fic - generations (a miniseries)
title - generations (a miniseries)
fandom - the oc
pairings - where's your curiosity, folks?
warnings - language, sexitimes, familial confusion
disclaimer - never owned it, still broke.
words - 2K-ish
author's note: *insert catchy Indie soundtrack here*
MONDAY.
TUESDAY. DAYTIME.
TUESDAY. NIGHTTIME.
WEDNESDAY.
"We should totally get to skip school today," Sophie said, glaring at Jacks until he took his hand away from the last bagel.
"Out of everyone, your night was the least stressful," Sandy said.
"I want to go by the house first. I need to talk to Ry," Jacks said.
"Did you know they were getting married?" Sandy asked.
He shook his head. "No, I mean, they mentioned they were together yesterday morning but they didn't invite me to the wedding."
"It wasn't a wedding. Signing a piece of paper is not a wedding," Kirsten said absently, walking in with the mail. "Did you call the storage center about the baby furniture yet?"
"No, Kirsten, that can wait at least twenty-four hours," Sandy said.
"I think it's good. I mean, Ry and Kaity get along better than my parents ever did. They get along like you guys get along, without the inappropriate PDA's," Jacks said.
"So you're not worried about them being temporarily insane?" Kirsten asked him.
Jacks shrugged. "You know what Ry's like. He's quiet most of the time but he's always thinking. That's why I need to talk to him today. He has a twelve hour meditation time for all of my serious questions."
Sophie nodded her agreement. "Totally true about the delay time."
"Anyway, can we take a side trip to my house?" Jacks asked.
"Go get your stuff, Sophie. You're going to school either way," Sandy said.
"Thanks," Jacks said, plucking the abandoned bagel from Sophie's plate. He lowered his voice. "It's visitation day and I want to talk to Ry before he goes to see Mom."
"If you wanted to go with him, I'm sure he'd let you take the day off," Sandy said after a beat.
"I don't want to see her. That's not how it works," Jacks said. "Our family has its quirks just like yours, crazy weddings aside."
"It was not a wedding," Kirsten said. "Don't say it again."
********
"I'm glad that Kaitlyn's room is soundproofed, I don't think I could have listened to that all night," Seth said, glaring upstairs at the thumping.
"Newlyweds, we can't even hate on them," Summer said.
"Ryan's going to help us find a house, this is only temporary," Seth said. "Are you okay?"
"Of course. I mean, yes," she nodded.
"Summer. I know you're still 'iffy' with this motherhood gig, but we, kind of, need to deal with how you feel now before our baby starts to move in there," Seth said. It sounded better in his head.
She sighed. "I know."
He walked over and took her face in his hands. "We can do this. We're ready for this. I love you and you love me and we can do this. Together."
"Damn right we're doing it together, you're not leaving me to deal with your spawn all alone," Summer said, curling into his hug.
The doorbell rang and they both jumped. "Jesus, Mary and Moses, when did they get a doorbell?" Seth asked.
"When we got tired of random people wandering in our house," Jacks said, walking in with Sandy. "Thought we might need to ring it this morning because I'm not looking forward to interrupting my siblings having sex."
"When you put it like that, it sounds so much worse," Seth said.
"I want to talk to Ry before school but I'm going to switch shirts while I'm here," Jacks said.
"What's that about?" Summer asked.
"I am not privy to the way the Atwood family works," Sandy replied. "They're doing their visitation thing today apparently."
"They still do that?" Summer winced.
"It works for them, we aren't supposed to talk about it," Seth said.
"So he talks to you about it?" his dad asked.
Seth shrugged. "Enough to know that we're not supposed to talk about it." Ryan actually called him after every visit with Julie but Sandy didn't need to know that. Their parents had always had a different opinion of Julie Cooper than Ryan and Seth.
"I feel like your news got overshadowed last night, but since I'm here - I'm so happy for you both."
"We're still in the 'omg panic' stage, we haven't had time to be happy about it," Summer said. Seth smiled behind her back and Sandy winked at him.
"He doesn't have to do any of the hard work, of course he's happy," Summer said.
"Believe me, there will be plenty of hard work to go around," Sandy said.
"Parenting emergency, I got kicked out," Kaitlyn said, walking into the kitchen with a towel wrapped around her hair in jeans and one of Ryan's button-downs.
"You don't do parenting things together?" Seth asked.
"We do but Jacks wanted Ryan," Kaitlyn said.
"I should probably warn you that you are in tons of trouble with Kirsten. I'm not too happy with you myself, but I blame Ryan more for the situation," Sandy said.
