Ryan jumps in the car outside the Cohen's house.

"Hey, dude, where you going?" Seth asks, surveying the luggage packed in the boot of the black SUV Ryan was climbing into.

"Goin' back to Chino, I got some unfinished…"

"Pleaase don't say business" Seth held up his hands in praying form.

"Business. I'll only be gone for a while, I'll be back in town 'bout a week or so" Ryan replied looking down.

Seth was shocked "A week? But you're gonna be back for the prom right? You and Marrissa totally have to go." Ryan looked doubtful "Dude, it's like, what chicks plan out from like in the womb or something."

"I don't think I'll be going to the prom with Marissa." Ryan jumped into the front seat of the car and turned the ignition.

"What! Not go to the prom? Dude are you insane! Marissa will beat the shit out of you, and then Summer will beat the shit out of me for not forcing you to go. Some ones going to end up crying."

"Well it won't be me, I'm going to be in Chino." Ryan smirked and pulled his seatbelt on.

"What kind of un-finished business you got in Chino man, can I come? Oh, dude, it could be like our first road trip!" Seth said excitedly

"I don't think it's your kind of business, and we've been on plenty of road trips man, what are you talking bout. Anyway I've gotta go, catch you later." Ryan wound up the window and Seth shut the passenger door. Just then Marissa and Summer flounced up the driveway.

"Going somewhere, Cohen?" Summer asked, flicking her hair out of her face.

"Nope, but Ryan is, it's back to Chino for that bad boy." Seth replied, motioning over to Ryan in the car.

"What?" Marissa walked over to the drivers door and swung it open. "What does he mean going to Chino! The prom is in like 6 days! Tell me you're not going.."

"Well, actually…"

"What and miss prom!" Marissa's face dropped.

"Uhhh." Speechless Ryan found comfort in stalling the conversation.

"Fine go off the Chino, I don't need a date anyway." Marissa slammed the door in Ryans face and walked over to Summer and Seth, "Come on, lets go, get a burger or something, I'm starving."

As Ryan drove off into the horizon Summer, Marissa and Seth all jumped into Summers convertible and sped off in the opposite direction.

"You'll be alright, Coop." Summer reassured Marissa.

"Whatever" Marissa replied, pulling the flask, of what smelt like strong whiskey, out of her purse.

"Oh god, Coop. Couldn't you just hold off until you got home at least?" Summer yelled. Marissa took a swig, and then another. Summer preyed the flask out of Marissa's hand and threw it onto the side of the road.

"What the HELL did you do that for!" Marissa glared at Summer in a fit of rage.

"Coop, you have a problem, whether you admit it or not, you're gonna have to deal with it someday." Summer replied, watching the road carefully.

"But that doesn't have to be today. Just drop me off here." Marissa said coldly, not looking at Summer. Seth lay low in the back.

"Coop, we are, like, two minutes away from the burger shop." Summer looked at Marissa with sorry eyes.

"No, it's fine I'll walk." Summer knew there was no stopping Marissa when she was angry, so she pulled over and Marissa got out.

"Call you later, Coop?" Summer pleaded with Marissa.

"Don't bother, I'll be at my dad's. My cell phones outa juice and I don't have my charger. I'll be fine. Cya Seth." Marissa sloped off. Summer decided she would check in on her later anyway, nothing a shopping trip and some sunbathing can't fix, she decided as Seth climbed over, into the front next to her.

"On to the Burger Shack then" Seth asked

"Cohen, you're so insensitive!" Summer punched Seth in the chest.

"Owch! Gees what's your problem. Uh oh, girls stuff. I need Ryan." Seth complained.

"Shut up Cohen." Summer pulled into a park right outside the Burger Shack.

