have been holding back. “Things just went down crazy, with Donnie pulling that stupid gun and pointing it at Luke, and then Ryan rushing him and the gun going off… Next thing I knew, Luke was sprawled on the floor and then Ryan was all with the first aid ‘cause no one else knew what we needed to do, and then Donnie was scrambling out the door, and everyone was screaming and shouting, and there was an awful lot of blood - ”
Sandy’s hand squeezed his son’s shoulder gently, stopping the flow of words, “Seth? Take a breath.”
Seth seemed to relax a little, soothed by Sandy’s presence. Ryan wished he felt the same relief.
The man’s eyes swept from his son’s face to his feet and back to his face again, his enormous eyebrows drawn together as he leaned in close to Seth, asking softly, “Are you okay?”
The curly head bounced up and down, “We’re fine, but the police showed up a little while ago to talk to Luke. They said they want to take our statements, too, but Ryan told them we had to wait for you.”
Like Sandy needed the reminder of how familiar Ryan was with police and statements and having your attorney by your side. He braced himself, trying not to shrink back from his responsibility, even though every instinct told him he needed to become invisible.
Sandy looked across Seth’s shoulder, his eyes resting for a moment on Ryan’s face, “Good call, kid.”
Shrugging, Ryan ducked his head, glad he’d done at least one thing right.
His guardian sighed, “I want you guys to tell me everything that happened. Then we’ll talk with the police.”
The next hour flew by, most of that time filled with recounting events in what felt like excruciating detail to his guardian. Ryan figured he and Seth had faced more or less the same onslaught of questions, but while Seth seemed kind of excited to be describing the events of the evening, revealing so much to an adult went against every life lesson he’d ever learned.
Still, he’d tried his best to hold himself together, to focus, and give Sandy exactly what he asked for, but he was pretty sure he’d sounded like he was holding back. Old habits were hard to overcome.
He’d been nervous when Seth and Sandy disappeared inside a small office with an obviously harried cop and a forensics tech, while a long-faced officer waited silently outside with him. His stomach had lurched when his turn with Sandy and the first cop came about fifteen minutes later.
He wasn’t surprised when his hand showed gunshot residue - after all, he’d been struggling with Donnie for control of the weapon when it discharged. He was surprised when the cop hadn’t arrested him on the spot, and more surprised when his interrogation ended and Sandy’s arm looped over his shoulder, guiding him out into the hall.
“So, that much is over,” Sandy said, his voice sounding unnaturally strained.
Ryan glanced quickly sideways at his guardian, trying to read his face. The man’s eyes were dark, and he was strangely quiet, but what did those signs mean? Did he read anger? Disappointment? Anxiety? Something else? And was the physical contact meant to comfort? Or just to usher him out of the room before the cop could change his mind? He wished like hell he knew.
“Yeah,” he breathed softly, not daring to ask the question he really wanted answered. How much more is there to come?
They reached a small waiting area where Seth was seated by himself, and Sandy halted, releasing Ryan. The man’s face seemed darker than it had just seconds before, but maybe it was the low light in the waiting room. His tone still sounded strained when he spoke again. “You guys sit here for a minute while I call Kirsten. I’ll be right back.”
Ryan sat down wearily beside Seth, watching as his guardian disappeared around a corner. A few seconds later he could hear Sandy’s muffled voice, but couldn’t make out any of his words. Seth was blessedly quiet for once, not saying much of anything since his interview with the cops. Ryan didn’t want to think about what the silence meant.
They sat side by side for Sandy’s ‘minute’ that turned into five and then nearly ten, the only noise in the waiting area the low gurgle of an aquarium across the room. Ryan’s stomach burned, the sensation building with each passing second, threatening to erupt.
He spotted a Men’s Room several yards down the hall. Maybe splashing some water on his face would help. Turning to Seth he mumbled, “Be right back.”
Seth made a face when he saw where Ryan was looking. “Gross, dude. Sick people use that place.”
Ryan ignored him, rising to his feet and heading toward the restroom.
Sandy’s voice became clearer as Ryan moved further down the hall, until he could make out the man’s words.
