"How Long Is The Night"

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own The O.C. ... yet.

I don't own the song "How Long Is The Night" the lyrics and rights belong to Thursday.

Molly had never hated the sound of a dial tone this much before. Pure, solid hatred was running through her veins, all of which was now fueled towards the pay phone.

"Damn it Ryan, how damn hard is it to pick up a phone?" Molly muttered under her breath, slamming the phone back onto the hook. This was a crisis, pure and simple, and she had to figure out a way to fix it. But right now, it was proving to be a difficult task, and not being able to get a hold of her brother was infuriating. Clenching the last two quarters in her hands, she fished the crinkled up post-it out of her back pocket, holding it between her teeth as she slipped the change into the slot. Balancing the phone between her shoulder and her ear, she took the paper in her hand, reading the number off the dog-eared paper as she punched the numbers on the box. Sticking it back in her pocket, she shifted from one foot to another, eagerly awaiting an answer.

"Hello?" A male voice answered after a couple rings, sounding a little bit more shaken then usual.

"Seth!" Molly exclaimed, jumping up and down in pure relief that she had finally been able to reach someone. "Where's Ryan? I urgently need to talk to him."

"Molly," Seth registered the caller, before letting out a long sigh. "Bad news, Ryan isn't exactly available right now…as in he's in cuffs and in the back of a cop car."

"Shit!" Molly cursed, kicking the bike rack next to the payphone. Great, just great. Now what could she do? Well, of course she could march down to the police station and demand that they hear her out and follow her orders, but she knew the chances of that working were slim to none. But she couldn't do just anything. "They've got him on attempted murder charges, don't they? Because of Trey…"

"Yeah he's awake…" Seth explained, pulling out of Marissa's driveway. He had just dropped her and Summer off, earlier than usual, since they had a long day of scheming ahead of them. "I guess he signed something saying that Ryan was the one who shot him, which isn't true. I mean, it was Marissa…out of self defense."

"I know," Molly breathed, rubbing her temple, as she warded off prying stares from strangers passing by. "Something happened, I don't know exactly what, but obviously Trey lied."

"You're at the hospital? What did he tell you?" Seth questioned eagerly, wanting to know the details. Getting Ryan out of trouble was in Trey's hands, and right now, Molly was the only person who had gotten any truth out of him. "Stay there, I'm on my way."

---

"Someone bribed him, threatened him too I guess," Molly explained, leaning her head back against the passenger seat of the Range Rover. All the details were so fuzzy right now, and it was still unclear to her what happened that night. What she did know was that Marissa, Ryan's flavor of the week, was responsible, and now it was Ryan who was getting blamed for all of it. The fact that he was taking the fall for her…well Molly didn't get it. Why should he suffer for what some prissy rich girl did? She was the one that needed to pay for this, and what Molly couldn't understand was why she was the only one who understood this. "He claims he has no choice to blame Ryan, that it will protect Marissa."

"Dude, what is it with you Atwood's wanting to protect Marissa?" Seth shook his head as they passed through the gates leading to their street. "I mean I don't get the hardcore infatuation."

"It's definitely not an Atwood thing," Molly said through gritted teeth, as she finger combed a tangle from her hair, "Because if I run into that skank, she's going to get a serious introduction to my fist. No joke." And it wasn't trash talk, she was serious…if she got her hands on Marissa Cooper, it was going to be bye bye beauty queen.

"You know, it's not her fault," Seth responded, glancing over at her, though it was hard not to smile at her comment. Sometimes it seemed like Marissa needed a good slap in the face, just so she'd get a grip, but not in this situation. This time her intentions were honorable, and Seth respected that. "She wants to get Ryan out as much as you do, probably more."

"It doesn't matter, she's the one that got him into this mess," Molly fumed, not ready to let it go. No one messed with her family and got away with it, and money and fashion wasn't going to make Marissa an exception. "She deserves to rot, not him. If she thinks she can shoot one of my brothers, and then blame the other, well she's sorely mistaken."

"Wait, hold up a second," Seth told her, pulling into the driveway and putting the Range Rover in park. Turning to her, he tried to figure out how to tell this to her without getting his ass kicked. "So what Trey probably didn't tell you is what really happened. A while ago, Trey tried to rape Marissa, and when Ryan found out, he kind of went nuts and he and Trey ended up in a fight. According to them, Trey was about to kill Ryan, so Marissa shot him." Molly's eyes narrowed a bit, and she glared at the dashboard, trying to register the information.

"No, that's not right," She answered, processing the story, "Trey wouldn't do that, no way no how. I don't believe that for a second."

"It's what happened," Seth shrugged, unbuckling his seatbelt after taking the key from the ignition. "You should probably find a way to accept that, and fast." Molly simply bit her lip, and pushed the car door open, jumping out. Was he telling her to trust some random chick over her brother? The one that had been there for her trough thick and thin?

"I can't accept that," Molly sighed, her face honest and weak. Whether she wanted to or not, it wasn't something she could believe. "I'm sorry." Folding her arms against her chest, she shut the car door and walked away, her frame retreating into the dark.

Like a zombie, Molly wandered into the kitchen, her eyes blank and weary. It'd been a sleepless night, and the morning was coming on much to strong. Reaching for the coffee pot, she poured herself a huge cup, since there was no way she was going to get through the day without it. She had to devise a plan, a good one that would get Ryan out of jail. Yep, that's what she needed. But coffee would have to come first, since without that, she would barely be able to move. Putting the cup down, she looked up to catch Sandy entering the room, suited and ready for business.

