I totally love this chapter. There is more Ryan and Marissa, and the drama begins. PLEASE review this! I really want to know what you think. Thanks!

xoxo Jules

Chapter 6: "Time out on the running boards"

Marissa shifted from foot to foot.

"Do you think that it is a good idea for us to show up then?" She asked

"It will be fine." Kirsten said trying to put on a nervous smile.

"What if he has company or something?" Marissa asked

"He won't. He got in trouble awhile back for insurance fraud."

"I thought that you said he was a good guy." Marissa said

"He is. He just had a wife that ran him into the hole." Kirsten explained. "Come on, let's go." She said motioning for Marissa to follow her up the stairs to Jimmy's apartment.

Kirsten looked over at Marissa, she could sense that she was nervous.

"It'll be alright." She assured the girl.

Marissa nodded as Kirsten knocked on the door. A couple of seconds a man opened the door. He had a smile on his face, but his eyes betrayed his smile, just as Marissa's did…

"Hi Kirsten!" He said letting her in

"Hi Jimmy." She said as she entered, Marissa following.

"Who may I ask is this lovely lady?" Jimmy said taking a sip of his soda.

"Your daughter." Kirsten said looking him in the eye.

Right then Coke sputtered out from Jimmys mouth landing all over his lap.

"My what?" He asked… "Our baby… I was there with you and your dad when we buried her." He said in disbelief.

"I know. It's crazy. But this is out daughter. Right here in the flesh." Kirsten said smiling

"Marissa…" Jimmy said, his voice an inaudible whisper.

"Um, Hi." She said nervously holding her hand up, and quickly placing it back in her lap.

"Hi." Jimmy said his expression not changing. "So what brought you to town?"

Marissa looked at her feet and shrugged.

"Just passing through." She said simply.

Jimmy nodded still wide-eyed.

"So where did you gro-"

"Chino." Marissa said before he could even finish

"Chino…" Jimmy repeated, "… nice."

There was a long awkward silence.

"Chino…" Jimmy said again. "Does Sandy know?"

"He knows that a girl and some of her friends are staying with us, but other than that no…" Kirsten explained

"You've got to tell him." Jimmy said. "I mean he doesn't even know about Marissa." Jimmy tried to whisper but Marissa could hear. She chuckled to herself.

"Marissa, why don't you go upstairs and watch TV while Kirsten and I talk a little." He said

"Alright." Marissa said nodding.

"First door on the left." Jimmy directed her.

They waited until Marissa was out of earshot before they spoke.

"She got here last night." Kirsten explained

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't the right time."

"But this doesn't make any sense, I thought she was dead!" Jimmy said in a whisper

"Me too but obviously not." Kirsten said with her head in her hands

"I bet that your father had something to do with this."

"You don't think that he would do you?" Kirsten asked, not wanting to believe it.

"I think so."

Marissa looked around the room. On the table next to the bed was a picture of her father… this Jimmy guy, with a little girl… He already had a daughter, what would he want with her.

Marissa spun around quickly when she heard a noise, knocking over the picture.

"Oh shit." She said trying to pick up the pieces of broken glass. She cut her hand in the process.

When she picked up the photo she noticed another one that had been wedged in the frame behind it… on the back it read, "Jimmy and Marissa." Marissa looked in awe at the picture. She was younger in it than she was in the one with Kirsten… Marissa had not seen pictures of herself as a child… or at least before she was adopted. She may have had a couple from after, but that was about it.

Seth, Summer, Ryan, and Raul hung out on the beach.

"So what was Rigo's deal running out like that?" Ryan asked

"His mother. Marissa said so." Raul said blocking the sun with his hand as he watched Summer and Seth play in the water.

"I don't believe it." Ryan confessed.

"Listen. You don't wanna get mixed up in their shit. Rodrigos a good guy, he's just got his problems. We all do. But Rigo's my best friend, and if her calls me, I'll be there."

Jimmy and Kirsten sat in Jimmy's living room

"What are we going to do?" Jimmy asked

"It's not everyday you find out that your child is alive…" Kirsten said looking back at the door where Marissa had just disappeared.

"Do they feed her?" Jimmy asked Kirsten, remembering the girl of skin and bones

"She doesn't eat." Kirsten said. "I tried to get her to this morning. Her brother told me not to bother."

"You mean Seth?"

