Author's Note hope you all like this chapter I worked really hard on this. Also I wanted to thank everyone so much for all the reviews, you guys are wonderful and always manage to make me happy. And I know I said that they were turning five by accident in the last chapter but they were actually turning six…. I'm sorry! Anyways as usual I own nothing, so here's the story….

"I just don't know Sandy, they're only eight,"

"But it's a five minute walk…"

"What if they get kidnapped?"

"In Newport beach, honey?" Sandy asked with a laugh

"You never know there are a ton of crazies out there,"

"The biggest crazy I know is your father, and even Seth and Ryan, his own grandkids, know not to get in a car alone with him,"

"Sandy he's my father,"

"I know, I know honey, but he's also a crazy,"

"He pays our bills,"

"Don't change the topic,"

"I just don't know I mean I don't mind picking them up myself,"

"But they don't want you too,"

"I just don't know walking home…"

"Carson said that they could stop at their house on the way home for a little while and if they don't want to walk all the way he would drive them home,"

"It's just that…"

"There are so many of them, and if it makes you feel better they can always call you from the Ward's house,"

"But they're all so young,"

"Well if you add six eight year old together, then they would be older then you,"

"Shut up, Sandy,"

"Hey mommy said a bad word," Seth said running up to where they were talking out by the pool

"Yes but it was a mistake,"

"I know, but did you decide if we can walk home yet?"

"I don't know Seth,"

"But we're walking with a lot of people,"

"I know sweetie, but it's just a big step,"

"And I'm a big boy with long legs so I can take big steps,"

"Seth this is no time for sarcasm," Sandy said rolling his eyes

"It's always time for sarcasm,"

"If you say so honey,"

"I do,"

"Sweetie where's your brother?"

"At Coop's, I think, they were doing math homework, remember?"

"Who's Coop?" Sandy asked in confusion

"Marissa's new best friend Summer who just moved here this year calls Marissa Coop because she thinks it's cute,"

"Oh I see, I guess, Ryan's still there?"

"I guess so, Mrs. Clark gives a lot of homework,"

"Oh, well maybe I should call Julie and ask her to send Ryan home,"

"Whatever,"

"Alright, what do you want for dinner?"

"I want Chinese food,"

"Alright then why don't you go run over and get Ryan and I'll order it?"

"I don't want to," Seth whined

"Seth do what your mom wants,"

"I hate you daddy!"

"Well I love you son, now go get Ryan!" Sandy said getting up and giving Seth a playful shove in the direction of the cooper's house.

"Child abuser!"

"Parent abuser,"

"You are so annoying"

"Oh I forgot brother abuser for making him stay in the same house with Julie Cooper for so long,"

"I am not a…"

"Seth! Just ignore your father he's never going to give it up, just go!"

"I just don't know, why would I want to visit the dragon lady?"

"Seth! Where did you hear that from?"

"Dad,"

"I should have known,"

"Yes you should of"

"Just go, now, or you don't get any dinner,"

"Your going to deny me food, isn't that child abuse too?"

"Well I'll show you child abuse if you don't obey your mother," Sandy said laughing to himself

"Alright alright don't get your panties in a twist," Seth said and stuck out his tongue before purposely walking as slow as possible back to the house.

"He's such a smart aleck," Sandy said shaking his head

"He gets that from you of course,"

"Of course, because you my dear are never sarcastic,"

"Never," Kirsten said getting off her chair and snuggling up with Sandy. He kissed her forehead lightly and she closed her eyes concentrating on hearing the sounds of the beach so far away, and was surprised that she could actually hear it.

"Hey Mrs. Cooper," Seth said as Julie answered the huge doors of the house.

"Seth, how are you?"

"I'm good, how are you?"

"I'm fine, is there anything I can do for you?"

"Actually I came over to tell Ryan that it's time for dinner,"

"Oh, of course, go on in, you know where Marissa's room is?"