Ryan turned the volume up loud on the radio. It was getting dark, Ryan was contemplating whether to turn back and be with Marissa or stay and see his son. He couldn't believe Theresa had told him she had lost the baby just to let him go back to Newport. He had decided, this time he was gonna do it right. But he kept thinking of last time, how it fell apart and how much he missed Newport, Seth, The Cohens, and Marissa. Most of all Marissa. He remembers the late night phone calls, luckily Theresa was asleep when Marissa rung. The song finished abruptly and the radio announcers came booming on, Ryan was too deep in thought to notice, he did notice, however, when Marissa's slurred, drunken voice came on the radio. She was crying.

"And what do you want to say to this person, Marissa, is it?" The radio dj asked Marissa.

"I want to tell him to stop running off to Chino, -sob- and that I still love –sob- him very much. –takes a big gulp out of a bottle- and that he should come back right now and take me to the prom. Ryan, I know you're there, it's me, Marissa, I'm on the radio. I know you love me, well I think you do, and if I've done anything wrong I'm sorry. Oh this nice person will give me a ride. Hey, can I get a ride. How much? What do you mean how much? Don't I pay you? Wait, are you a taxi? You are? Why don't you have a sign on your …"

The radio dj cuts in with "And that's all we have time for from Marissa tonight, but here's the song she requested for Mr. Mystery Ryan! If you're out there listening Ryan, I would turn back now if I was you, she sounds pretty upset." A song starts playing. Ryan and Marissa's song. 'Too Late' by Evermore.

"What am I doing!" Ryan says aloud. He had to go back. What he didn't plan was the car with no headlights turning out of the road to his right.

"Coop? Coop, If you're there pick up! It's an emergency – somethings happened to Ryan, he's –"

"-What! What is it! What happened to Ryan! Is he ok! Oh god, oh god." Marissa starts hyperventilating.

"Coop, Coop! Get a hold of yourself! Ryan is alright, he's in hospital but he's ok. He only has a few minor injuries. He was in a car crash, apparently a car turning out of a street he was turning into had no headlights on." Summer assured Marissa that Ryan was ok. "I'm coming over to pick you up now, ok. Just stay put till I get there. I heard you on the radio Coop, you sound pretty wasted."

"What does it have to do with you? I just want to see Ryan, make sure Ryans OK, alright. OK. See you soon." Marissa clicked off the phone and held it in her hand. She was still breathing unevenly, and soon found she wasn't breathing at all. She blacked out and fell down a couple of steps, hitting her head on the cold, hard floor.

"Woah, Ryan, dude, you think you're bad, you should see the car. You're lucky you got out of it alive, it's pretty smashed up. Ryan, can you hear me?" Seth sat next to Ryan's bed in the hospital with his head propped up on his hands. Summer crept through the door.

"I'm just going" Summer started to announce loudly then saw Ryan was asleep "Oh, sorry. I'm just going to pick up Coop, so I'll be a little while. Cohen you should get some rest or a coffee or something, you look beat."

"No, I'm fine, I just want to stay with Ryan, I don't want him to wake up without me here." Seth replied. Summer grabbed Seths hand and squeezed it.

"Ok, I'll pick us up some coffees when I get back with Coop, alright?" Summer looked at Seth with her big brown eyes. Seth nodded and kissed Summers hand. Summer left the room and quietly closed the door. She could hear Seth chatting quietly to Ryan as she clacked down the hallway in her Jimmy Choos. She passed the Cohens on the way out and said a quick 'hello' and 'back soon', then stepped outside and over to her car. Fumbling for her keys, she hears a familiar voice behind her.

"Theresa!" Summer spun around to see Theresa.

"Oh Summer, hey, is this the hospital Ryan's at?" said Theresa looking sad and tired.

"Um, yeah, hey are you alright? How'd you know about Ryan?" Summer asked walking around the car and seeing the pram Theresa was pushing. "Aww! And who's this?" asked Summer leaning down to smile at the baby boy in the pram.

"His name's Jamie, look, I'm sorry but I'm in a bit of a hurry so.." Theresa said looking back towards the hospital and back to Summer.

