A/N- Thanks for the support guys, I enjoy reading your reviews. I'm not sure about how to deal with the R/M relationship, but trying to think of a clever way to get them back together. The letter might be in this chapter, or the next, not sure. Enjoy.

Marissa stood outside on the Robert's front porch. She knew no matter what she could go to Summer, they had been best friends since Elementary School. They had been drifting apart lately, with everything going on and the summer, but somehow always seemed to be able to rely on each other for support.

"Um, hi Mr. Roberts, is Summer home?" teary eyed Marissa tried to give a genuine smile to the man. She knew he wasn't the best father to Summer, and expected way too much, but he really did love his daughter.

"She's upstairs," Mr. Roberts gave a look of concern, knowing Summer might now want to see anyone right now, but it's for her best to talk to Marissa, and they both looked like they needed it.

Marissa made her way up the long elegant stairs. Summer's dad being a plastic surgeon did have it's pluses. Marissa always envied Summer's house. Her dad was never home, but her step-mom was materialistic and had to have a nice house. Marissa's dad was richer at one time, but the Robert's had the better house.

"Sum? Can I come in?" She softly knocked on Summers door, sniffiling a little bit, not wanting to upset her friend by seeing her crying.

"Coop?" another teary eyed girl opened up the door. Now both of them were crying, neither knowing the other's problem. They hugged and Marissa walked in and sat on Summer's fuzzy rug, running her hands through the fabric.

"You go first Coop," Summer passed a box of tissues that were by her to her sad friend.

"Alex and I broke up. She came home to me spooning up agaisnt Ryan, said she knew I was still in love with him and that she was falling in love with me. I never wanted to hurt her.. I just.. feel so horrible."

"You two have bad luck when it comes to random spooning and getting caught," Seth really did have an influence on Summer. She tried to joke to make Marissa feel better and they both but on a little smile, but they were both soon turned upside down.

"He heard the whole thing, and left before I had the chance to talk to him. I don't know what he's thinking. He'll probably blame it all on himself, think that he's the reason we broke up."

"He is Coop."

"I know.. but you know how he is, he doesn't want to hurt anyone. Will he even take me back? This is just all so messed up," She looked up at Summer who's face was covered with black marks from mascara and red puffy eyes, "What's wrong Sum?"

"My dad.. wants to move," She sighed, " to Thailand."

"What! No, you can't leave..," Marissa frowned and cocked her head to the side, studying her friend, knowing there is no way she would let anyone munipulate her, especially her dad. Summer would do whatever she wanted to do, it was part of who she was, strong.

"I'm not. But where can I go, he made it clear that he's not staying. And I know this is all that little whore down there's fault," Summer got up to get a small trash can from the corner of her room and put it in between the girls.

"What about your Mom? Didn't you say you talked to her a few months ago?"

"I did, but I don't really know her.. it might be weird. She is my mom, how bad could it be?"

"Not worse than Thailand," Marissa stood up and offered Summer a hand. She took it and they both stood up.

"I'll call my mom, but you Coop, need to go find Ryan. Good luck," Summer patted her friend on the shoulder and opened up her door. They smiled and Marissa took off. She always knew she could rely on Summer to understand, and Summer thought like-wise.

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"Come on, Pick up..." Marissa nervously tapped on her steering wheel. She couldn't get ahold of Ryan. It had been almost an hour since he left and she knew he wasn't one to take emotions very well, "Where could he be? Home? No, he wouldn't go there.. Ryan would want to be alone, there's no way he would go to talk to Seth or anyone. Chino? After the loss of the baby I don't think Ryan's into seeing Theresa right now," Sometimes Marissa felt like she knew Ryan better than she knew her self, but it had been so long.. He was, he was like a stranger to her.

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Ryan nervously tapped on the railing of the pier. How could this place be so busy during the day, but it hits 7 o' clock at night and is dead? It was never like this in Chino.

"I should of never came back... I shouldn't of even been here in the first place," he sat down, putting his chest against the railing and legs dangling off the side, looking out into the vast ocean, "Whenever she finds happiness, I ruin it. Why am I stuck on her? What the hell do I see in Marissa Cooper! I see my first love.. the only one. But why? Why did she choose me, why would she give up all of that for me? I don't deserve any of this, I don't get it.. The question is, what the hell does Marissa Cooper see in me?.." Ryan forcefully threw his head forward, knocking it on the railing. He was numb, Ryan learned at a very young age not to feel pain, or emotions. But things had changed since then.. As much as he could try not to love Marissa, there was no denying the connection they shared. He loved her, and knew it, but didn't want to show it. He never wanted to hurt her, and once again he'd done something to mess things up for her.

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Marissa drove down to the ocean, she knew that was a place they both loved. They had a lot of their dates down there, and whenever Ryan was staring out into the ocean, Marissa could feel the tension leaving his body and mind, and Ryan seemed like nothing could touch him. This is where'd he'd be.