"I think so,"

"Alright then just call down if you need anything,"

"Thanks," Seth said and headed up the stairs. He opened the first door, only to find that it was an empty guest room, the second door to find that it was the bedroom of Marissa's little sister Caitlin, the third to find that it was the bedroom of her parent's before finally opening Marissa's door. "I feel like goldilocks" he announced to the room.

"Hey Seth," Marissa said not looking up from where she, Summer, and Ryan were sitting in a circle on the floor

"Don't you even want to know why I feel like goldilocks?"

"Uh let me think about that one," Marissa said with a short pause "No,"

"Hey what about you Ryan?"

"Not especially,"

"But the thing is was that I wasn't sure which one was Marissa's room. So I opened the first one, and then the second one, doors I mean, and then the third one, you know like goldilocks? She checks all the things three times, before finding the perfect one…"

"Ryan can you please shut your brother up? He is so super annoying!" Summer said standing up. She was small, with her hair in a dark messy braid. Summer held up her two hands in fists, "I'm going to punch you Seth if you don't shut up,"

"Okay, um Ryan mom's ordering food and if you want any you need to come home soon," Seth said in one breath before running out of the room and slamming the door behind him. He opened it for a second "Otherwise you get no dinner," before shutting the door again and running down the hall as fast as he could. He didn't know Summer that well but she sure was scary. In fact if it was just Ryan and Marissa he would have just stayed in there, but he was pretty sure that that girl Summer could beat him up, badly. He doesn't even bother to say good-bye to the dragon lady; all he cares about is getting out of the house. Because once he's out, he's pretty sure that Summer's not going to follow him. Or at least he hoped not.

He's halfway down the driveway when he hears it.

"Bye Seth," he looks up and Summer is hanging out the window an evil grin on her face, waving good-bye. Seth shrugs, he'll never understand girls, or at least he'll never understand girls like Summer.

"Hey Seth, wait up!" Ryan called jogging to catch up with him. He had had just enough time to grab the homework, stuff it in his backpack and get out of the house.

"I can't believe you stayed so long in a house with the dragon lady and Summer,"

"Whose the dragon lady?"

"I think it's Mrs. Cooper,"

"Oh, why do you think that?"

"Dad said so,"

"Right," Ryan paused for a second and bent down carefully tying his shoes. "Did they decide yet?"

"About…the walking home, no not yet. I don't get it what's the big deal, I mean we're big right?"

"It kind of weird that all the other parents said okay, and ours didn't,"

"That's because their stupid," Seth said swinging open the front door and walking into the house with Ryan right behind him.

"Hey guys," Sandy said coming out of the kitchen and kissing Ryan on the top of the head.

"What was that for?" Ryan asked making a face

"Because I haven't seen you in a while, is that alright?"

"No, well if you let us walk home then it's okay I guess,"

"Well I say okay but you have to talk to your mom,"

"She is so annoying"

"Don't say that about her,"

"Why not dad it's true?" Seth said and rolled his eyes at Ryan before running up the stairs. Sitting down on the floor of his room he looked at all the homework spread out in front of him. He was only in third grade and he already had a lot of homework, well maybe not a lot but too much in his mind. Besides they were working on cursive and that just sucked, because well Seth had okay regular handwriting but his cursive was terrible. Of course the teacher's now made them write in only cursive, so Seth was in his own personal hell. Except he shouldn't say that word but sometimes he heard Daddy say that about Newport, so he thought that he could say that about school. Besides it wasn't like anyone could hear his thoughts.

"Seth honey? You ready for dinner?" Kirsten asked poking her head into his room and he jumped guiltily "How's the homework coming along? Want some help?"

"No thanks," Seth said very politely just in case his mom could read his thoughts, because sometimes she was scary like that.

"No to dinner, or no to help?"

"No to help,"

"Okay, but that's a yes to dinner?"

"Yeah" Seth said jumping up and following his mother.