"Dad," Seth scolded.
"No, it's okay. But I want to put it out there it was our marriage; it was between the two of us. You guys will get your ceremony but Ryan got it done his way, too," Kaitlyn said. "There's too much going on for you to make this a thing. It's not a thing."
"That doesn't get you off the hook, he's a lawyer," Summer whispered.
Seth was startled to hear raised voices from upstairs. Kaitlyn looked up.
"Maybe this is a co-parenting kind of moment, after all," she said.
They waited but the upstairs went silent.
"Coffee," Ryan said, walking into the kitchen and avoiding everyone's eyes. He filled a travel mug and screwed on the top. Jacks appeared with a flushed expression. Ryan pushed the mug into his hand. "Get in the car. We'll get breakfast on the way."
"What's going on?" Kaitlyn asked.
"He needs to talk to his mother," Ryan said.
Jacks raised his chin defiantly. "Yes, I do."
********
"You don't have to do this if you don't want to."
"I'm not a coward."
"Is this because of me and Kaity? " Ryan asked.
"Not everything is about you, Ry. But I'm tired of Mom and Dad hanging over everything we do. Like a plague," Jacks said.
"Jacks."
"You and Kaity are awesome, okay, I know you're my brother and sister, but you're my parents in all the ways that matter. I know we don't talk about it but I love you guys and you've given me everything, shit, more than everything. You gave me a family - we are a family, Ry. You and Kaity are moving on with your lives and I want to move on with mine."
"I thought you were going to wait until you were eighteen."
"That was your rule. I wanted to renegotiate and then you flipped out."
"It was unexpected."
"Like marrying Kaitlyn," Jacks deadpanned.
"I love her. I made a move."
"I hate Mom and I'm making a move. I don't give a fuck about Dad and I know he doesn't give a fuck about me so I don't need to tell him face to face but I'm doing this with Mom."
"I'm worried about you," Ryan said.
"Don't. This is my decision. If I end my relationship with her now, you & Kaity can stop having to visit them and I can stop thinking about her as family."
Ryan considered his answer but Jacks spoke. "She's not the family I want to remember. I choose you and Kaity."
"Jesus, kid," Ryan whispered. "I don't want you to feel hate like this."
"You sheltered me from the worst of it, Ry, the investigation and trial - and you still wont say anything bad about her. I did my own research and made my own decisions." Jacks looked at him plaintively. "I need to do this."
"I always back your play, Jacks."
"Then let me do this. For all of us. You and Kaity don't have to carry my guilt anymore because I'm leaving all of it with her," Jacks said. "Then you are going to leave all your guilt at the car dealership when you take me shopping for my birthday."
"I don't think it works like that, bro," Ryan said.
********
Hailey sighed when she saw the scruffy teenager sitting with the housekeeper in the kitchen. "Yeah, we still have to deal with you, don't we?"
Jane slumped into her hoodie.
"Sulking's not allowed around here unless the DVR's involved," Hailey said. "Did you feed her?"
Enya gave her the finger. "She had cereal, it's not grocery day."
"It is now, we have to feed her," Hailey said, sitting down in her vacated seat.
"Thank you for letting me stay. And have cereal," Jane said after a beat.
"Okay, we need to have a bonding moment or something now, right?"
Jane avoided her gaze. "Where's Carter?"
"Sleeping."
"Are you leaving him? Because if I'm not his kid then you shouldn't," Jane said.
"Even if you are, I'm not. We had to air some grievances and we're not as well-adjusted as my sister. We've only been married a couple of years so we still have some bumps to get over," Hailey admitted.
"If I'm not his kid, then why are you helping me?"
"I can't really answer that. Sandy's a lawyer and one night, he brought Ryan home with him. Kirsten wasn't a fan of him at first, but Ryan's family now. He had his own family, but he needed help and Sandy and Kirsten gave it to him and got a son out of it." Hailey glanced away. "Not that it's going to happen with us because Kirsten was already a mom and I still don't know how to apply for car insurance on my own."
"I think I have an aunt somewhere. It was always just me and Mom. She's...she was a junkie. I hate that shit," Jane muttered. "I never met any family other than her."
"Carter said she was a pothead, but I don't think she was like that when he knew her," Hailey said.
"She got bad about five years ago, when she lost her job. I mean, I stuck to school and she didn't hit me or anything. She was just stoned," Jane said.
"What happened?" Hailey asked. She already knew too much. Fuck Sandy Cohen.
