He was not doing this again; he was not going to let her run away from him a second time without talking to him. Running from him the morning after they had slept together at the hotel, that he could understand, but this, well, it was utterly incomprehensible to him. Not only did he think the surprise had been a good idea, but Summer had assured him that Marissa would love it. Now, here he was standing in this very guest room perfectly prepared for a night of passion and love and he was all alone. The woman he wanted to share the evening with had just fled out the door in sheer panic. Not even bothering to blow the candles out, he turned on his heal and ran after her hoping that he wasn't too late.

As he followed the trail he supposed she had taken, he found himself outside standing in Summer's driveway. The night was no longer peaceful, serene, and tranquil; it was angry, violent, and unpredictable as a storm was approaching off the ocean. He could hear the thunder rippling in the distance and tiny flashes of light shot through the vast, murky, midnight-purple sky as the weather increasingly became more and more unbalanced. A perfect setting, he thought darkly to himself, as he scanned across the vast space in front of him looking for the woman who was causing the inner squall that was raging inside of him.

She was standing by her car trying desperately to unlock her doors with the key but failing miserably as her body shook with each sob that wracked her delicate frame. Slowly, with trepidation, he approached her, taking the key out of her hand and opening the door for her, but when she put her hand out for him to the return the keys for her, he held them back.

"Ryan, give me the keys," she ordered as she hesitantly put her shaking hand out, not meeting his eyes as she spoke.

"No." His mind was swimming with thoughts, feelings, instincts, but the overriding sense he picked up on was that, no matter what, he should not let her go. "The gale will be here before we know it, and you don't know the roads. You shouldn't be driving out there, not with weather like this. Come back inside."

His voice was pleading, and if she would have looked in his eyes she would have seen how desperate and caring they were, but she refused to meet his gaze. Slowly, the sky began to open up and the first raindrop which landed on her tear smudged cheek soon became a downpour, but neither would back down, neither would say anything else. They just stood in silence while the rain assaulted their already bruised and battered bodies. Finally, breaking the showdown, Marissa turned and fled into the house. Ryan, believing that she was admitting defeat, shut her door gently, put her keys in his pocket, and ran back into the house, shutting the front door behind him. Yelling up the stairs as he walked towards the kitchen, he never noticed Marissa return to the foyer and disappear out into the night again.

"Change your clothes; I'll be up in a minute. I just thought I'd find us something warm to drink. You like hot chocolate right?

Just as his first step landed upon the custom marble floors of the kitchen fit for a five-star chef, he heard the noise he dreaded most at that point, the starting of a car engine. Forgetting the drinks, he sprinted back to the entrance, whipping the door open in time to see Marissa's car pulling quickly out of the driveway.

"Sht," he exploded as he reached into the pocket which held his own keys and not Marissa's, slamming the door behind him as he darted to his car to pursue the woman who was pushing him to further lengths than he ever thought imaginable. Wipers ablaze as he tried to combat the torrential downpour, he maneuvered the vehicle out of the cul-de-sac and onto the main road frantically following Marissa as she drove maniacally to where, he had no idea.

Summer and Seth had arrived at the Cohens' soon after they had finished setting up what they hoped would be a paradise for Ryan and Marissa. Bored and hungry, again, they knew that Sandy would have some entertaining stories for them and Kirsten would have take-out. As the four sat around the coffee table in the family room, Seth and Summer eating, Sandy and Kirsten curled up together on the couch sharing a blanket, conversation flowed easily and none of them noticed the quickening vigor of the tempest.

"I've got to be honest with you," Sandy quipped, "two visits in two days, I feel honored. We barely see you guys anymore, and now all of a sudden we can't seem to get rid of you when we want a moment alone."

Summer laughed softly, while Kirsten rolled her eyes at her self-appointed comedic entertainer of a husband, but Seth could not refuse the bait and playfully fought back with the only weapon a Cohen had in his arsenal, sarcastic banter.

"Although that was something I never needed to hear from your mouth, Father, you should be proud of your sacrifice. Because you're going without a little nookie right now, Ryan is getting some as we speak!"

Mid eye brow wiggle, Seth felt his arm tingle as Summer's fist connected with his shoulder, and her annoyed voice rang, drowning out any other sounds coming from or into the dimly lit room.

"Cohen! What the hell do you think you're doing! First of all, that was just…EW, and second of all, that's Marissa's boss you're talking to right now, not to mention your Dad who just happens to be sitting next to your Mom and you're talking about sex! Besides, how the hell do you know if Ryan and Marissa are going to sleep together tonight!"