"Good," Kirsten said putting her arms around Seth and kissing the top of his head. She sometimes felt bad that she favored Ryan. It wasn't something that was obvious to anyone but herself; she would never outwardly favor a kid. But Seth was Sandy's kid, comic books, video games, sailing, and all the self-rigorousness was traits from him. She barley saw herself in him at all, except for the selfishness that was definitely her. Ryan was all hers, at least she liked to think so, he was blonde and very waspy looking- like her, he was quiet and loved to sit with his grandfather and listen about architecture, exactly what she had done when she was younger. It wasn't that she didn't love Seth, she adored him, all his traits reminded her so much of Sandy, and that at least in her mind was a good thing. It was just that Ryan was so… Kirsten didn't know how to explain it.

"Can I try and eat my soup with chopsticks again, because my new friend Brad says that the way they do it in China"

"How does Brad know this?"

"I don't know, but he does,"

"I think he's making it up honey,"

"No, I don't,"

"Well I do, maybe you should just use a spoon like normal,"

"I guess,"

"You guess what?" Sandy asked as they walked into the kitchen

"I guess that your stupid," Seth said sticking out his tongue

"Really? Well that's a new one,"

"Can we eat? I'm starving," Ryan said opening the first container

"I agree son," Sandy said and helped open more of the containers

"Ryan, honey would you grab some spoons?" Kirsten asked as the unloaded all the things from the bags.

"Sure but Mommy," Ryan said jumping out of the chair and grabbing the spoon "Everyone else is going to walk home, so I want to too," Ryan knew he was whining the last words but he didn't really care that much.

"But it's just a big step, honey, and I don't want you getting hurt,"

"Mommy how many times do I have to tell you that I have long legs?" Seth piped up

"Seth it has nothing to do with your legs,"

"But you step with your legs,"

"I know but your taking it too literally, honey,"

"Well then how should I take it?"

"Take it figuratively,"

"What's figuratively mommy?" Ryan piped up as he dug into his food. Kirsten just shrugged; it was too hard to explain anything to an eight year old at least from her opinion. No matter what she said there was no way she was going to get out of letting them walk home. They were only eight but she felt like they were growing up way too fast. After all it felt like they had just been born yesterday, at least in her opinion.

"Fine alright, your guys can walk home, are you happy?"

"Yay!" they cried and went running out of the room presumably to call their friends. Sandy looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. Kirsten just shrugged.

"I wasn't going to win anyway,"

"No I didn't think that you would,"

"But they're my baby's, it's just hard to let them go," Kirsten said and Sandy nodded. He understood, they were his baby's too.

"Step on a crack break your mother's back," Seth chanted quietly under his breath. He knew it was a babyish thing to do but he was bored. He was actually kind of unsure why he had wanted to walk home in the first place. Ryan and Luke were best friends, Marissa, Summer and Holly were best friend and Seth had no best friend. He had friends at school, especially this one kid named Brad who really liked comic books too. Which was totally cool, but Brad's mom picked him up after school so Seth was still all-alone. Without anyone to talk to, which was totally un-cool.

"Seth Cohen would you shut up already?" Summer cried turning around and stomping hard on his foot.

"Ow!" Seth cried out in pain

"Well you deserve it, stupid, for singing that horrible song,"

"Your stupid," Seth said quietly hoping she wouldn't hear but kind of wishing she would.

"You better wish that I never hear that" Summer said and launched herself at Seth.

"Oh my god, Sum," Holly cried and cover her mouth. This was just too funny, Seth Cohen was being beat up by tiny Summer.

"Summer," Luke said rolling his eyes at Ryan and on the count of three they lifted her off him. Summer wasn't fat, as if a Newport mom would let their child become fat, but she was heavier then they had expected. In fact Ryan almost dropped her.

"Your suck Cohen and next time I see you I'm going to kick your butt,"

"Oh my god, I'm so scared," Seth said rolling his eyes as he was now safely protected by Ryan and Luke. Summer just rolled her eyes and stomped off with Marissa and Holly chasing after her.

"That was a stupid thing to say, Seth," Ryan said in exasperation. Seth just shrugged, what could Summer do to him if he had Luke and Ryan, nothing really.