"Oh sure you go in and see him, nice seeing you again Theresa." Summer smiled

"Yeah, you too." Said Theresa, smiling back awkwardly and turning the pram round to enter the hospital. Summer slowly walked back to the car, thinking about how weird Theresa had been acting. After finally finding her keys, Summer got in her car, backed out and drove off.

"Coop, sorry I'm gonna be about ten more minutes or something, there's a huge traffic jam on the highway from here to Newport so see you soon hopefully. Oh and weird, I ran into Theresa going to the hospital to see Ryan! Anyway see you soon, byee." The answer machine at Marissa's fathers house beeped after Summer hung up. Some blood from the pool of blood surrounding Marissa's head slivered down the concrete and around the legs of the table. The house stunk of alcohol and there was empty bottles of whiskey, bourbon and vodka scattered everywhere. Marissa's dad pulled up in a new car he bought for Marissa. He adjusted the huge pink ribbon and bow tie around it then called out

"Marissa, honey, come outside." No reply

"Come on, 'riss, I've got a surprise." Thinking this was strange, as he knew Marissa was home because she told him she was sick, he skipped up the steps and swung open the front door. His smile soon turned into a cringe when he smelt the strong alcohol smell. "Oh god," covering his nose with his shirt he walked into the lounge "Marissa?" He went outside.

"Oh my god, Marissa, Marissa honey, can you hear me!" He ran over when he saw her, on the ground, surrounded with blood. "Marissa!" He yelled. He snatched up the phone beside her and dialled 911.

When Summer finally got to the Cooper household, she jumped out of the car in a frenzy and sprinted up to the house. There was an ambulance parked outside. Summer ran inside and immediately turned around and went back out. She took a couple of breaths and, holding her breath, went back in. She looked around and saw Jimmy, sitting on the couch, head in hands. Summer ran over.

"What happened!" Summer enquired, sitting down next to Jimmy on the couch.

"Marissa. Fell down steps outside. Hit her head. Blood." Jimmy shook his head and sobbed

"Well? Is she ok!" Summer looked around in a daze, not understanding.

"She was knocked out for half an hour, they said."

"Jimmy, look at me" Summer demanded, turning his head to face her "Where is Marissa? Is she OK?"

"She's gone, Summer. She's not coming back. Not ever. They said her brain and heart didn't get enough oxygen because she stopped breathing before she fell. There was no way anyone could have stopped it. They said it could have been the excessive alcohol, but no one really knows." Jimmy got up and walked to the kitchen, then back again. Summer couldn't move. She couldn't do anything. She didn't understand. She didn't even realise she herself had stopped breathing. Jimmy turned around. Summer was passed out on the couch.

"Summer? No, not two in one day." Jimmy picked her up and ran her out to the ambulance. "She just passed out on the couch, she's not breathing." Jimmy said to the ambulance men. They slid Summer onto a stretcher and put her in the ambulance next to Marissa's body. "Not two in one day" Jimmy whispered putting his hands on his head and watching the ambulance drive away.

"Hey Ryan, how are you doing sweetie?" asked Kirsten.

"I'm feeling pretty good, yeah. I'm real sorry bout the car, I'll pay you back you know." Replied Ryan, rubbing his neck. Kirsten smiled and sipped her coffee.

"And you know you don't have to pay us back, most important thing's you're alright." Sandy smacked the door open, straight into the wall and calmly said, looking at Ryan and then back to Kirsten

"Honey, can I have a word"

"Sure what's wrong?" Asked Kirsten while being pulled out of the room, into the corridor. Sandy shut the door behind them.

"I don't know how to say this, Summer's just been checked into the hospital." Sandy whispered turning away from Ryan's room, just incase he could hear.

"What! What happened, I just saw a half hour ago, remember, we saw her, leaving. What, what's happened." Kirsten stared at her husband wanting answers.

"I don't know yet but it gets worse. Marissa, she's… dead." Kirsten took the information in slowly, then started to panic. "Calm down Kirsten," Sandy took a hold of Kirstens shoulders "It seems Marissa was heavily intoxicated and she stopped breathing and blacked out. She then fell down some stairs outside and hit her head. She stopped breathing for over half an hour, her brain and heart didn't get enough oxygen." Sandy's face had never looked so sad. Kirsten sunk down to the floor.