"She died. I came home from school and she was dead. So I called the cops and they came and I was supposed to stay with my neighbor but I left. I just needed to be somewhere else. I latched on to Carter's name from some things she'd told me, he writes books, you know?"
Hailey nodded, those books paid a lot of bills. "Did you tell anyone?"
"My ex-girlfriend's the only person that cares," Jane said. "But she's my ex for a reason and I didn't tell her anything."
"Oh. Honey, the cops or social service people are going to need to know where you are," Hailey said.
Jane shrugged. "I think Mr. Cohen's coming over to help me check it out."
Enya walked up to the table and put down two pizza boxes. "Breakfast of champions. I'm going to the mall. It's not grocery day."
"It's not 'mall day' either!" Hailey called after the housekeeper.
Jane's fingers twitched toward the pizza box and Hailey got up for napkins.
She wasn't going to be a mother. But she was starting to think this kid needed a friend as much as a parent and she could manage that for a few days.
********
Kaitlyn answered the phone before it could ring fully. "Yeah?"
"Jacks is acting weird."
"Duh, I was there when you kidnapped him without telling me what the hell," Kaitlyn replied.
"Sorry. It was unexpected. He sat me down and told me he didn't want us to visit his parents anymore and he wanted me to tell Julie that he hates her. I couldn't do that," Ryan said.
"I could," Kaitlyn muttered. "Is he sure?"
"He says he is. He says that you and I are moving on and he wants to move on, too. I think we should have talked more openly about how we feel about our parents."
"No you don't, we don't talk about Julie and Frank," Kaitlyn said.
Ryan sighed in her ear. "You're right, we don't. And now Jacks is going to be bitter like us."
"We're not bitter. I didn't marry you so we could live bitterly ever after," Kaitlyn said. "It's his decision, we've been saying that this whole time."
"He doesn't want me to go in with him."
"I veto his decision. Don't leave her with him," Kaitlyn said.
"Okay. I already vetoed him but I needed a second opinion. Feel like meeting us after?"
"You know where I'll be - pick me up from the boutique," Kaitlyn said.
"We'll be there. Thing's will get back to normal tomorrow."
Kaitlyn rolled her eyes. "Things have never been normal for us."
"True. But it can be just us tonight. Me, you and Jacks."
"In it to win it, Ryan," Kaitlyn smiled. "Look after the boy and come home soon."
fandom - the oc
pairings - where's your curiosity, folks?
warnings - language, sexitimes, familial confusion
disclaimer - never owned it, still broke.
words - 2K-ish
author's note: *insert catchy Indie soundtrack here*
MONDAY.
TUESDAY. DAYTIME.
TUESDAY. NIGHTTIME.
WEDNESDAY.
"We should totally get to skip school today," Sophie said, glaring at Jacks until he took his hand away from the last bagel.
"Out of everyone, your night was the least stressful," Sandy said.
"I want to go by the house first. I need to talk to Ry," Jacks said.
"Did you know they were getting married?" Sandy asked.
He shook his head. "No, I mean, they mentioned they were together yesterday morning but they didn't invite me to the wedding."
"It wasn't a wedding. Signing a piece of paper is not a wedding," Kirsten said absently, walking in with the mail. "Did you call the storage center about the baby furniture yet?"
"No, Kirsten, that can wait at least twenty-four hours," Sandy said.
"I think it's good. I mean, Ry and Kaity get along better than my parents ever did. They get along like you guys get along, without the inappropriate PDA's," Jacks said.
"So you're not worried about them being temporarily insane?" Kirsten asked him.
Jacks shrugged. "You know what Ry's like. He's quiet most of the time but he's always thinking. That's why I need to talk to him today. He has a twelve hour meditation time for all of my serious questions."
Sophie nodded her agreement. "Totally true about the delay time."
"Anyway, can we take a side trip to my house?" Jacks asked.
"Go get your stuff, Sophie. You're going to school either way," Sandy said.
"Thanks," Jacks said, plucking the abandoned bagel from Sophie's plate. He lowered his voice. "It's visitation day and I want to talk to Ry before he goes to see Mom."
"If you wanted to go with him, I'm sure he'd let you take the day off," Sandy said after a beat.
"I don't want to see her. That's not how it works," Jacks said. "Our family has its quirks just like yours, crazy weddings aside."
"It was not a wedding," Kirsten said. "Don't say it again."
********
"I'm glad that Kaitlyn's room is soundproofed, I don't think I could have listened to that all night," Seth said, glaring upstairs at the thumping.
"Newlyweds, we can't even hate on them," Summer said.