"It wasn't really true," Seth admitted

"Duh Cohen, you are so not brave," Luke said with a laugh

"How come I'm Cohen and Ryan's not?"

"Because Seth's a dorky name,"

"Hey!"

"Leave him alone Luke," Ryan said "Besides if you take out all your anger on him then you won't be able to play as well in the game"

"You take your anger out on the soccer field?" Seth asked wrinkling his nose in confusion. Seth stopped to tie his shoe as Luke and Ryan conversed briefly about the soccer game.

"Luke! Ryan! Seth! Hey," Carson Ward called waving at them as Luke ran up the driveway.

"Hey Mr. Ward," Ryan called then when he had watched Luke disappear inside, he turned on Seth. "Your so stupid sometimes, I just don't understand how we're related,"

"You don't understand how we're related, dude welcome to my world," Seth called back as he was left once again alone as Ryan ran to walk with the girls. Seth Cohen might have an incredibly popular brother, come on even at eight you know what popular is, a group of very popular "friends", and lots of girls that he hung out with, well actually he was made to do that by his mom mostly, but it seemed as if he was always alone.

"Hey guys," Ryan cried putting his arm on Marissa's shoulder to stop her.

"Hey Ryan, what's up with your stupid brother?" Summer asked in a bored tone

"Sum, your so mean," Holly said with a giggle. Holly Fisher was a giggler; it was the best way to describe her since she could barley get a sentence out without giggling.

"At least I'm not as stupid as Cohen," Summer shot back much to the amusement of Holly.

"Why aren't I Cohen?" Ryan asked wondering why every once called him by his first name but Seth by their last name. It certainly wasn't like you had a hard time telling them apart.

"Because Cohen is a stupid name and it fits Seth," Holly said giggling as she stressed Seth's name

"Your so right Holl," Summer yelled sticking at her tongue at Seth. The five of them walked in silence, arriving first at Holly's house, and then at Summer's before finally making their way to their small street. Ryan was the first to notice it, the beat up old car parked on the corner of the street. It looked so out of place, in fact Ryan had never seen anything like it except in the movies.

"What is that?" Marissa asked wrinkling her nose in obvious disgust. Ryan shrugged, he briefly wondered if walking the twenty or so steps to his driveway was dangerous. But Ryan was always the hero kind of guy, the person who rooted for the good guy to win, and Ryan always secretly wanted to be that hero. Because when you really thought about it, who wouldn't want to be a hero?

"Stay here, I'm going to get Mommy," Ryan said and started off at a run towards the house. For all he knew the car could be empty or just some lost person trying to find their way home but Ryan wasn't going to take any chances. He heard that when you got kidnapped they barley fed you anything but bread and water…or wait was that jail? Ryan had no idea but he did know that if he only ate bread and water then he wouldn't be able to kick Luke's butt on the soccer field, and well that was just unacceptable.

"I am not waiting here so I can die," Marissa hissed at Ryan stamping her foot "Your so stupid Ryan. I hate you," Marissa cried and crossed the street and ran home as far away from the car as possible. Ryan froze and turned around to watch her run down her driveway. He stared at the car as he heard Seth run by him, slowly of course…because well it was Seth, but he didn't even turn as he heard the door slam shut. The car looked so weird and out of place that it was bothering him, and usually he would have gone to his mother but he was scared something would happen if he got her.

"Ryan," a voice he didn't recognize, a female's voice, called and Ryan froze. It wasn't him mommy's voice or Marissa's mom's voice or anyone else's voice. He looked around but he still didn't see anyone. "Ryan, Ryan, Ryan," the voice was crying now and every fiber in his body told him to run, but apparently his feet hadn't gotten the message because he couldn't. The car door opened and a women with big bleached hair stepped out of the car, and just as she did his feet finally got the message. He took two steps backwards. "Don't run away from me," the woman pleaded

"How do you know my name?"

"I know a lot more about you then you think,"

"I think I need to get my mommy,"

"Your mommy" the women started laughing and pointed at the house. "Is Kirsten your mommy?"

"Yes," Ryan said softly and the women nodded.

