A/N.: May I ask, why you like happy ends more then a tragic one?

Convinced or not convinced

He watched his wife. The whole ride home she had sat in the backseats next to the boy, trying to make him freeze a little less, soothing him – by wrapping the boy into his jacket, rubbing his upper arms, taking him slightly into her arms. This was the proof. She was still there, only was hiding from them – the Newport society. The boy himself was hardly aware of what went on. The medication dazed him awfully. She stepped out of the pool house.

"How is he?"

"Not good I guess, but he's sleeping. I can't imagine he understood what the doctor told him about the antibiotics and the other medication."

"But you were there." He told her and took her into an embrace. He was proud of her. Proud that she managed to leave her shell.

"Sandy, we need to find his brother. He…he needs someone who cares for him."

"I already called someone who takes care of it." He answered.

"That's good, because this shows us too wee he's not able to take care of himself." His wife answered. "As if a sixteen years old would be able to." She mumbled. He knew her well enough to figure this sentence wasn't meant for his ears.

The next morning his wife entered the kitchen in jeans and T-Shirt? No office-look? What was wrong?

"He, honey, no work today?" He asked, before he gave her the ritual morning kiss.

"Do you think I leave a criminal alone in my house? Who knows what he's up to?" He sighed. She still hadn't changed her mind about him.

"Kirsten, he's no criminal…just a teenager growing up under the wrong influence." He answered carefully not willing to start a new argument about this topic.

"That's the same. Besides, I'd like you to stay home either." Hu?

"What? Why? I can't. I have some appointments today."

"Do you think I'll stay alone in my house with someone like him? He easily can overwhelm me. I don't trust him and I don't want you to do so."

"Kirsten I don't think that he's capable of anything you're thinking about in his current state."

"I'm sorry to say, but then he has to leave." She was playing a cruel game. But he couldn't allow her to throw out the boy a second time and especially not now were he was sick.

"You're cruel, do you know that?"

"No, I'm only careful."

He had made some phone calls, trying to explain why he wasn't able to show up in the office today. Now his paperwork was spread around the dinner table. Seth had been suspicious about them staying home for today - of course. Usually they didn't even manage to stay at home on weekends – not even Sundays. And now it was the middle of the week. His wife had explained him the situation that Ryan was with them in the moment. His son was surprised - in a very positive way. At least his son got to know his Mum wasn't as cold-hearted as she pretended to be. He for his part was still curious to know what his wife's motives were. He doubted it was only related to her job. There was something more. The way, she looked at the boy…didn't match to the way she was talking to him and about him. And if she really has had such a strong opinion against him, she never had allowed him to stay. There was something about the boy she didn't tell him. She hid it from him. He had to find out what it was. He hated secrets their relationship. Secrets meant tension and tension meant arguments. And yes, he has had enough of them lately. So, his new job was: finding out what was bothering his wife so bad making her turning into an ice-queen.

"Sandy, can you come for a minute?" His wife asked him.

"Just a sec." He answered and finished the sentence he was writing before his thoughts had been disturbing him.

"I need to check on the boy. He needs his medicine…and I want you to…just to watch. Just in case…"

"I can check on him, if this makes you feel better." He offered her. She had gone so far last day, he didn't want to overstrain her.

"You're a man and not even able to handle Seth, when he's sick. So…just watch." She was scratching her neck nervously. She was frightened…of a kid. He wasn't. He knew how to deal with them. He knew what lay behind this rough behaviour. He had witnessed it all on his own when he had been young. His wife didn't. She grew up in a world like this. So he didn't blame her. At least she was willing to learn and this was more than he could expect from every other snobbish Newport witch. He followed her and waited outside when she entered the pool house. The boy lay in this huge bed, curled up to a small ball.

"Hey, Ryan." His wife said silently. She sat down on the edge of the bed, carefully stroking the boy's cheek. Mistake. He shot his eyes open and sat upright in a second. His glance told him he was terrified.

"Ryan?" His wife was surprised by the boy's reaction.

"What?…hu…Where…" The boy was confused.

"Calm down. You're here with us." His wife started to explain. He could tell that she had no clue how to react. But he only saw it, because he knew her well.

"Yes…shit…I mean…thanks and sorry…I'm gone in a minute…" The boy started to get out of bed.

"Ryan, wait…you don't have to…"

"No…I'm…I'm fine." Inwardly he had to laugh about the situation, although it was more a sad than a funny one. Both, his wife and the boy, felt uncomfortable. Neither his wife nor the boy knew how to act around each other.

"Ryan, you're far away from fine."

"Thanks…but I'm okay."

"Ryan! You have a fever and a bad leg injury. So, you go back to bed!" His wife now started to command. The way she used to react when she was stressed. He watched the boy, his body tensed up and his body language turned from young and confused into…aggressive and defensive at once.

"Ryan, don't worry. We only want to help you. You're really sick and you shouldn't leave the bed at least until your fever went down a bit more." He started an attempt to make him getting back to bed.

"But she doesn't want me here." His heart dropped. Truth: his wife hadn't done a good job to make the boy trust her. Plus: the boy was smart. He figured it out when he…wasn't accepted full hundred percent.