"Ryan's going to help us find a house, this is only temporary," Seth said. "Are you okay?"
"Of course. I mean, yes," she nodded.
"Summer. I know you're still 'iffy' with this motherhood gig, but we, kind of, need to deal with how you feel now before our baby starts to move in there," Seth said. It sounded better in his head.
She sighed. "I know."
He walked over and took her face in his hands. "We can do this. We're ready for this. I love you and you love me and we can do this. Together."
"Damn right we're doing it together, you're not leaving me to deal with your spawn all alone," Summer said, curling into his hug.
The doorbell rang and they both jumped. "Jesus, Mary and Moses, when did they get a doorbell?" Seth asked.
"When we got tired of random people wandering in our house," Jacks said, walking in with Sandy. "Thought we might need to ring it this morning because I'm not looking forward to interrupting my siblings having sex."
"When you put it like that, it sounds so much worse," Seth said.
"I want to talk to Ry before school but I'm going to switch shirts while I'm here," Jacks said.
"What's that about?" Summer asked.
"I am not privy to the way the Atwood family works," Sandy replied. "They're doing their visitation thing today apparently."
"They still do that?" Summer winced.
"It works for them, we aren't supposed to talk about it," Seth said.
"So he talks to you about it?" his dad asked.
Seth shrugged. "Enough to know that we're not supposed to talk about it." Ryan actually called him after every visit with Julie but Sandy didn't need to know that. Their parents had always had a different opinion of Julie Cooper than Ryan and Seth.
"I feel like your news got overshadowed last night, but since I'm here - I'm so happy for you both."
"We're still in the 'omg panic' stage, we haven't had time to be happy about it," Summer said. Seth smiled behind her back and Sandy winked at him.
"He doesn't have to do any of the hard work, of course he's happy," Summer said.
"Believe me, there will be plenty of hard work to go around," Sandy said.
"Parenting emergency, I got kicked out," Kaitlyn said, walking into the kitchen with a towel wrapped around her hair in jeans and one of Ryan's button-downs.
"You don't do parenting things together?" Seth asked.
"We do but Jacks wanted Ryan," Kaitlyn said.
"I should probably warn you that you are in tons of trouble with Kirsten. I'm not too happy with you myself, but I blame Ryan more for the situation," Sandy said.
"Dad," Seth scolded.
"No, it's okay. But I want to put it out there it was our marriage; it was between the two of us. You guys will get your ceremony but Ryan got it done his way, too," Kaitlyn said. "There's too much going on for you to make this a thing. It's not a thing."
"That doesn't get you off the hook, he's a lawyer," Summer whispered.
Seth was startled to hear raised voices from upstairs. Kaitlyn looked up.
"Maybe this is a co-parenting kind of moment, after all," she said.
They waited but the upstairs went silent.
"Coffee," Ryan said, walking into the kitchen and avoiding everyone's eyes. He filled a travel mug and screwed on the top. Jacks appeared with a flushed expression. Ryan pushed the mug into his hand. "Get in the car. We'll get breakfast on the way."
"What's going on?" Kaitlyn asked.
"He needs to talk to his mother," Ryan said.
Jacks raised his chin defiantly. "Yes, I do."
********
"You don't have to do this if you don't want to."
"I'm not a coward."
"Is this because of me and Kaity? " Ryan asked.
"Not everything is about you, Ry. But I'm tired of Mom and Dad hanging over everything we do. Like a plague," Jacks said.
"Jacks."
"You and Kaity are awesome, okay, I know you're my brother and sister, but you're my parents in all the ways that matter. I know we don't talk about it but I love you guys and you've given me everything, shit, more than everything. You gave me a family - we are a family, Ry. You and Kaity are moving on with your lives and I want to move on with mine."
"I thought you were going to wait until you were eighteen."
"That was your rule. I wanted to renegotiate and then you flipped out."
"It was unexpected."
"Like marrying Kaitlyn," Jacks deadpanned.
"I love her. I made a move."
"I hate Mom and I'm making a move. I don't give a fuck about Dad and I know he doesn't give a fuck about me so I don't need to tell him face to face but I'm doing this with Mom."
"I'm worried about you," Ryan said.
"Don't. This is my decision. If I end my relationship with her now, you & Kaity can stop having to visit them and I can stop thinking about her as family."
Ryan considered his answer but Jacks spoke. "She's not the family I want to remember. I choose you and Kaity."
"Jesus, kid," Ryan whispered. "I don't want you to feel hate like this."
