Hey again, here is the new chapter and I hope you like. Thanks to all those who reviewed, you all know who you are and I love you all.

Disclaimer – I don't own any OC character and I never will.

'I'm sorry'
'Oh, honey it was my fault, you were tryin'a tell me somethin I-I I wasn't listening, jus tell me where you are and I'll come pick ya up'
'I'm coming home...I thought I was losing you'
'No, that's never gonna happen'
'I love you'
'I love you too, now pull over and I'll come get'cha'

That conversation repeated itself over and over again in his head for the past hour in his dream and it was driving him crazy. He could hear everything from that night and his mind forbade him from leaving and forced him to view and remember every detail.

On top of his wife's tear filled voice were the sounds of grinding metal and the smashing of glass as he wielded his ear to the cell phone listening intently to the other side of the phone yelling "Kirsten!" every other second.

A shrill noise interrupted his sleep and he shook awake and automatically reached over to answer to phone considering Kirsten didn't'. But as he reached over, he expected to be reaching over her sleeping body but he was greeted by a gap but before he could think of where she could be, he answered the persistent phone.

"Hello . . . Julie? . . . What? Julie calm down . . . what? When? . . . oh my god . . . thanks for calling . . . ok take care."

With that he hung up and as he placed the phone back he noticed the piece of paper on Kirsten's pillow under his hand and read the erratic handwriting.

'I'm sorry

Kirsten'.

Knowing the time as half six, he quickly changed out of his pyjamas and holding the letter, he rushed into the kitchen to hopefully find her drowning her sorrows. Preferably, not with vodka or tequila.

But he didn't find her there. Seth and Ryan were both awake and talking at the kitchen island eating breakfast.

"Hey dad, mom still asleep?"

Hearing Seth's question about Kirsten instantly answered the question Sandy was about to ask.

"I wish I could say Seth . . . have either of you seen her this morning?"

"Mom? No. Ryan?"

"No I haven't sorry. What's going on?"

Wordlessly, Sandy handed his sons the note their mother left and they read the words silently.

Three words.

But two of those words left an entire void to be filled with speculated and pure undefined horror.

'I'm sorry.'

What exactly did that mean?

'I'm sorry.'

"What does she mean by this?" Seth asked frantically.

"She's gone . . . while I-I-I was in the closet; I noticed that several of her things were missing . . . clothes mostly."

"Why would she leave so abruptly?" Ryan enquired reading over the words again as if examining her handwriting would offer the answers they desperately wanted.

"I have no idea . . . but after the phone call I just got, if we bring her back . . . she's gonna wanna leave again."

"Why?"

Sandy knew he should never have mentioned that phone call from Julie. This news would devastate Kirsten. The last thing she needed was to be brought home to a dead father and she had been through enough recently. Afterall, Kirsten was just after running away.

"Dad?"

"Huh?"

"Who was on the phone there now?"

"Julie."

"And?"

Sandy was unsure of how to broach the subject with Seth so he tried to sugar coat it as much as possible without putting the news right between the eyes.

"It's your grandfather . . . something happened."

"What? I mean, is he okay?"

Again Sandy didn't know how to say it. Should he straight out say, "He's dead," or say "He had a heart attack and he never came through it." What?

"No," he whispered finally, "he's not."

Seth didn't need to hear anymore as he was putting two and two together and he was as sure as hell getting four.

"Oh," he sighed sadly, "Um we uh need to find mom. Have uh have you tried calling her yet?"

"I'm gonna do that now."

"Cool, uh me and Ryan will look around uh we'll take down town and the pier- dad- you check the beach and the Newport Group offices or we can swing by there, just check anywhere she might be . . . w-we can get Marissa and Summer to help as well."

"Sure, I'll uh I'll call Marissa right away."

"Cool let's go," Seth ordered jumping off the stool grabbing the keys to the range rover.

"Call as soon as you find her or hear anything," Sandy called after him.

"Right!" Ryan called back as he closed the front door.

Both cars were still there so she couldn't have gone far.

But she had a much larger time advantage on them. For all Sandy knew she could be in Berkeley or Maui or if she really wanted, she could be half way to Japan by now.

Berkeley.

Lisa.

Opening his cell phone he quickly called Kirsten's mobile but after three rings it cut to voicemail.