"No, Raul. Her foster brother. The two are really close. And another thing. She doesn't have her real birthday. She says that she is 17. I guess whoever took her from us didn't give that information." Kirsten explained "She should be 18. Just turned 18, instead of just turned 17..."

Jimmy nodded.

"She was a small child. That would have been an accurate guess at the time. She was so tiny" Jimmy said

"Yeah, now shes a tall skinny bean pole."

"So what do you think we can do about it?" Jimmy asked

"I don't know." Kirsten said

"Do we even still have legal custody of her?" Jimmy wondered.

"I have no idea, and the one person that I could ask can't know." Kirsten said exasperated. "Tomorrow I am going to speak with my father." She said

"Alright, I'll take Marissa." He said

Marissa who was listening through the door rolled her eyes. She was 17 years old. She didn't need a babysitter. But on the bright side if she really was 18 it meant that she could legally buy cigarettes right?

That night Marissa was walking along the beach alone. She was startled when she heard a voice behind her.

"'Rissa." It said. She jumped. "CALM DOWN!" Ryan said grabbing her shoulders.

Her eyes were distant and glazed over. You could see the reflection of a bonfire that was going on down the beach in them… it was literally seeing fire in her eyes.

"What are you doing out here so late?" She asked

"It's cold." Ryan said giving her his jacket.

"I'm fine." Marissa said

"No but-"

"I'm fine." Marissa said again smiling this time as Ryan put his jacket back on.

"Alright."

"So how did it go with the semi-parentals?"

"Alright." Marissa said again "They seem like nice people." She said nodding. "it's just weird."

"What?" Ryan asked as they took a seat on the rock.

"I could have grown up here… Seth would have been my little brother. I would have probably been wearing baby Gucci." She said rolling her eyes. "I would have had a dad, and a real mom." She said a tear coming to her eye. "It's stupid." She said wiping her eye

"I don't think so." Ryan said. "There is nothing wrong with wanting to be happy."

"But what about Abuela and the kids? And Raul!"

"He could stay with you here! And Abuela is going to be alright."

"What about Rodrigo…"

Ryan paused at the question. He and Rigo had never been particularly tight.

"If he loves you, he will be with you." Was all Ryan could say as he followed the girls eyes to the ocean.

"Kirsten Cohen and Jimmy Cooper, my parents." Marissa repeated

Ryan gently laid his hand over her frail one and gave it a light squeeze.

"Jimmy and Kirsten have a child?" Julie whispered from the other side of the rock where she was busy making out with Luke Ward… "Wait until Newport hears this." She said smiling in delight.

Rodrigo walked into a dark warehouse back in chino. His "friend" Victor was waiting.

"What'd you call me like that for?"

"What Newport. Forget where you belong?" He asked shoving Rodrigo against a wall

"I was there with my girl." He said pushing him off of him

"Since when do you choose a bitch over your boys?" Said the man turning around

"What, you still didn't tell me why you called me out here?"

"'Member that drive by last week where we knocked that Juan Miguel bitch for hittin' our corner a week before?"

"Yeah, I was the shooter Victor." Rigo said in a 'No-duh' tone.

"Well we thought you was the only one who made it out. Turns out that blonde guy did too." Victor informed him "Ryan Atwood. We've been looking up stuff on him since you left."

Suddenly Rodrigo realized his connection to Ryan…

"Look, Juan Miguel was the one who shot us up. Why don't we just leave it." Rigo said

"JUAN MIGUEL killed my brother! This Atwood kid's as close to boy blood as he got. I'm gonna do the same thing to him that he did to me."

Rodrigo looked at his feet.

"Look, we all know you've been wanting out of this business. This is your one last task and then you're free. Luis said so."

Luis was Abuelas son, as before stated, the bad seed, that was abusive to all the children, who had a special eye for Marissa, and ever since she came used time alone with her to his advantage… He is also the leader of Rigos gang.

"I don't know if I can do it Victor."

"Look man, the only way that people usually get out is death. You can have your way out just by getting rid of this kid. You can get out Rigo. You ain't like us. You want a real life, you've gotta off this guy. If not, Luis is gonna do it."

Rodrigo paused and thought. If I want to get out of this… be with Marissa, I have to do this. I gotta do it.

"Yeah." Rigo said nodding giving the other man his hand. "I'm in."

DUN DUN DUN