She put her car into park by the entrance to the pier, walking along the side, letting her hand slide across the railing as she walked. Marissa made it to the end of the pier when she stopped. Ryan sat in front of her, obvivious to the world around him.

The sun was casting down on the water, leaving a trail of oranges, purples, pinks, and blues through the waves. The center of the sunset was being blocked by Ryan, leaving his skin glowing from the light of the sunset. It was almost as if he had a halo, making him shine, he was her Knight in Shining Armor.

As she sat, leaning her back up agaisnt the rails, facing twards the land, turning her head to see the same view Ryan had been watching before. Ryan looked to his side, already hearing Marissa come by him, he cast his glance downward at the cement, and then back out to the ocean.

"Hey," her greeting was simple enough. Times like these between Ryan and Marissa never needed many words to describe what they were feeling.

"Hey," his voice came out a bit husky, deep, low, and to Marissa, just plain seductive. She smiled to herself and looked back at him, trying to read his emotions. His eyes seemed a pale blue, against the firey sky. She could see the colors reflecting in them, but the blue was shining as bright as ever.

"I'm sorry.. about that, back there.." Marissa tried to make eye contact with him.

Ryan looked back at her and gave her an apologetic smile, "Don't be sorry. I just-," he sighed and then continued, looking back out to the ocean, not able to meet Marissa's eyes, "I don't understand any of this. I come back, you're drinking andwith the yard guy? Now your relationship with Alex is ruined because of me. All I've ever done is cause you harm. I leave and you go off and drink away your worries. Sometimes I think that's all I am to you, is someone to protect you. But there's only so much I can help you with.." his raised voice came back down into a whisper. The last words made Marissa think. What was he talking about, " Only so much I can help you with?"

"I was depressed because I lost you, I loved you! I love you.." Marissa's eyes started to cloud up with tears, "You mean so much to mean Ryan, and there was no relationship with Alex. I'm not mad that I lost her if it means.. spending more time with you," Marissa wasn't sure if saying she wanted to get back together would sound too blunt, but they both knew what she was talking about.

"I don't believe in fairy tales," it was simple, matter-of-factly, and somewhat cold.

"What are you talking about?"

"This. You. Us. I come here, no hopes, and end up being everything I've always despised. I lay awake wondering almost every night, why me? All I was to Sandy was some kid who he felt bad for. And now look at me. I never believed in love, or destiny, and the first person I meet in my new life I end up falling in love with," he looked over at the now crying Marissa, "I never thought things like this could happen, and here I am now. But I just wonder why.."

"Maybe you were just supposed to end up here. Before you came, I only thought fairytales existed in the books my dad used to read to me when I was young. I never really knew what love was either. I said I loved Luke, but it took an outsider, someone so much different from me, to understand that life isn't just what you see out of it. There's parts of this world I don't know about, things I've never went through, and you made me see that I shouldn't be so selfish, and throw my life away because I don't think it's fair," Ryan looked over to Marissa, not knowing where this conversation was going, "I was blind Ryan, I didn't know what was going on. But you.. you taught me right away that things aren't fair, you don't always get what you want. You made me realize what a spoiled little bitch I was. You've protected me... but you're a whole lot more than that to me," Marissa bit her lip, trying to hold back tears.

"What am I?" Ryan still held his contact with Marissa, even though her eyes were everywhere, and her top lip was trembling.

"Truth is, you're the one, the only one, who holds a piece of my heart," She let out an awkward laugh, knowing what she said was cheesy and stupid, "You're.. Ryan Atwood. Boy who stold a car, burnt down a house, got in several fist fights, abandoned by his mother... I can't describe how I feel about you, but I love you," She looked at him, pleading. She didn't know what to do or say, she only knew how she felt.

Ryan inched himself closer to Marissa, feeling her steady, warm breath on his nose. He couldn't think of anything to say, they both knew what each other was thinking, so what was the point really.

"I've always loved you," He closed the space between them, gently nudging their lips together, but building with passion as the kiss continued. All those months of waiting, the eagerness catching up to them, Ryan and Marissa shared their sunset kiss on the pier.

Marissa pulled away for a second, looking out to the ocean at the now sunken sun. The sky still had a few swirls of pastel colors in front of them, and directly above them she could spot the first shining star of the night. She looked back at Ryan, who was looking up and the same star, and smiled.

"I think I know why I'm supposed to be here," Ryan looked back at her, putting his hand on her back and pulling her forward. He landed a soft kiss on her lips, then rested his head on her forehead, gazing into her eyes.

"Me too.." She placed her arms around his neck and held onto him, never wanting to let go.

A/N- I was planning on dragging them getting back together for awhile longer, but I couldn't resist. They're just so darn cute together. I wasn't expecting the story to be very long either, but I think it's going to be pretty good. What did you think about the pier scene? I wanted to make it sort of romantic, but spontaneous at the same time. It might seem weird that they're getting back together, when both just got out of a relationship, but come on, it's Ryan and Marissa. More S/S and the letter in the next chapter. Keep up the reviews please, thanks.