"You sheltered me from the worst of it, Ry, the investigation and trial - and you still wont say anything bad about her. I did my own research and made my own decisions." Jacks looked at him plaintively. "I need to do this."
"I always back your play, Jacks."
"Then let me do this. For all of us. You and Kaity don't have to carry my guilt anymore because I'm leaving all of it with her," Jacks said. "Then you are going to leave all your guilt at the car dealership when you take me shopping for my birthday."
"I don't think it works like that, bro," Ryan said.
********
Hailey sighed when she saw the scruffy teenager sitting with the housekeeper in the kitchen. "Yeah, we still have to deal with you, don't we?"
Jane slumped into her hoodie.
"Sulking's not allowed around here unless the DVR's involved," Hailey said. "Did you feed her?"
Enya gave her the finger. "She had cereal, it's not grocery day."
"It is now, we have to feed her," Hailey said, sitting down in her vacated seat.
"Thank you for letting me stay. And have cereal," Jane said after a beat.
"Okay, we need to have a bonding moment or something now, right?"
Jane avoided her gaze. "Where's Carter?"
"Sleeping."
"Are you leaving him? Because if I'm not his kid then you shouldn't," Jane said.
"Even if you are, I'm not. We had to air some grievances and we're not as well-adjusted as my sister. We've only been married a couple of years so we still have some bumps to get over," Hailey admitted.
"If I'm not his kid, then why are you helping me?"
"I can't really answer that. Sandy's a lawyer and one night, he brought Ryan home with him. Kirsten wasn't a fan of him at first, but Ryan's family now. He had his own family, but he needed help and Sandy and Kirsten gave it to him and got a son out of it." Hailey glanced away. "Not that it's going to happen with us because Kirsten was already a mom and I still don't know how to apply for car insurance on my own."
"I think I have an aunt somewhere. It was always just me and Mom. She's...she was a junkie. I hate that shit," Jane muttered. "I never met any family other than her."
"Carter said she was a pothead, but I don't think she was like that when he knew her," Hailey said.
"She got bad about five years ago, when she lost her job. I mean, I stuck to school and she didn't hit me or anything. She was just stoned," Jane said.
"What happened?" Hailey asked. She already knew too much. Fuck Sandy Cohen.
"She died. I came home from school and she was dead. So I called the cops and they came and I was supposed to stay with my neighbor but I left. I just needed to be somewhere else. I latched on to Carter's name from some things she'd told me, he writes books, you know?"
Hailey nodded, those books paid a lot of bills. "Did you tell anyone?"
"My ex-girlfriend's the only person that cares," Jane said. "But she's my ex for a reason and I didn't tell her anything."
"Oh. Honey, the cops or social service people are going to need to know where you are," Hailey said.
Jane shrugged. "I think Mr. Cohen's coming over to help me check it out."
Enya walked up to the table and put down two pizza boxes. "Breakfast of champions. I'm going to the mall. It's not grocery day."
"It's not 'mall day' either!" Hailey called after the housekeeper.
Jane's fingers twitched toward the pizza box and Hailey got up for napkins.
She wasn't going to be a mother. But she was starting to think this kid needed a friend as much as a parent and she could manage that for a few days.
********
Kaitlyn answered the phone before it could ring fully. "Yeah?"
"Jacks is acting weird."
"Duh, I was there when you kidnapped him without telling me what the hell," Kaitlyn replied.
"Sorry. It was unexpected. He sat me down and told me he didn't want us to visit his parents anymore and he wanted me to tell Julie that he hates her. I couldn't do that," Ryan said.
"I could," Kaitlyn muttered. "Is he sure?"
"He says he is. He says that you and I are moving on and he wants to move on, too. I think we should have talked more openly about how we feel about our parents."
"No you don't, we don't talk about Julie and Frank," Kaitlyn said.
Ryan sighed in her ear. "You're right, we don't. And now Jacks is going to be bitter like us."
"We're not bitter. I didn't marry you so we could live bitterly ever after," Kaitlyn said. "It's his decision, we've been saying that this whole time."
"He doesn't want me to go in with him."
"I veto his decision. Don't leave her with him," Kaitlyn said.
"Okay. I already vetoed him but I needed a second opinion. Feel like meeting us after?"
"You know where I'll be - pick me up from the boutique," Kaitlyn said.
"We'll be there. Thing's will get back to normal tomorrow."
Kaitlyn rolled her eyes. "Things have never been normal for us."
"True. But it can be just us tonight. Me, you and Jacks."
"In it to win it, Ryan," Kaitlyn smiled. "Look after the boy and come home soon."