"Please Summer," Seth interrupted with a coy smirk on his face, "I might not know much, but flowers, candles, cheesy music, chocolates, and meaningful gifts all point to one thing, a pleasant evening, and I'm not talking about the type of pleasure you get from a good game of Magic the Gathering or an excellent new comic book edition, I'm talking about the type of pleasure only a man and woman…"

"Seth," Kirsten yelled in a panic, "please stop right there. We may have raised you to be open and honest with us, but that is just such an over-share!"

The room falls under a spell of silence, thunder the only thing breaking the stillness, as Seth pouts our of disappointment, Summer seethes out of aggravation, Kirsten hides out of embarrassment, and Sandy thinks out of curiosity. His voice breaks into their private worlds and brings them all back together.

"What exactly did Ryan do for Marissa," he asked tentatively, knowing that he was walking on egg shells as he could not reveal Marissa's confidence to those in the room but he could also not ignore the worry he felt for the situation playing out a few minutes away.

"He's been feeling a little insecure recently," Summer explained, "about their relationship, not knowing what she wanted or how he should act around her, so I helped him set up a surprise to show her how much he cares for her. We bathed her room at my house in tons of flowers, all white, set up candles everywhere, all white again, bought chocolates, put music on, and Ryan got her some meaningful, little gift to show her just how much he cares about her. That's actually why we're here, to give them their privacy." When she stops speaking, she notices Sandy's solemn expression and apprehension begins to dominate her mind. "Why, is something wrong; was that the wrong thing to do?"

After a moment's silence, Sandy spoke up. "Listen, I don't want to panic you and I really can't say too much, but I think this evening that Ryan has planned for Marissa is going to be a complete and total disaster."

At that exact moment, the electricity snapped off, clouding the intimate gathering in a sea of blackness.

"In fact," Sandy continued undaunted from the change in their setting, "I wouldn't be surprised if what he did was not the worst possible thing he could have done. I don't really want you two driving out in that storm, but I think it might be a good idea if you went back to your house, Summer, and checked in on them."

Kirsten got up from the couch and found her way to the kitchen, speaking as she went. "I'll be right back. I'm just going to look for some matches to the light some candles."

Once she was gone, Summer spoke once again, her voice depressed and anxious. "I think you're right Sandy, but even if they're okay, I need to get back to check on the house, make sure everything's okay with this storm. Cohen, are you coming?"

The couple stood up together, joining their hands as they each felt the need to seek out and give solace to the other, just as Kirsten reentered the room holding two lit candles and matches to continue the process of lighting the shadowy room. Hugs were exchanged as well as well wishes, and the younger couple slipped quietly out of the door into the night and disappeared into the eye of the storm.

The man had been there for a half hour already, and still they were getting nowhere. They had each been quietly sipping a cup of coffee while he explained the case to her, but their progress had been halted when the electricity went out. After locating and lighting several candles so that the normally cheery breakfast room was no longer pitch black, they had once again resumed their talk. Dawn kept trying to pay attention to what he said, but for some reason, her eyes were constantly drawn to and out of the picture windows of the room as she felt an uneasiness about the storm and worried that something was wrong with Ryan.

"Mrs. Atwood," Mike, the FBI agent, repeated softly for the third time in a row, "I know this a lot to take in, but I need you to focus, please."

It took her a moment to clear the troubled thoughts clouding her mind, but Dawn eventually refocused her attention upon the man sitting across from her. At that moment, she had never wanted a drink more in her life, but she pushed that temptation away from her mind; that was the last thing she needed right now.

"I'm sorry, but I just can't seem to shake the feeling that something is wrong with my son right now," Dawn said quietly.

The agent looked taken aback. Of course there's something wrong with her son, he thought to himself, I just finished telling her that he and his father were facing up to eleven counts of RICO violations. "I'm afraid Ma'am, but at this point, I'd say there is more than just something wrong with Trey."

"Please," she bemoaned, "don't call me Ma'am, and I'm not worried about Trey; I don't even know him, but I am worried about Ryan…my true son."

"I'm sorry Mrs. Atwood…"

"No," she interrupted, "don't call me that name either. I don't want to hear that name right now; I can't hear that name right now. Just….it's Dawn."

He smiles at her genuinely. "Dawn it is then." They were both silent for a few seconds as they watched each other inquisitively, but he broke the peace to continue with his line of questioning. "Do you have any idea where we would be able to find your husband and son?"

"I haven't seen either of them in months," she replied honestly. "We only have a marriage, a relationship in the public eye, and it's been like that for years, basically since Ryan was born. To be honest, I've never really cared where they go as long as they stay away."