“Kirsten, he knew better. He knew what might happen.” There was a slight pause, as though he were listening to Kirsten’s response.
Ryan slowed down, feeling guilty for eavesdropping, but unable to resist the temptation no matter how wrong he knew it was.
Sandy spoke again. “I’ve already talked to Ryan’s case worker.” There was another short pause before Sandy snorted. “Then we’re agreed. It ends tonight.”
Ryan pushed his way into the bathroom, jerking on the cold water tap and palming the cool liquid against his face. The water had minimal effect, as saliva coursed warm and bitter inside his mouth. He barely made it to the toilet before he heaved.
Sandy and Seth were standing opposite one another in the waiting area when he returned, their focus clearly on one another. Seth looked almost surly, and Sandy’s eyes were snapping, anger riding close beneath their surface. Ryan could almost see the tension between the pair.
The man’s voice was tightly controlled when he noticed Ryan’s arrival. “Come on, guys. We’ll continue this back at the house.” Sandy tilted his head toward the bank of elevators at the end of the hall.
“Continue? I was kinda’ hoping we were done,” Seth objected, heedless of Sandy’s darkening mood.
“I said at the house.” This time Sandy’s undertone reached his son. Seth fell into step beside his father, his lanky frame drooping a bit in protest.
Ryan forced himself to move, reluctantly trailing Sandy and Seth down the long hallway.
He knew, even if Seth didn’t want to understand, what was coming next.
Each step brought him closer to another ending.
>>>>>>>
Sandy said nothing on the drive back to the Cohen house, settling for a few glances across at a muted Seth, and a couple of checks through the rearview mirror on him. Ryan couldn’t begin to read the dark blue eyes reflected back toward him, even though he tried.
Turning his face toward the side window, he stared out at the passing scenery, grateful for the temporary reprieve - grateful for a few more minutes of refuge before the Cohens threw him out. It gave him time to prepare himself for whatever future he’d have to face. He just hoped to hell it wasn’t Juvie. Anything but that…
It wasn’t like he’d planned the night would end like this. He’d just wanted to spend time with Marissa. Nothing big - just grilled cheese sandwiches, conversation, some laughs, hopefully a kiss or three or maybe more.
He winced as his stomach cramped again, everything left inside him twisting like someone had his filthy fingers wrapped around his gut. He swallowed hard, fighting down the urge to hurl again.
Thankfully, the remnants in his stomach stayed down, but he could almost feel the Atwood darkness gathering all around him, with its familiar shadows of self-doubt and self-reproach. The darkness seemed right, somehow. He’d never belonged in shiny Newport. He’d never earned the sun-drenched lifestyle he’d lived these last few weeks.
The Beamer came to a halt at the top of the driveway, the front seats fairly illuminated by the motion-sensitive flood lights over the garage door. Sandy turned in his seat, his eyes flicking back and forth between Seth and Ryan.
“Guys?”
Seth drew in a breath, fixing his father with a petulant scowl. Ryan frowned at an oblivious Seth before addressing Sandy as evenly as he could manage. “Yeah?”
“I want to see you both in the kitchen. I’ll be there in three minutes.” Sandy’s tone was nearly flat, but his words left little room for argument.
Unmindful, Seth rolled his eyes, earning a deadly glower from his father.
Ryan spoke up from the backseat before Seth could do more damage. “Right. Three minutes. We’ll be waiting.”
Seth’s head whipped around at Ryan’s acquiescence, but his wide-eyed stare was easier dealt with than Sandy’s increased irritation. Ryan glared pointedly at his friend, until Seth’s resistance crumbled.
“Fine,” Seth muttered under his breath.
Sandy’s eyebrows settled back into place. He sighed, nodding toward the door, his voice oddly drained. “Go on in, you two. I need a minute or two, but I promise - I won’t be far behind you.”
Ryan swallowed, not wanting to think about why Sandy needed time. He slid out of the car, relieved when Seth did the same.
A quick glance back at Sandy brought him no solace. The man was slumped in his seat with his eyes closed, his head shaking back and forth glumly.