"Where's Julie and Jimmy?" she asked sadly "Do they know?"

"Jimmy was the one who found her, but I don't know whether Julie knows." Sandy crouched down to sit with his wife. Just at that moment Julie Cooper burst through the hospital doors in tears, screaming. The nurses rushed over and asked her what was wrong, the usual procedure. Julie couldn't stop crying. Kirsten slowly got up and went over.

"I'll handle this" she said with a crooked half smile to the nurses, who were all looking confused. Kirsten sat on the floor in front of Julie.

"Oh Kirsten, M.. M… Mar.." Julie broke down in another fit of tears.

"It's alright, I know, I know" Kirsten leant over and hugged Julie. They sat in the middle of the entrance way until Julie could muster enough strength to get up. When they had moved to some seats, Sandy came over with some coffees. He knew no one would drink anything, but what else could he do.

Seth and Ryan, completely oblivious to what else was going on, were chatting in Ryans little hospital room.

"Dude you know, you could really spruce this place up a bit, hang some cool posters and stuff." Seth said, trying to get Ryan into a happier mood.

"I'm not planning on staying here too long, Seth" Ryan smiled and looked around.

"Oh dude, you should have heard it, before some lady came in and started screaming and crying and apparently she just sat down in the middle of the floor and finally some lady was able to coax her to get up and sit on a chair. It was crazy" Ryan laughed, just then Summer walked in in a hospital robe with a doctor, tears rolling down her cheeks. The doctor set her up in the bed next to Ryan then left the room. Summer thinks over how to tell them, especially Ryan. Seth & Ryan sit, staring at Summer, not understanding.

"Did Theresa" Summer says weakly then clears her throat "Did Theresa come and see you?" Summer gazed up at Ryan through bloodshot eyes.

"Yeah. She said she saw you. Why are you in here? I mean…" Ryan and Seth, both looking like little kids who were faced with a difficult algebra problem.

"I know what you mean. Why am I in a hospital bed. I asked to be in the same room as you, even though it makes it harder" Summer burst into tears. Seth walked over to her bed to comfort her. He leaned over to hug her but she pulled away. "No, I have to do this now." She sniffed and looked over to Ryan then back to Seth "Coop… I mean Marissa. She's… She's… She's gone." At that point Summer threw down her head and sobbed profusely into the bed covers.

"Where'd she go?" Seth asked with a slight twinge of knowledge of what had happened.

"No, Cohen. She's gone. Forever. She was way too drunk. I told her she had to give it up, I did, she didn't want to hear about it. She passed out and stopped breathing. They said her brain didn't get enough oxygen or something and she died." The room fell silent "She hit her head on the way down, blood everywhere. When I heard, I passed out, that's why I'm in here." The news was still sinking in. Ryan replayed all of it in his mind, Marissa slamming the car door in his face, him driving away, pretending not to care, her drunken, slurred voice on the radio, turning into the street, then blackness. He remembered the doctors as they were trolleying him through the hospital and Sandy's voice telling him it would be alright and it wasn't his fault. But it wasn't alright, it will never be alright, not anymore. It was his fault Marissa was drunk and his fault she passed out and hit her head. She was angry at him when she died and there was nothing he could do to fix it. It was over. Ryan sat in his bed, motionless. Seth sat and stared at the ground, his eyes going glassy. Summer with her head on her knees, rocking back and forth in her bed. All was silent. Everything seemed to be going slower and Summer's body ached all over. Her head, her eyes, stomach, arms and legs. It all felt so worthless without Marissa. Then Summer's head went blank like last time and she fell back onto her pillow, knocking over a vase of flowers on the way. Seth got up and shook Summer, he rung the emergency bell at least 57 times.