"What about someone who would know where they are, a lawyer, a trusted secretary," he pried further.

"Look, I know nothing. I know that is such a clichéd response, but I'm going to be honest with you. Even if they would have mentioned something in my presence or even if I would have cared to know something about their lives or their business, I've been a stumble-down drunk for almost fifteen years. Today is just my third day sober, and I can tell you already that I want a drink so bad right now that I can taste it, my hands are shaking so badly, I'm afraid to pick my coffee cup back up, and my head is screaming so loud in desperation and craving for some alcohol, that I can barely concentrate on what I'm thinking let alone what you're saying. On top of that, you've just told me that my husband and son are wanted for eleven counts of RICO violations, which ones or exactly what they are, I'm not sure but I don't need to know the details to know that this is bad, and my son, the only person I have left on this earth that I love is not here right now and I have this frantic feeling that I can't shake that something is very wrong with him. I know I have to cooperate with you, and to be frank, I'd love to be another reason why my husband gets what is coming to him, but I can't do this now. It's late, I need to find my son, and I need to think. Would it be possible for you to come back tomorrow afternoon? Please, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't necessary."

He stood up slowly, putting his hand out to shake hers, and nodding his head in acceptance of what she just said. As she shakes his hand, he speaks for the last time.

"It's no problem; I understand completely. It's just my eagerness towards this case which makes me push so much. I hope you find your son and that everything is okay. I'll call tomorrow before I stop by." He turns to go, but stops himself and looks back at her. "I know this is none of my business, but good for you…for trying to quit. I hope it works out for you. I'll show myself out." And with that, he was gone, leaving Dawn alone, once again, with only her fears, the storm, and her desire for a drink to keep her company. Sighing disconsolately, she collapses back in her chair and lets the tears that had been gathering in her blue eyes, eyes very much like her son's, to fall distractedly down her ruddy cheeks.

Ryan could not believe where Marissa had led him. On all nights, she chose one like this to go to the beach, and then, to make matters worse, she did not remain in her car once she parked in the deserted parking lot, but blindly, not even acknowledging his presence there with her, she stumbled out of the car and tottered right to the waters edge, letting the waves crash against her denim clad legs. More confused than ever, Ryan followed her unsure of what she was doing, unsure of what he was going to do, what he was going to do, and unsure, for the first time in his life, if he would get what he wanted.

Assuming she had not heard him approach, he went to place his hand gently on her shoulder, but her icy voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Why did you follow me?"

Unable to form his jumbled thoughts into a comprehendible statement, he simply went back to his original instincts and attempted to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, but no sooner did his fingers graze her soft, supple skin, she pulled away, flinching her body and winding her arms around her torso even tighter.

"Answer me, Ryan, why are you here?" Her words cut through him like a razor blade to his heart, searing it with pain and blinding him to reason or common sense. Rational thoughts fled his mind and he was just let with the one thing he had been operating on since the very moment he met her, base, animalistic instincts. He wanted this woman and he would do or say anything to get her.

"You, I'm here for you," he huskily pronounced, moving his body ever-so-slightly closer to her own. She didn't notice, otherwise, she would have moved further away. She was silent for a few minute while she let his words sink into her soul, and he was just as quiet as he waited for her reaction, hoping that she would at least give him that much. Finally, her pleading voice broke through the stillness as it fought with the sounds of the storm for dominance in the night air.

"Listen Ryan, I don't know how to even express what I'm thinking right now."

"Well then don't," he interrupted, "just tell me how you feel."

"Do you want me to talk to you," she snapped.

"Yes." His tone was defeated; his hope being extinguished a little more as every millisecond passed.

"When I met you, I had nothing left except the hope that I would be able to make the last few months, last few days my parents had left on this earth as comfortable as possible, but then everything changed. Somehow, and I'm not even sure I comprehend just how yet, I now find myself with a good job, a chance to go back to college, a mentor, real friends who care about me and want the best for me, and someone who is going to help me with my parents, and then there's you. I don't even know what you are or what you should be. I know what I want, but is it worth the risk? I have almost everything I could ever want, and I feel as if I can't just throw that away on a relationship that may or may not last, and more importantly, if I let you in, if I let you have that part of me that I've protected my whole life, my heart, then I have no more protections, no more walls to keep me safe. And I couldn't handle being hurt."

Tears were streaming down her face but her voice never wavered in its strength. Ryan stood speechless as only one thought ran through his head: she's afraid to love me. Finally, he found his voice and it, surprisingly, was not gentle or caring, but harsh and spiteful.

