New Fic - Good Enough - The OC/Brothers & Sisters
The OC/Brothers & Sisters Crossover. Ryan Atwood is the biological son of William Walker. Sandy met the Walkers, thought they'd just cause Ryan a lot of angst and pain, and said he didn't want them bothering Ryan. But Nora isn't exactly good at doing as others wish, so... lol...
Title comes from Good Enough by Sarah McLachlan.
Good Enough
Nora stopped in the doorway of the Mexican restaurant, watching the blonde boy who was wiping down tables. She knew who he was, there was no doubt about it in her mind, but she wasn't sure if she should do this. Ryan's father had said he didn't want them in his life, and she respected that, honestly she did, but this boy was her husband's son, her children had a right to know their brother, he had a right to know them. Ryan had the right to know that her had the Walker Family out there if he needed them.
With resolve, Nora walked into the restaurant and took a seat at the bar, trying not to stare as Ryan took the bus tub into the back room, then returned.
"What can I get for you?" he asked.
"What's good?" Nora asked.
"If you like Mexican, everything," Ryan replied with a smile.
Nora nodded, then laughed slightly. "Actually, I'm not a fan," she admitted.
"Odd place to choose for lunch, then," Ryan said.
"I came to see you," she continued. "You are Ryan Atwood, aren't you?"
"Yeah," Ryan replied, frowning.
"My name is Nora Walker, I'm..."
"What? It's not enough you tell Sandy that you and your kids want nothing to do with me, you've gotta come say it to my face?" Ryan interrupted. "I can take a hint, Mrs. Walker, I'm used to being the trash scraped off someone's shoes. So you can leave, I won't bother your kids."
"I never said that!" Nora protested. "He insisted on meeting us first, without them knowing who he was, so he could see what the kids are like, and he told us to stay away from you!"
"Really? Because that doesn't sound much like Sandy," Ryan said.
"I'll admit we didn't make the best impression," Nora said. "There was a lot of... bickering going on, but that's what siblings do. You have other siblings, right? I'm sure you fight with them constantly..."
"I'm more the silent treatment kinda brother," Ryan said.
"Well... my kids tend to be very vocal about their problems with each other," Nora said. "Not that they don't love each other, and usually they get along wonderfully..."
"Why are you here?" Ryan asked.
"You have a right to medical information regarding our family because it could affect you. And because I wanted you to know that if you ever need anything, you have five brothers and sisters who will be there for you."
"They don't know me," Ryan pointed out.
"But they'd like to," Nora said.
Ryan sighed, looking away. "Sandy wouldn't lie to me," he whispered.
Nora nodded. "If you change your mind, this is my address, they will all be there this Friday for dinner."
"You're inviting me to dinner at your house?" Ryan asked.
"Yes."
"You do realize that your husband did indeed cheat on you with my mother, right?"
"That's not your fault," Nora said. "Please, think about it."
Ryan didn't really respond but took the paper with her address and stuck it in his pocket. "Do you want something to drink?" he asked.
"No, I should actually be going," Nora said. "Thank you, for talking to me."
Ryan nodded absently.
~~~
"Did you lie to me?" Ryan asked as he walked into the Cohen kitchen and found Sandy, Kirsten, and Seth unpacking the takeout.
"What?" Sandy asked.
"You told me that the Walkers wanted nothing to do with me," Ryan said. "Did you lie to me?"
"Ryan..." Sandy began, but his eyes gave him away.
"Why would you do this, Sandy?" Ryan asked. "How could you? How dare you?"
"I was protecting you," Sandy said.
"From what? Siblings who bicker instead of letting it all build up until they try to kill each other like Trey? Siblings who talk to each other instead of at each other like Seth?" he asked, gesturing.
"After everything that's happened, I didn't want you exposed to all that turmoil!" Sandy said.
"So it was better to tell me that I wasn't good enough?!" Ryan said. "That yet another family didn't want me?"
"That's not what..."
"You... you could have told me there was a lot of turmoil and you didn't think it would be good for me to be around, I would have listened. Why did you have to tell me I wasn't wanted?" Ryan asked.
"You're wanted here," Sandy began.
"It's hard to believe that when you don't respect me enough to tell me the truth," Ryan said.
"How do you even..." Sandy began.
"Nora Walker came to see me today. She wanted me to know that if I ever needed anything, I had 5 siblings who would be there for me," Ryan said. "And right now, I'm a lot more willing to believe her than you," he added before leaving the house and going into the pool house. He locked the door and closed the blinds, wishing he could block out the world for longer than the few minutes before Seth would come charging out to talk, or Kirsten would try to fix things, or Sandy would come to explain.
The End? To Be Continued?