"I know your mother,"

"You do?"

"Yep my name's Dawn, but I bet she's never mentioned me, am I right?"

"Yes,"

"Well it's nice to meet your Ryan, I've heard a lot about you,"

"You have? Did my mommy tell you?"

"Yep, we're…" Dawn paused for a second, "Old friends, I guess,"

"Oh, do you want me to get her,"

"No!" Dawn cried a little too loudly, Ryan looked startled and scared. "We had a fight and she told me never to visit her, but I wanted to give her something,"

"Oh,"

"Here, will you give it to her for me?"

"No," Ryan said simply

"What why?"

"Because I don't want too,"

"Listen you little punk," Dawn said moving closer to Ryan, close enough that he could smell her breath and raising her hand "I'm your…"

"What is going on here?" Kirsten asked running outside in a panic. Her face was pale and as Ryan ran towards her she felt scared, and how could she not this was the first time that Ryan had met Dawn.

"Mommy, mommy," Ryan cried panicking as he literally leapt into her arms. Kirsten caught him but just barley.

"Ryan sweetie I think you need to go inside right now, go play with Seth,"

"I wanna stay with you," Ryan said but Kirsten shook her head.

"Sweetie, inside now!"

"But…"

"Not butts," Kirsten said and put Ryan down. He looked at her oddly before running into the house. Kirsten turned to Dawn and just stared at her. This was one of her worst nightmares come true.

"Hello Kirsten," Dawn said simply

"Dawn, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Well that's a nice welcome,"

"I mean it what the hell is your problem? I've done everything you've asked! You can't do this to me, do you want me to get a restraining order?"

"Why you going to run to daddy? Because I've read all about him,"

"You and the rest of the world," Kirsten mumbled under hear breath

"Well it wasn't that hard,"

"What are you doing here Dawn?"

"I just want to talk to my baby,"

"He is not your baby," Kirsten screamed and clenched her fists. She didn't believe in fighting, she said so all the time to the boys fighting gets you nowhere, talking gets you everywhere. Yet desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Did you give birth to him, did you carry him for nine months?"

"No but I've been the one that stayed up when he was sick, and held his hands when he got shots, and kissed him when he got hurt," Kirsten was fuming "Did you do that?"

"I just want to talk to him,"

"What do you want to do hit him?"

"I would never,"

"Well let me tell you got pretty close," Kirsten said and Dawn stayed silent. "I think you need to go,"

"I want to see Ryan first,"

"That's not an option"

"Please Kirsten,"

"I don't think so, Dawn, maybe in a long, long time. How does that work for you?"

"Don't mess with me,"

"Well it may be too late for that if you keep showing up,"

"I just want to see him, there's nothing wrong with that!" Dawn cried one tear sliding down her face. Kirsten wanted to feel bad for her; after all she's not sure that if she was in the same position that she wouldn't do the same thing. No matter what Kirsten did Dawn kept coming back.

Because no matter what Kirsten would threaten she would never do anything. It had taken her to the hours before her mother died to even tell her that Ryan was adopted. Tell her that that would probably out live them all? She would have to be insane

"There's everything wrong with that," Kirsten said evenly "When you signed those papers he became mine"

"Maybe I made a mistake,"

"Well that's one mistake you can't change," Kirsten said and Dawn was silent.

Which is when Kirsten knew that she had her. There was nothing Dawn could do. Her signature, the same one that signed for the credit card she really couldn't pay for, and had practiced for hours when she was a little girl had been the very thing that she had used to lose her baby boy forever.

But as she walked away she knew that even if she couldn't do anything, she could really mind fuck Kirsten. So just before she got into her car she turned around and with what she hoped looked like an evil smile just said three words

"See you soon," and then drove off. She didn't want to see the effect that would have on Kirsten, it was so much better imagining what it would be.

Author's Note: okay this took me literally forever! I'm not even kidding, but to my relief more then anything it's actually done. So please drop a review tell me if I should even continue or because it's been so long just start something new. Hope you like it and if you get a chance make me happy and review!