"You're a coward," he spit out hatefully.

His anger seemed to ignite a similar emotion within Marissa as she turned to him, eyes blazing, hands balled into fists, jaw clenched.

"I'd rather be a whole coward than a broken fool, and I will never let anyone, not even you, make a fool out of me!"

"You're already a fool, don't you see that! You're running away from your life, throwing away a shot at real happiness, at real love with both hands, to live an empty shell of a life so what, you'll never have your heartbroken? Grow up Marissa! Sometimes you have to hurt to live, and sure I may someday hurt you, but I never want to, it would never be intentional, but if you push me away now, that's it, I'm done. I can't do this anymore. I can't keep chasing after you, putting my feelings out there for you to stomp all over them and throw them back in my face unreturned. I've put myself out there more for you in the past few days than I have for everyone else in my life combined, but if you turn me away tonight, it will be for the last time. Don't call me, don't come looking for me when you need help or rescuing from your insanely complicated life, don't even think of me. So what is it, Marissa, what's your answer. I'm drowning here; I need you to save me for once, and the only way you can do that is if you say yes, say yes to me, yes to a relationship with me, and yes that you love me."

He put his hand out for her to take a hold of, hoping that she would save him from drowning in a pool of pain, self-doubt, and loneliness. She didn't. He waited for thirty seconds, a minute, five; he waited as long as his pride would let him, and then, when he thought she would never answer his plea, he turned around and walked away from her, leaving her standing there with the rhythmic, brutal waves still crashing around her drenched legs. So lost in thought, she had never noticed him leave, so turning to where she thought he still stood waiting for her answer, she let the one word he had wanted to hear slip off of her tongue and roll out of her lips, strong and resilient.

"Yes!"

But Ryan was no longer there, he was gone, and she had let the one thing she truly wanted walk out of her life. She sunk down onto her knees, as sobs wrecked havoc upon her body, her world falling apart at the seams around her. As she was assaulted by the natural elements of the storm and the sea, Ryan was driving home recklessly in his car, not caring about the storm, the wet roads, the fallen branches, the inability of his mind to focus on the task at hand, and in his palm he gripped his cell phone like a weapon, finally dialing a number he knew of so well.

"Hey, it's me," he brusquely said, "I need you now. You know what to do." With that, he hung up the phone roughly and threw in the backseat of the car not even caring where it landed or if it would still work the next time he went to use it. His life was on a collision course with hell, he thought, and, at this point, he was going to do absolutely nothing to stop it.

It took them fifteen minutes longer to reach Summer's house, and although that did not seem like that much time, the fact that on a normal day it took them, driving speed limit, seven minutes to commute between their homes, made Summer and Seth realize that the storm and the effects it was having on their world were no joke. Panic began to set in as they rounded the bend of her driveway and noticed that not a single car was there. They knew something was wrong, very wrong, and before Summer even had the car in park, Seth had jumped out and ran inside to check on the house and hopefully find some clue as to where their friends were. Not far behind him, Summer raced up the stairs to Marissa's room, and they both froze as they saw it. Other than the fact that the candles were not as tall as they had been when they left them before, the room looked exactly the same. Dejectedly, Summer blew out the candles and shut the window that was letting the rain water into the room in billowy gusts, while Seth tried to reach Ryan on his cell phone but getting his voice mail right away. Knowing there was nothing they could do at the moment, they retreated to Summer's bedroom where they just simply laid down in bed and held each other as their minds raced to places they really didn't want to go. The silence was pierced by the sharp, shrill bell of Summer's cell phone. Seeing the name Atwood House scroll across the caller ID display, both Summer and Seth let out a breath of relief before Summer flipped open the little piece of plastic only to be disappointed again.

"Hey Summer, this is Dawn Atwood again."

"Oh, hi Dawn…um, what can I do for you," Summer asked just as confused as she had been that morning.

"I'm actually looking for Ryan and Marissa. Have you seen them?"

Summer noticed the hint of alarm in Dawn's voice which just added to her own.

"They're not at your house?"

"What do you mean, they're not at my house? They left here at least an hour ago," Dawn said the fear now taking control. "They said they were going back to your place for the evening."

"Well that's what we thought they were doing, too. We even had a surprise Ryan wanted for Marissa set up for her, but they never showed up here…at least it doesn't look like they did, but even if they did, they're not here now, and I'd hate to think that anyone is out on a night like this."