Some say that just before you die, your life flashes before your eyes or you see a bright light, like at the end of a tunnel. For Summer, when she passed out the second time she saw the one person she thought she would never see again. Marissa. She saw her as a 6 year old, when they were playing at school.

"Come on Summer, lets go on the seesaw!" Marissa looked at Summer, giggling.

"Marissa Cooper, come here right now and clean up this mess!" Mrs Bosworth yelled at Marissa. Marissa continued to run to the seesaw.

"Coop? I thought your name was Marissa?" Summer asked, puzzled.

"It is but that's my other name, hurry up Summer! Get on" replied Marissa scrambling onto the seesaw.

"I'm gonna call you Coop." Summer could feel herself smiling at Coop. Suddenly 6 year old Marissa turned into 13 year old Marissa.

"Should I wear this one, or that one" Marissa asked Summer, pointing to two different dresses.

"Definitely NOT that one" Summer saw her arm shoot out in front of her and point at the same one she had pointed at, in the same conversation so many years ago. "It doesn't suit your skin color or your nail polish."

Marissa smiled at Summer.

"How do you always know that kind of stuff? I'm clueless to that" Marissa replied to Summer's fashion advice.

"Ya know Coop, I've seen millions of fashion shows and read all those fashion magazines! Keeps me up with the latest stuff" Summer turned around to her closet and picked up her favourite pair of shoes. "Here, you should wear these, they'll look super cute with that dress" Summer smiled and passed the shoes over.

"Oh my gosh, Summer, these are your favourite shoes! Thank you so so so much" Marissa gave Summer a huge bear hug.

"Now to sort out your make up, for your first date, you've gotta make a huge first impression." Marissa giggled and sat down on Summers double bed as she got slathered with foundation and other gunk. Now it's a few days ago, getting ready for Samantha Jones' party.

"Coop this is going to be, THE party of the year! Except for prom, which is going to be doubly fantastic." Summer smiled at Marissa and sat down on Marissa's bed "Now, what are we going to wear?"

"I don't think I'll go." Marissa replied, staring at the ground as if it was the most interesting thing she had ever seen.

"What? Coop the party's in, like, three hours. And you're going. Besides we need to get out of the house, have a little fun" Summer waved her hands in front of Marissa's face. "Helloooo? You & I are going and that's final. We'll take Cohen and Chino, it'll be fun. Remember fun? I do, sort of" Summer frowned and Marissa giggled at her, her spirits lifted. It was just like the old days when they used to get so excited about parties and dress up.

"Alright then, but we still have one dilemma." Marissa said. Summer frowned "What are we going to wear?" Marissa laughed and fell back onto the bed. Summer got up and threw open the Marissa's closet doors.

"Well Coop, we'll soon find out!" Summer started throwing clothes on top of Marissa on the bed. Suddenly everything went black again. Summer panicked thinking, no take me back again. Then Marissa appeared, in the darkness and stood there, looking at Summer.

"Coop?" Summer asked

"Yeah Summer?" Marissa smiled

"Will you stay with me now, I want to stay with you."

"No Summer, you have to go back"

"But…"

"No but's Sum, remember all the good times. I'll be with you forever, in your heart, in your mind and your memories. I love you Summer. Tell Ryan it was not in a million years his fault. And tell everyone I'll miss them so much. I'll miss you the most Summer."

"No, Coop, please don't go…" Summer pleaded, she could feel herself crying. Marissa smiled and blew her a kiss. Summer could feel her heartache.

"I'm always right here" Marissa moved closer and put a hand on Summer's heart. It felt like a shock. She did it again. And again. Then she disappeared and everything went white. Summer could hear voices around her.

"It looks likes she's crying, doc."

"Pulse and heartrate normal, VT shows normal, end resus."

"Summer, Summer can you hear me? Move if you can hear me Summer." Summer shook her head and opened her mouth, her throat was extremely dry and all she could manage was the word "Coop" for a while. No one could understand what she was talking about. Finally a nurse got her a drink of water and she told them the turn down the lights. They transferred her back to her bed in Ryans room. Ryan and Seth were still there. It looked like Ryan hadn't moved but now Seth was sitting next to him. As soon as Summer walked in Seth got up.