Good? Bad? Worth continuing? Give it up? Any B&S fans have an opinion about my 'Nora-voice'? I'm a relatively new fan, so... I don't know if I have her...
Title comes from Good Enough by Sarah McLachlan.
Good Enough
Nora stopped in the doorway of the Mexican restaurant, watching the blonde boy who was wiping down tables. She knew who he was, there was no doubt about it in her mind, but she wasn't sure if she should do this. Ryan's father had said he didn't want them in his life, and she respected that, honestly she did, but this boy was her husband's son, her children had a right to know their brother, he had a right to know them. Ryan had the right to know that her had the Walker Family out there if he needed them.
With resolve, Nora walked into the restaurant and took a seat at the bar, trying not to stare as Ryan took the bus tub into the back room, then returned.
"What can I get for you?" he asked.
"What's good?" Nora asked.
"If you like Mexican, everything," Ryan replied with a smile.
Nora nodded, then laughed slightly. "Actually, I'm not a fan," she admitted.
"Odd place to choose for lunch, then," Ryan said.
"I came to see you," she continued. "You are Ryan Atwood, aren't you?"
"Yeah," Ryan replied, frowning.
"My name is Nora Walker, I'm..."
"What? It's not enough you tell Sandy that you and your kids want nothing to do with me, you've gotta come say it to my face?" Ryan interrupted. "I can take a hint, Mrs. Walker, I'm used to being the trash scraped off someone's shoes. So you can leave, I won't bother your kids."
"I never said that!" Nora protested. "He insisted on meeting us first, without them knowing who he was, so he could see what the kids are like, and he told us to stay away from you!"
"Really? Because that doesn't sound much like Sandy," Ryan said.
"I'll admit we didn't make the best impression," Nora said. "There was a lot of... bickering going on, but that's what siblings do. You have other siblings, right? I'm sure you fight with them constantly..."
"I'm more the silent treatment kinda brother," Ryan said.
"Well... my kids tend to be very vocal about their problems with each other," Nora said. "Not that they don't love each other, and usually they get along wonderfully..."
"Why are you here?" Ryan asked.
"You have a right to medical information regarding our family because it could affect you. And because I wanted you to know that if you ever need anything, you have five brothers and sisters who will be there for you."
"They don't know me," Ryan pointed out.
"But they'd like to," Nora said.
Ryan sighed, looking away. "Sandy wouldn't lie to me," he whispered.
Nora nodded. "If you change your mind, this is my address, they will all be there this Friday for dinner."
"You're inviting me to dinner at your house?" Ryan asked.
"Yes."
"You do realize that your husband did indeed cheat on you with my mother, right?"
"That's not your fault," Nora said. "Please, think about it."
Ryan didn't really respond but took the paper with her address and stuck it in his pocket. "Do you want something to drink?" he asked.
"No, I should actually be going," Nora said. "Thank you, for talking to me."
Ryan nodded absently.
~~~
"Did you lie to me?" Ryan asked as he walked into the Cohen kitchen and found Sandy, Kirsten, and Seth unpacking the takeout.
"What?" Sandy asked.
"You told me that the Walkers wanted nothing to do with me," Ryan said. "Did you lie to me?"
"Ryan..." Sandy began, but his eyes gave him away.
"Why would you do this, Sandy?" Ryan asked. "How could you? How dare you?"
"I was protecting you," Sandy said.
"From what? Siblings who bicker instead of letting it all build up until they try to kill each other like Trey? Siblings who talk to each other instead of at each other like Seth?" he asked, gesturing.
"After everything that's happened, I didn't want you exposed to all that turmoil!" Sandy said.
"So it was better to tell me that I wasn't good enough?!" Ryan said. "That yet another family didn't want me?"
"That's not what..."
"You... you could have told me there was a lot of turmoil and you didn't think it would be good for me to be around, I would have listened. Why did you have to tell me I wasn't wanted?" Ryan asked.
"You're wanted here," Sandy began.
"It's hard to believe that when you don't respect me enough to tell me the truth," Ryan said.
"How do you even..." Sandy began.
"Nora Walker came to see me today. She wanted me to know that if I ever needed anything, I had 5 siblings who would be there for me," Ryan said. "And right now, I'm a lot more willing to believe her than you," he added before leaving the house and going into the pool house. He locked the door and closed the blinds, wishing he could block out the world for longer than the few minutes before Seth would come charging out to talk, or Kirsten would try to fix things, or Sandy would come to explain.
The End? To Be Continued?
Good? Bad? Worth continuing? Give it up? Any B&S fans have an opinion about my 'Nora-voice'? I'm a relatively new fan, so... I don't know if I have her...