Just then Summer heard a door slam shut through the phone, knowing that it must have been almost deafening for Dawn if she could hear it so clearly through the phone. Then she heard Dawn's voice yelling out even though it was obvious that she had the mouthpiece covered with her muffing hand.

"Ryan, Marissa, is that you? Are you guy's okay?"

"It's just me, Mom," Ryan growled before he stomped up the stairs, disappearing without another word.

"Well," Dawn said as she turned back to the phone, "I'm sure you heard that."

"I did," Summer responded. "Did he say that he's alone, but, if so, where the hell is Marissa?"
"I don't know, Summer. It sounded as if he wasn't alone, but why would he lie about Marissa being with him. I'm probably just hearing things or it was the storm, but either way, I need to get a hold of her…Marissa. Look, something's happened and I need to talk to Ryan, but I think he will want her here for this. He's going to need her support, and I know this is going to worry you, but I can't tell you anything. Ryan has to be the one to tell you when he's ready. You'll just have to trust me when I say that he's okay."

"Um, okay," Summer hesitatingly squeaked out. "Whatever I can do….," but she didn't get a chance to finish as Dawn cut her off.

"If you could just give me Marissa's cell phone number that'd be great, and, oh, if you see her, could you please tell her that I need to speak with her as soon as possible?"

"Sure, no problem." Summer quickly rattled off Marissa's cell phone number to Dawn even though her body as no longer functioning properly as thoughts and reactions to what Dawn had said to her raced through her it, the panic she had felt before growing incessantly and exponentially.

Marissa had no idea what made her check her cell phone at that exact minute, but for some reason she felt compelled to. Checking the caller ID screen she saw that a number she had just programmed in that evening, Ryan's House, as it flashed on the screen. Answering the phone breathlessly out of excitement, nervousness, and anticipation, she was crushed to hear a female voice saying her name and not Ryan's.

"Marissa, this is Dawn, Ryan's Mom." Terror seized Marissa's body as she recognized the note of dread in Ryan's Mother's voice. "This is so weird to say…to ask."

"Just say it," Marissa cut Dawn off. "I'm sorry to be so callous, but it's been a terrible night, and I just need to keep this as simplistic as possible."

Dawn smiled despite the unnerving sadness in the girl's voice as she knew that what she was doing was best for all of three of them.

"Marissa, I have bad news for Ryan, and I know that he would want you here, that he'll need you here to support him. I've heard your guys' story, and I know that he has a habit of rescuing you, but this time, you're going to have to do the rescuing for him."

Her words struck a chord in Marissa as she thought back to the conversation she had just had with Ryan and she realized that this might be her opportunity to show him that her answer was yes. He might have left, but running after him instead of away from him and rescuing him for once just might be the one way to prove that she was ready to take the risk and let herself fall in love with him. Standing up and not even bothering to brush the sand off of her body, Marissa began to run to her car, talking to Dawn the entire time.

"I'll be there in a few minutes!"

"Marissa, wait, please, take your time, don't do anything stupid. The weather is atrocious…"

"Look, I know you're just concerned, but frankly, I can't be careful right now; I'm throwing caution to the wind for the first time in my life and not thinking about the consequences or the risks, and I'm not about to let this storm stand in between me and what I want, and what I want is Ryan. Thank you!"

With that she hung up the phone on a very confused Dawn who just paced in the foyer with her phone in her hands as she waited for the young woman to arrive. As she got in the car, Marissa noticed that she had one missed message, but not taking the time to listen, she tossed her phone onto the passenger seat and sped off towards Ryan's house. She was true to her word and arrived within minutes, not even noticing all the close calls she had had on her way there. Dawn let her in and instructed her where she could find Ryan, sharing that she had put all his things in a guest room for now since he had destroyed his room. Not waiting for any more explanations, Marissa took the stairs two at a time and ran down the hall towards the room Dawn had told her Ryan would be in. Without knocking and breathless with excitement, Marissa opened the door talking a mile a minute.

"Ryan, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry, but you were right. My answer is yes though, yes I want you, yes I want to take this risk with you, yes I love you! I want this, I want us! I….I….," but she couldn't say anything else as her throat closed and her sobs literally choked her. Too excited to even pay attention when she first walked into the room, Marissa had just realized she was too late. She had bared her soul, opened up her heart only to have it destroyed like she had feared. The storm raged on outside, but Marissa could not hear a sound. Her world had come to a crashing halt and the only noise she heard was the sound of her own heart shattering into a million, seemingly unfixable pieces.

Ryan was there, in that bed, having sex with his ex girlfriend, Holly.