This was for a TPU competition. I found it in my email inbox! Weird. Anyway, we hope you like it. It's pretty old but oh, well. :D It's set in season 1, right after Dawn leaves Ryan with the Cohens. It's about Kirsten and Ryan. Read and Review, please and thanks you :)

Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything.

Wild World

Kirsten Cohen looked into Ryan Atwood's eyes and could not turn away. His sorrowful eyes pierced into her soul as he walked toward her. She did not know what to do. As a mother, she simply could not condone what Dawn had done. No matter the situation, families were supposed to stay together. So why was it that this boy was alone?

"Take care of him."

She watched as he stopped, sitting on the steps. She could not fathom the emotions he could have been feeling. Something about this boy captivated her. Perhaps it was her maternal instinct suddenly coming into effect as his mother forgot her responsibility. Perhaps it was an unforeseen connection to him. He mattered. Her husband adored him. Her son befriended him. He had ensnared her family's hearts in a matter of days. Hers, too.

"I'm so sorry, Ryan," she said, regretfully, taking a seat next to him. She debated putting her arm around him and in the end, decided against it.

"Don't be," he said. He turned to face her, their eyes locking. Kirsten saw into him. The tears he held back, the confusion, the intensity. He turned to look back out at the view.

"She's your mother," she said, quietly.

"Yeah, she's my mom and she's never around so what difference does it make now that she's leaving me again?" he said, bitterly. The boy balled his hands into fists. His knuckles blanched. She stared at his tense form. Clearly, there was a difference.

She remained silent as she reached over and touched his hand, gingerly. He looked at her, unclenching his hands. "Sorry," he muttered.

"You're upset, who wouldn't be?" she said, aware that her hand was still over his. He did not seem to mind. She felt him grow less uncomfortable.

"I just thought things'd be different this time around. I thought that maybe she wasn't lying to me about changing," he said, honestly. He tilted his head back, as if restraining tears, again. Her heart broke as she heard the defeat in his voice, the disappointment.

"She tried," she said, softly.

"Do you think it's easy being a kid and living in a place like this? Even if just for a few days? I lived in a place where knowing your dreams weren't going to come true made you smart. I just thought that maybe Newport'd be a fresh start for me. I was getting used to it. For once, I thought I was gonna have a brighter life, and maybe have a dream or two come true," he said. She could hear the unhappiness in his voice. She could almost hear him hate himself for wanting more and for wanting a dream to come true. Maybe even two. She hated herself. She had made it seem as if Newport was the best place to live. She was pretending with herself. Pretending to the world that this was perfection. She knew, firsthand, all the complications. Newport was a wild world.

"It's not all it's cracked up to be, believe me," she sighed. She felt his eyes on her, urging her to go forward. "Do you think it's easy being an adult and living in a place like this? You're always under scrutiny, always being judged. I tried to escape this place once. I moved to Berkley and I met Sandy. We came back because my mom had gotten sick and I wanted to be with her in her final days."

"I'm sorry," he said, placing his hand over hers. Her hand rested between his. She felt his warmth as she opened up to the young boy. He was not who she had first conceived him to be.

"Thanks. It was a long time ago but I just felt comfortable here, after. So, we stayed. You get used to the fake glamour but sometimes when you look out at the horizon you realize there is so much more to this place than what the person next to you is wearing," she said, honestly.

"I don't know," he said, his head sinking slightly as he let go of her hand. She felt her hand get cold as she looked at him. She liked this boy. She wanted to take care of him and make all the hurt go away. No one deserved that kind of disappointment or devastation, especially someone like him. She could see past his resilient, strong front. He had opened up to her in a matter of minutes. He was still a boy and she wanted to take care of him. She wanted to make all his fears and hurt disappear. She wanted his dreams to come true.

"Stay with us," she said, suddenly. She smiled at him as his head perked up and his eyes met hers. He knew what she was asking. She saw a glimmer of hope beyond his deep blue eyes.

"You're serious?" he asked, uncertainly. She could see he wanted this so much to be a reality. She predicted that after a lifetime of disappointment, he needed to be sure that he wasn't being led around again. He couldn't handle that devastation. Neither could she.

"Of course. We would love it. I would love it."

He still had walls put up and it wasn't going to be easy to break them down but she had made a dent, a crack in the cement. She was determined to find a way inside. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he nodded.

Kirsten Cohen took Ryan Atwood by the hand and stood up. She smiled at him as she enveloped him in an affectionate embrace. He couldn't move, startled. She felt him lighten considerably as she felt his arms wrap around her small frame and return the gesture. She pulled away, watching as the corners of his mouth turned up. She took his hand as the walked toward the glass doors. He was going to face this wild world. She was unwaveringly going to help him.