A/N: Cliffhanger? I hope it might have caused a bit of suspense/shock/some kind of reaction lol anyway hope you enjoyed it andi just wanna say how much i LOVE your reviews-no jokes! absolutly anything shows me you actually like it enough to post anything at all thats not abuse-im not giving you ideas...:D

That really was to say just cause i dont resopnd to you all individually, it doesn't meen i done REALLY APPRECIATE them lol, all dun now.

Disclaimer: i used to think they were amusing to write-i thought wrong, I HATE DISCLAIMERS!

"Sorry?" stammered Marissa. "You didn't know?"

"Well apparently not." He said with a bit more force than he'd meant. "Sorry" he added as an after thought.

"Don't worry. Sorry I just assumed you would know-he tells you everything. You're brothers."

"You'd think that" a hint of reproach in his voice. "But it's just been so…different. You wouldn't get it. It's just not the same anymore. We, we needed you guys, for the fantastic four to be fantastic again. The terrific two; not so terrific."

"God, trust you to lighten the mood"

"The mood needs lightening. The dark's not a friendly place." He'd meant that in more ways than one, and Marissa had totally picked up on it. She knew she had to continue her story; she'd had her break, now back to the task.

"…When he came out of hospital I knew I had to be a part of his life" Marissa's mind catapulted her back to the point she'd cut off at…

"It was that point when it sunk in that I'd already lost him-that sounds selfish I know, he had the right to love his son-everyone should have that-but all the history with Theresa had finally caught up, they've known each other their whole lives how could I ever, even thought I'd ever be able to compete with that?" Her voice had gradually got higher as she was talking, but no tears escaped her bloodshot eyes this time.

She gritted her teeth and continued:

"I-I don't really know why, I don't even know how I managed to say it. The alcohol made everything so much worse, this really couldn't have happened at a worse time." She attempted a stifled laugh, which didn't quite reach her eyes; they were full of distress and regret, as though she would give anything, absolutely anything to take back what she had said soon after.

"You were in shock; shock can't last for a whole month! You've got to get on with your life! Keep moving.

You're also meant to SHARE things with the people that mean the most to you; it makes things easier! But apparently you've done a lot of sharing-just not with me. With her, she obviously means more to you than I do. She clicks her fingers and you go running. Twice!"

"God! What is wrong with you? She's Ben's mom! She-she's Theresa" he whispered the end part softly, like it came off the sea breeze.

This had been the final straw, the thing to break her. She knew him well enough, too well, knew him like no other; and the look he had just cast upon thinking of her, was her look, Marissa's look. Love. He loved Theresa. The realisation was cruel; even though it hadn't been identical to the one reserved especially for her, there had been too many similarities for it to be denied.

"Who else knows?"

"Just Sandy and Kirsten"

"Not Seth? Or were you giving the same privilege as me? Keeping us immune to the truth, so we wonder helplessly, every day and night, what the hell has gotten into you this past month, without even the slightest hope of finding out, even though you mean more to both of us than either of us can say!" silence followed

"No, no he doesn't know"

"Well lucky Seth, you'd better tell him soon; if you leave it like you did last time, he'll sail away for sure and if he does, they'll be a queue of people trying to kill yo-"

"What? Last time? Marissa, I'm not leaving. Just because I'm being a part of my son's life does not mean I'm going back! You're one of the most important people in my life-you know that; I can't leave you"

"There, he loved me I could see it plain as anything; he loved me and he wasn't leaving; but the image I saw, his face, his eyes. It was all too much. I wanted to go up to him and hug him, let him know nothing mattered and I was on his side.

But I couldn't, something in me wouldn't let me reach out. It was unbearable-he was slipping away from me and somehow I was trapped, helpless and unable to reach out and grab him. Something was between us; something that hadn't been there before and I didn't know how to break it. So I did the only thing I knew how to do-loose him."

At this point Marissa's eyes were glistening.

"I managed to say it. I dunno, how though. I wish so much I never had. It was irreversible. Impossible to overcome; I sounded like a monster."

"Now. But what about in a few years time; months even. He'll be doing all this stuff I sure as hell can't share with you. First steps, first words. First trip to the beach; looks like I made that one though-it's turned out great" A false, drunken laugh echoed from Marissa at this.

"And, if we stayed together, ended up wanting a house, marriage, f-family. It wouldn't be right 'cause you would feel guilty, remembering some of these experiences first time round and not having stayed with her. You love her too, and you need to decide: will it be now, with Theresa. Or later, with me."

The silence that followed that echoed eternally in Marissa's head; never quite having left her since it had happened.

Me again:Well hope that was good-i think it may be ok but your the people that know so i'll let you judge (posting to inform me of something ridiculusly stupid like should i say it...posting the same chapter twice is always apreciated lol) kk i'll be off now,toodlesxox