Authors note: Hello again faithful readers. (it's at this point I feel I should be in some big leather chair in front of a fire in a dressing gown with a pipe.) Ok, so here's the next bit. Anyone who is reading this and not reviewing, I know who you are, and I know where you live. Review or I'll find you! Or just sit here and be miserable. Your choice. Tell me what you think….

"Alex, I have to go out for a bit." Marissa called back over her shoulder as she walked over to the closet.

"Ok babe, where you going?" Alex rolled sleepily over in the bed to get a better view of Marissa's retreating back.

"Oh just out with Summer, you know, Seth stuff."

"No, but I know Summer stuff from Seth!" Alex replied laughing.

Marissa quickly got dressed and grabbed her car keys. She felt bad for lying to Alex, but she just didn't want to have an argument this morning. Still tired and a bit hung over it was all she could do to string two words together, she didn't want to have to retrace old arguments.

Pulling the jeep up outside the Cohen's house she fixed her skirt and rang the doorbell.

"Marissa, how nice to see you again, Ryan's out in the pool house, he said he was expecting you. School projects eh? I'm glad I'm passed all that." Sandy gave her his trade mark blinding smile as she stepped indoors.

Knocking on the pool house door, she once again smoothed down her skirt.

"Marissa, hi." Ryan smiled as he opened the door.

"So this history project, I've got a few books from the library as reference material." A few wasn't really the right word. Inside the pool house was a huge pile of musty old books on the French revolution. Ryan smiled sheepishly as he saw her face fall at the sight of them.

"Wow Ryan, you sure do take the research idea to all new levels don't you!"

Marissa sat down on the end of Ryan's bed.

"So where do you want to start?"

Alex looked up at the clock on the wall. It flashed 21:56 in big red type. 4 minutes until she got off work. As she stacked the last of the glasses away and handed the keys to her assistant she decided to go see where Marissa was. On finding the house empty she thought she'd pop around to Summer's house and see how the girls were getting on.

"Hi Mr. Roberts, I was wondering if Summer was here"

"Sure I am Alex!" Summer bounded down the stairs and past her slightly shocked father who withdrew hastily to his study, pleading deadlines on his work.

"So what's up Alex?"

"I was looking for Marissa"

"Well she isn't here, sorry. In fact, if you find her, tell her to call me, we haven't spoken in over two days."

"Wait, what? I thought she was with you this morning?"

"You what? No I haven't seen..oh." Summer trailed off looking at Alex doubtfully.

"She said she was coming to see you today," Alex looked at Summer hopefully, willing her to remember a meeting with Marissa . Upon seeing the glimmer of pity in Summer's eyes she knew she wasn't going to find any comfort here.

"Look Alex, I'm sure she just didn't want you worrying about whatever it was she was doing today."

But Alex had already started up her jeep.

She drove for about 30 minutes, wondering what on earth Marissa could be doing that she was hiding from her. In fact, scrap that, she had a fair idea where Marissa was right now. The problem was whether she should let Marissa tell her in her own time, or go busting in there right now. In the end, it wasn't much of a decision. She knew she could be jealous but she also knew she didn't like being lied to and it wasn't something she put up with. Turning the jeep she headed towards the Cohens'.

Marissa had fallen asleep. Ryan looked over at her and with a sigh closed the book he had been reading. So much for a nights work. He wondered how Alex had taken the news that they were working on a school project together. In fact, he wondered if Marissa had told her. He knew how guarded she could be when it came to where she was going and who she was with. He had seen it close up more than a few times. Lifting Marissa from her spot on the floor he put her on his bed, flicking the blanket over her before heading into the kitchen to get a bite to eat.

Parking a little way down the street , Alex walked round the back way, she didn't want to disturb Sandy or Kirsten. She knocked on the door of the pool house, and when no one answered swung the door open gently. She had had a fair idea of what she was going to see, had run over the worst scenarios in her head, but the pain was unexpected. Marissa lay sleeping peacefully in Ryan's bed. Alex suddenly realised she couldn't take this right now. Turning sharply she went to leave, running straight into Ryan who was carrying a tray of food over from the main house. The tray fell with a crash.

"Alex!" Ryan jumped back just avoiding a glass as it shattered on the ground,

"Ryan" Alex's voice was cold and low.

"Alex?" Marissa leapt up from the bed red faced. How the hell did I end up in there? I must have drifted off to sleep or something.

"Save it Marissa. You lied. I don't want to hear you try and explain your way out of this one."

Alex turned, shooting one last glare at Ryan before striding down the path towards her jeep.

"Shit, Alex, wait, please babe, just wait." Marissa scrambled past Ryan running after her girlfriend.

Duh duh duh! Not. Ok so I have a feeling this entire fic is going rapidly downhill quality wise. But there's only one more chapter until my "end". It's not really an end, it's just, a good spot for a pause I suppose. We'll see. So yeah, R n R people.