'Hey, this is Kirsten, sorry I can't take your call right now, but please leave a message after the beep and I will get back to you as soon as I get some time. Thanks.'

Sandy didn't leave a message after the beep because knowing Kirsten; she was screening her calls and cancelled it sending him to voicemail. And he didn't want it to be like he was checking up on her and that he didn't trust her to be out of the house for more than an hour. But didn't he say that just by calling?

Quickly he walked over to the black telephone and address book that permanently lay beside the phone; he flicked through the pages to find the name 'Lisa' and her number. His fingers flew over the keys of the phone and the dial tone began.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Lisa?"

"Yes speaking."

"Hey this is Sandy Cohen," he greeted.

"Oh my god Sandy, how are you?" she asked excitedly down the phone.

"I'm good thanks, you?"

"Oh, don't ask, Emily has me run ragged, so what do I owe the pleasure Sandy?"

"Well, Kirsten said she might head up to Berkeley today, might, so if she shows up there could you give me a call?"

"Uh sure, if she shows up I'll give you a call," Lisa said into the phone as she picked up a stuffed animal off the floor.

"Thanks Lisa, well I better go."

"No problem Sandy, and it was good hearing from you . . . maybe we'll come to Newport one day and see you. Seth must be what? 17 now?"

"Yeh he is."

"Bet he takes after you . . . well I better go too. Send my love to the family and if Kear comes I'll call."

"Thanks Lisa, and send my love to your family too, bye."

"Bye."

Sandy hung up the phone and contemplated calling Jimmy in Maui. Maybe he could call Hailey and use the same technique with Hailey as he did with Lisa in Berkeley, but Hailey would not even think Kirsten would come see her. No!

She wouldn't.

Sandy considered a place she may have considered.

'Buckley?'

"No," Sandy said out loud as he pushed that thought aside and lifted his car keys leaving the house to find Kirsten.

As he drove he looked continually from left to right trying to find his blonde wife.

What would she be wearing?

Where would she be?

Pulling over in the Newport Group car park, he opened his phone and called her office.

"Hello, Newport Group, Kirsten Cohen's office," Claire answered.

"Oh hey Claire, it's Sandy, is Kirsten there?"

"Uh, no Sandy she's not . . . isn't she supposed to be resting?"

"Well you know how Kirsten is," Sandy laughed trying to not sound worried, "Ok, well thanks Claire."

"Ok, bye."

"Bye."

Another dead end.

Starting the car again he thought of places she would go. He quickly changed direction, and parked alongside the spot on the beach where he sometimes found her when she needed some space to think. He remembered when her mother died, Kirsten came here and she hugged her legs to her chest and her tears mixed with the sand. He sat next to her and without even saying a word, she fell into him and cried her heart out. Considering that her father died, she might be here. But she doesn't know that or does she? Julie may have called her. Then he began to drive along the beach and every now and then looked from the road to the beach trying to spot something that resembled Kirsten.

Again, another dead end.

Sandy spent the next two hours looking every place he could think off and sometimes he checked back to the places more than once just to check that he didn't miss her or that she hadn't come there while he was gone.

Seth and Ryan weren't having much luck either.

They had enlisted the help of Marissa and Summer and they were only too happy to help and further more they were extremely worried about Kirsten's abrupt disappearance. The girls searched the mall and all the shops and the beach but with no trace of Kirsten anywhere. Ryan and Seth looked up and down the pier and all of Newport trying to find their mother.

"Dude, I'm getting worried," Seth said walking down the same street for the third time that day.

"Me too, I mean, where can she go if she's not in Newport?"

"I have no idea," he replied honestly, "God, I have no idea where my mom would go, how bad a son am I?"

"Seth, come on, no one knew she would do this so calm down. I have no idea either, come on think, if you were your mom where would you run away too?"

"I have no idea . . . somewhere where she wouldn't want to be found probably or somewhere where we would never think . . . you wouldn't think she would pull a Marissa?"

"And go to Chino? I don't think so," Ryan said as a matter of factly.

"No dude, go to someone who she has practically nothing in common with."

"Your Nana?"

"It's possible."

"I don't think so Seth."

"What, why not?" Seth asked.

"Well one - the Nana hates Kirsten, two - the Nana hates Kirsten and three - oh yeh the Nana hates Kirsten."