"Hey kid," He greeted, grabbing the coffee pot and refilling his own mug, "Excuse me for being rude, but you look like death."

"I feel like it too," Molly laughed, tracing the top of her cup, "It's hard to sleep knowing all this stuff, I mean, it's just hard to clear your head." Of course it had been hard to sleep knowing one of her brothers was stuck miserably in jail while the other was probably about to bolt. In an ironic way, it was role reversal. Last time it had been Trey stuck in jail, and Ryan who had left without much of a trace.

"I know what you mean, but you get used to it," Sandy said with a slight smile, recapping his travel mug. "Well I'm off to visit Ryan. Can't waste anytime figuring out his defense." Grabbing his briefcase off of the kitchen table, Sandy started to head for the door.

"Sandy, wait!" Molly called, moving out from behind the counter, "Can I come with?"

---

As Ryan emerged in the classic jumpsuit, Molly couldn't help but think about the fact that every person she had ever cared about had once donned the outfit. The uniform of a criminal. It was a difficult realization, but as she stared at her big brother, his face drawn and livid, she couldn't help but wonder if this was the way things were supposed to be. Maybe it was just in their genetic makeup.

"Hey," Her voice rasped once Sandy had gotten down with all the law mumbo jumbo and had left to talk to a set of prosecutors. "You doing alright?"

"It's nothing new," Ryan shrugged, looking at his hands, "I mean, Sandy's right, I shouldn't have tried to run. It's my fault I'm here."

"It's not your fault," Molly sighed, reaching out and squeezing his hand, "It's hers, so stop punishing yourself. We'll get you out of here." Upon her comment, Ryan's eyes flicked upwards, searching her face slightly. His thoughts were obvious- how had Molly figured it out? Of course there were a few different explanations. Maybe she had overheard something said by Seth or Sandy, or even one of the lawyers, but deep down, he knew. She had seen Trey.

"What did Trey tell you?" Ryan questioned, his eyes glued to hers.

"He knows you didn't shoot him Ry, I don't know why he's accusing you, but he knows it's a lie," Molly explained, slightly excited, "But what I don't understand is why Marissa isn't being put away for this. It's her fault, she shot him."

"It's not that simple though," Ryan shook his head, just wanting her to get a clue. This was complicated, more complicated that anyone wanted, but that's just the way it was. And they'd all have to deal. "Trey…he screwed up, and we got into a fight about it, and things just escalated quickly. Marissa did what she had to to save my life."

"She shot him in the chest," Molly replied evenly, her face straight and cold, "Not in the leg, not in the arm, in the chest. She was aiming for his heart." Ryan was silent at her response, not knowing what else to say. He had had the very same thought on his mind since May, and still there wasn't a satisfying answer.

"I love her," Ryan sighed softly, glancing towards the window, wishing slightly that he didn't. Of course his entire heart belonged to her, but from time to time, he wondered if things would be easier if it didn't. Maybe life would just be simpler.

---

She was all out of ideas, as well as hope. After seeing Ryan's face, and hearing his declaration of love for Marissa, Molly knew that there was nothing she could do. He was going to take the fall, even if it meant screwing up his entire life. Trash bag in hand, she walked towards the end of the driveway, throwing it into the bin before recovering it. The sun was already starting to set, and a soft warm breeze had replaced the heat. Headlights shone in her direction, forcing her to cover her eyes and squint towards the car. The Range Rover pulled up into the driveway, and before the ignition was even turned off, she could hear Seth's voice.

"He's out," Seth called out of the open window, "Get in." Beaming, Molly bounded towards the car, throwing the passenger side door open. Her eyes were twinkling, and she couldn't hide her giddiness.

"Are you serious? What happened? Where is he?" It all came out in one ragged breath, as she eagerly buckled her seatbelt.

"Yep, we hatched a plan and got Trey to sign a deposition saying that it was Marissa who shot him," Seth explained, pulling right back out of the driveway, "But before you thank me, it's Marissa who made the plan a success."

"What?" Molly blinked, growing confused. Why would Marissa risk her reputation for Ryan? That was something honorable, brave, considerate…a few words Molly didn't associate with the lanky young woman. But maybe this just showed that sometimes, you shouldn't rely on first judgments.

Her eyes brimmed with tears, even though she had promised herself she wouldn't cry. However, as the bus pulled away, she could no longer stop the sobs from crawling up her throat, and before she knew it, the tears were running freely.

"It's gonna be okay, Mol, it's gonna be okay," Ryan repeated to her, as he wrapped his right arm aroun her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Even though this usually would have comported her, the sentiment didn't do much, just kept her from walking away. All she could see were tail lights...for what felt like the millionth time in her life.

It's all I ever see anymore
But the day was so bright in the pictures
In the photo album that you gave me
It's all I have to live for

I'm falling down
I'm falling down
And you're not there to break my fall
I shut my eyes when you're around
I hold my breath to kill the sound
I'm falling down
I'm falling down
And you're not here to catch my fall
I shut my eyes when you're around
I hold my breath to kill the sound
I'm falling down
I'm falling down
And you're not here to catch my fall

A/N: Kinda blocky, I know, but I had to get the events out of the first episode covered, so it's not really my best work. Sorry about that! Thanks for all the reviews, and please continue sending them!