"It's alright Cohen, sit down." Summer said as she got into bed, looking very pale. No one talked for hours after that. Sandy, Kirsten and Julie came in and sat with them. Still no one talked. Seth & Sandy sat with Ryan and Kirsten and Julie went to sit with Summer. They exchanged half smiles and hugs. Eventually it got dark and the hospital turned on its lights. A doctor came in for check ups and said that Summer and Ryan needed to stay in hospital for at least the night. No one was ready to go home anyway. If they went home, it would make everything real, no one wanted it to be real. Julie and Sandy fell asleep in their chairs and Kirsten went to get more coffee. When she came back, Seth had fallen asleep in Ryans blanket on the floor. She gave Summer and Ryan their coffees. Kirsten was the first of them to speak for at least four hours.

"You guys should get some rest," she whispered peering up from her coffee at Summer then Ryan. Ryan moved his head and half heartedly smiled at Kirsten.
"I don't think I can." He whispered back. Kirsten nodded her head and turned to Summer, who was staring at the wall. She was thinking about Coop in her dream and how it felt so real. Whenever she thought about it, it felt like something was pushing on her heart. It was a comforting push, like Coop was watching over her.

"Sweetie, you alright?" Kirsten asked, tilting her head to catch Summers gaze. She soon realised Summer had drifted off to sleep. Kirsten put Summer's coffee on the table next to her bed, where a few hours earlier there had been a vase of flowers. Turning to Ryan she realised he was also asleep, placing his coffee carefully on the table aswell, she pulled up his sheet kissed him on the cheek. Then she went over and pulled up Summer's blankets aswell. Kirsten quietly left the room and went to the lobby. She asked for more pillows and blankets then quickly called Jimmy on her cell phone outside. Answer machine.

"Jimmy, it's Kirsten, if you're there pick up. It might be a good idea if you come down to the hospital…" Jimmy picked up the phone

"Kirsten, I don't think I can face that right now…"

"We're all down here, Jimmy, we can all get through this together. Please Jimmy, it might help. You don't have to say anything, no one down here has for hours. Just come to the hospital, please. I just want to know that you're OK. You and Julie both have to get through this, no one's blaming anyone, No one's going to blame you." Kirsten finished and waited for a reply. There was silence for a minute or so.

"I'm coming down now" and Jimmy clicked off. Kirsten went back inside the hospital.

"Here's the blankets and pillows, Miss." The nurse smiled a sympathetic smile at Kirsten.

"Oh thank you, would you mind bringing some more chairs into our room aswell, none of us want to be alone tonight, it will help if we are all in the same room." Kirsten smiled and then walked down the corridor, back to their room. Soon after another nurse came in with a couple of chairs. Kirsten was putting blankets on everyone when she heard Jimmy's voice down the hallway. She went out to get him.

"I'm sorry Sir but visiting hours are over, and there is absolutely no more people allowed in that room." The admin staff declared.

"But I'm… I'm her…" Jimmy looked down and took a breath.

"He's with us, he's her father." Kirsten smiled and looked at the nurse with pleading eyes.

"Alright but only one more, no more people in that room, it strict hospital policy, none of you are supposed to be in that room anyway, it's only under extreme circumstances, and we understand. Very sorry for your loss Sir."

"Yes, thankyou." Jimmy nodded appreciatively. Kirsten lead him down the hall and into the room. Sandy and Julie were awake.

"Look who's here." Kirsten said. Julie got up and gave Jimmy a hug.

"Oh Jimmy, I'm so glad you're here. I don't know if I could do this without you." Julie sobbed into Jimmy's shirt collar.

"Yes we're very glad you're here, Jimmy." Sandy said and, when Julie finally tore herself away, hugging him like a brother. After that, they all sat staring at the kids until, one by one, they all fell into a deep, dark sleep.