"Ryan Atwood, is that sarcasm?"

"Yeh well you rub off . . . look man I don't think your mom would go to Florida and I don't think they would even let her fly in her condition. I mean one look at that cut on her temple and they won't let her fly."

"Ok, point well said, but where is she?"

Ryan simply looked at Seth.

"You don't know – got it."

They continued to walk and drive around Newport until it turned dark at which point they returned home just as Sandy pulled up behind them.

"Hey fellas, any luck?" Sandy asked closing the car door.

"Nada! You?" Seth replied.

"Nothing . . . I've called around and asked several people to call if they see her, including Lisa."

"Aunt Lisa? From Berkeley? You think mom mighta gone to Berkeley?"

"It helps to be prepared son. I called this morning, for all I know, she mighta gone to Maui or Japan or France."

"Seth thought she might have gone to Florida to see the Nana."

"No, your mother would rather go surfing with me than go visit your grandmother alone," Sandy retorted truthfully.

"But mom hates surfing."

"Hence my point. Besides the Nana would call if Kirsten showed up anyway"

"Ok, well maybe she's inside?" Seth asked pointing to the door,

"Let's go see," Ryan suggested moving towards the door.

Sandy and Seth followed Ryan into the house to find all the lights off.

Mutually they split up and looked around the house quickly. Sandy checked the bedroom and the area that surrounded it. Ryan checked the kitchen, family room and the back garden. Seth sprinted upstairs and opened and closed every door and looked in every room more than once. Then all the men reconvened in the family room reporting that Kirsten wasn't anywhere in the house.

"Ok, your mother has been missing for at least 12 hours and it is dark and we have absolutely no clue as to where she could be."

"And the girls didn't find her either," Ryan sighed.

"Ok, not even five people can find her, that's kinda worrying don't you think?" Seth said sarcastically and hurriedly.

"Seth calm down son, we'll find her, I promise," Sandy said placing a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Too bad, grandma isn't here, she'd know where to find her," Seth sighed quietly thinking out loud.

Sandy froze on the spot and his eyes glazed over with a sudden thought.

"Sandy?" Ryan asked noticing Sandy's expression.

Hearing Ryan's question, Seth looked at his father and saw a smile slowly appear on his face.

"Seth you are a genius!" Sandy whispered as he turned on his heels and headed to the bedroom.

"Dad? Dad, what?"

When Sandy didn't answer as he continued to walk Seth turned to Ryan, "Ryan, what's happening?"

"I have no idea and apparently you're a genius."

"Come on."

Seth and Ryan quickly caught up with Sandy who was already in the forbidden territory that was their parent's bedroom, but seeing as this was an emergency Seth wavered his strike and followed Ryan in.

Sandy was on his shins looking through the bottom drawer pushing material after material away, top after top away until he arrived at what he was looking for.

Seth and Ryan were standing oblivious to what Sandy was looking for and simply waited for him to tell them but Seth wasn't being patient at all seeing as his mother could be in danger and missing.

"Dad, what is that?"

Sandy had taken out a blank brown envelope and stood up walking with it over to the table by the window, "Ryan turn on the lights would'ya?"

Light plastered the room and shed light on the mysterious envelope that Sandy had just found.

"Dad, I ask you again, what is that?"

"Your grandmother gave this to me shortly before she died and told me to only open it if Kirsten runs away or I can't find her. And seeing as she has run away and I can't find her, I think I can open it."

Sandy tore the seal off the envelope but before he revealed the contents he said, "She said I would find Kirsten here."

He poured the contents out and lifted the papers.

The first being a letter,

'Dear Sandy,

If you are reading this then my wee Kirsten is lost and she has disappeared under her own power, so I hope this leads you to my daughter. She told me one day that if she was ever hurt or lost she would come here, so go here Sandy and find her. Kirsten needs you.

Love,

Jennifer Nichol'

After he read the cursive handwriting, he placed the letter behind the piece of paper behind it. Unfortunately that piece of paper was back to front so Sandy flipped it over to reveal a picture of a house.

"I know where she is," Sandy whispered looking at the photograph.

Ok, I'm gonna leave it there for another week. Please review it because I have an almost full week of exams this week so make it enjoyable and encourage me to write. Love you all.