"Ryan, if I didn't want you here, you wouldn't be here. So you go back to bed now, because I don't want this getting any worse as it already is." Well, not the nicest way to tell someone he was welcome at some place, but better than telling someone he wasn't.

It had taken a while until then boy had realized that he didn't feel well and went back to bed. Considering the fact that his wife didn't want him here, she did quite a good job. She even tried to make him eat something. She not only pretended to be concerned. She was. She told him to find his brother. She watched him taking his medicine and called a doctor when she realized the fever had gotten up again. Thanks God it wasn't related to the wound on his leg, which had been pretty bad inflamed. It was more related to the fact that he had spend last Saturday in heavy rain.

"Dad, can I talk to you?" His son stormed into the living room. He was agitated. What meant: something was burning.

"Of course. What's the matter?"

"It's…it's about Ryan and the scholarship. Marissa managed to convince Dr. Kim that her decision might not have been the…fairest one. And…she suggested discussing this with the Parent Teacher Association, what will be this evening. And…I mean…it would make a good impression if at least one parent would speak pro Ryan. And because you're the lawyer in this family I wanted to ask, whether you could do this job?" He was impressed by his son's engagement.

"This is important to you, isn't it?" His son nodded. "Well, then I'll try. But I can't promise anything."

"I know, but that's really cool. Thanks Dad." His son answered, hugged him. Wow, he was the cool Dad again, who was worth to be hugged. There were changes among this family.

"Is it okay, if I go and tell Ryan?"

"Yes, but…he's still tiered. So don't strain him."

Now they sat at school, all parents were there and he could listen to some whispered conversations and the mood was everything else than pro Ryan. He understood their concerns, but what he didn't understand was that they were reluctantly to give someone a chance, who really could proof them something better than all these prejudices. His wife was nervous. Not only because she had to leave the boy alone at home. She had told him she wasn't sure about this. She stood in the middle of two fronts. He only hoped she started to decide for the right one – the one she had stood for years ago. Dr. Kim stepped up the podium, ready to start this meeting.

"Good evening to all of you. As you all know we're here to discus whether to allowed Ryan Atwood attending at Harbor. I ask you to give a sign before speaking, thus we can keep this discussion calm and structured. I hope we can find a fair solution." When she was finished the first hands were raised and Dr. Kim nodded into the direction of who was the one to speak.

"I don't think it's a good idea to let a criminal enter this school. Who knows whether he hasn't manipulated the test results?"

"I can assure you, this couldn't have happened." Dr. Kim answered. He was stunned how this woman always was able to take a neutral opinion of things like that.

"We all know we're talking about a criminal who easily can endanger our children's lives."

"We don't know that!" A girl, probably Summer – who stood peculiar close to his son – said.

"That's true, but I don't want to take this risk."

"And what if he starts to influence our kids? He easily can manipulate them and then we're left with the mess." Cooper. Julie Cooper. He didn't like her. She was the prototype of Newpsie.

"I doubt that this will happen. Of course he had done some wrong things. But he never had learned something different. As Freud said the ego of a person - telling us how to interact in a society - is formed due an environmental conditioning. Fact is the area he comes from and his family never provided him with a conditioning telling: crimes are wrong. Thus it's more than positive that his crimes are nothing more than misdemeanours as well as his attempt to fit into a society he has no clue how life works in there." Marissa intervened. Wow, she was smart. How was Julie Cooper able to raise such a smart daughter?

"And how does he proof it? By stealing cars outside from Newport?"

"No, but by helping when help is needed. Let us be honest: who of you would step in, if you see a girl being in danger of being raped? Who of you would offer his blood to someone you don't even know? Ryan does. And I think this shows us how hard he tries to step out of the society he comes from. He hasn't identified with it yet, thus he still has a chance to change and make things better. We only have to give him this chance. Otherwise we force him to flee into the environment he comes from and then he'll become a real threat for our society. Only if we push him away he can be a real danger for us." Marissa went on. She was calm, while she was speaking so many words in a row. She really wanted Ryan to be part of Newport, like his son did. The boy had the gift to impress others.

"He's already sixteen. I don't think we can change him anymore. He's a criminal and he will be for the rest of his life. Every attempt to raise a child over fourteen doesn't work. He's no different."

"Stop! Does anyone in this room notice where we're living?" Summer now stepped in.

"Right, in the United States of America. And does anyone know what's written on our flag? The American Dream. And does anyone of you know what this means? This means giving those, who got bad cards, a chance to change their lives. We're talking about a boy, who really has bad cards, but tries not to let this determine his life. Plus he seems to be pretty smart. So he has the skills to change his life and make things better. Our governmental policy doesn't allow us, to reject him." Two smart girls. The girl took his son's hand? Had he missed an important thing?

"Mrs. Cohen, what do you think about this? You know the boy, thus I'd like to know what you're opinion is." Dr. Kim asked.

"Well…I…" Please, he preyed. "I know him and…I know he has some problems to adapt to this environment and …has some rude sides. But all in all…he's a…polite and shy boy…who…although coming from a poor, criminal and violent area, tries not to annoy anyone." Not hundred percent convinced, but nevertheless more positive than he had expected.