Summary: A continuation from the last act. Marissa reads the letter.

Story Notes: Here we have it. The all mighty letter. I do hope you enjoy.

The story title is taken from the song "Forevermore" by David Ryan Harris. You can Google for the lyrics.

Disclaimer: Still don't own me some O.C. I did think about buying a parcel of land, then I would own me some O.C., but the property and land values are through the roof. Guess I'm stuck in my apartment writing this fan fic for a little while longer. sigh

Feedback Notes: Thanks for the feedback. Please continue. Your feedback inspires me to update more frequently. Or in other words, stop working on my General Hospital fan fic and get my ass in gear for wrapping this one up. : ) In case you are wondering, my other excuse for not updating till now was that I was redesigning my Seth/Marissa fanlisting and fan site. It's complete so here I return to my writing.

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Marissa was sitting upright in her bed when she heard the noise. Crash! CRRRGRR! She tried her best to ignore the intruding sounds. Then they went silent, for the moment. She was pleased, well at least less annoyed.

She had finally torn open the envelope that held Seth's letter. Her eyes focused on the first words. She sat back in her bed and readjusted her body so she was fully comfortable. Then she went for the read.

The Letter Start

Coop, Hey, can I call you Coop? No, ok, Marissa. My Dar… My, My…

Ok, enough with the formalities. Who needs formalities anyway?

Well you're probably wondering why I wrote you a letter. I mean I don't do letters too often. Well, there was that one to Summer. And I was running away then too, but anyway. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going, to this thing. This art workshop. Maybe work on my sketches. I'll be back before school starts. No impromptu visits to Luke this time. And besides, he still shaves his chest even though he's not on a water polo team anymore. That kind of concerns me.

But yeah, so, I'll be back when school starts and when I return we can just forget everything that happened between us. Probably best right? I mean with Ryan and Summer and Ryan. Why did you call out his name again? Right, never mind. My point is I really like you. There I'm saying it. I like you Marissa Cooper. Insert world imploding here. And yeah I like our friendship, but, but. You, you made me feel alive. You made me feel it was ok to be Seth. Damm it Marissa I wanted to kiss you that night in the Office Park. How lame is that? How lame is it that I wanted to kiss a Cooper in an office park? It was always suppose to be the Ironist and Little Miss Vixen. Why can't things just go the way I plan them? Ok, yeah I'm sounding like a selfish prick. Not good Cohen. Not good. Wait, am I writing to myself in a letter to you? God I am a selfish prick. I'll have to work on that.

Ok, I've totally said way too much. I'm scared of your reaction. That's really why I wrote you a letter. But I should get real here. I don't want to go. I never wanted to go. At some point I realized I just wanted to spend my entire summer hanging with you. And then, and then I had to go and fall for you. I had to turn all mush when you touched my hand or smiled, or just about did anything short of picking your noise. (Don't think I didn't catch that one). So yeah, I'm going to miss you. I'm not really sure how Captain Oats and me will get by without you. No, not forgetting Shear Bear. Although I still contest she sexual molested Oats. But anyway, this is just how it has to be right? I mean that's how you want it right? You never really gave me reason to see this all through. Kind of pointless asking all these questions when I'm not there to hear your response.

So go have some fun before school starts. Go hang with Ryan or whatever. Go find a nicer pool guy. I don't know. Just be happy and stay safe. Ok that sounded stupid. Just do whatever you can to get back to where we started from. Because this senior year is not our time. It will never be our time. And being close friends, hanging out friends? Yeah, well, not really in the cards. Not now.

Love,

Seth

AKA The Other White Knight

The Letter End

Her thoughts raced. But the noises made by sweaty, middle-aged, construction workers had returned. Loud bangs, the breaking of concrete, it was just all too much.

"How long are these damm renovations my mother wanted going to take anyway," She muttered under her breath.

Marissa quickly turned to her side and picked up her stereo remote from off the edge of her bed. She hoped that what ever CD was in her player it would be loud and angry. But it wasn't what she was hoping for. She had forgotten that she had been giving the new Coldplay a try. She hit the random button on the remote and prayed for some song to come out of the speakers that would take away from the outside noise.

She had clung to every word in the letter. Marissa was in utter shock of the things he said and the choices he made. On her behalf, he basically decided to call the shots and end their summer long friendship all in the name of Ryan and Summer? She didn't quiet buy into that being his only reason. He was nothing more than a coward.

But he was A loveable coward, one that she desperately wanted to pull right in front of her and shake. Put some sense into the boy for running when all she really wanted was for him stay and yes maybe contemplate being with her. Above all else she didn't want him to just bale on their friendship. Not now; not at the start of their senior year when they'd need each other the most.

She secretly sympathized with his fears and she felt his pain. After all she was the one who uttered the word Ryan just before Seth was moving in to claim his romantic conquest, to claim Marissa in a kiss.

Her stomach twisted in a knot as she wondered if she could of solved this just by coming to him sooner or just accepting his lips. But she was too unsure of herself. And she never wanted to lead him on. If she didn't know what she was feeling, if she wasn't sure whether she could give herself to him in that way, then she wasn't going to kiss him.

They're only so many leaps of faith she could take. Taking Ryan as her partner for the Debutantes Ball, that was one. Telling her mother to fuck-off after she found out she had slept with her ex-boyfriend Luke was another. And then there was the time where she broke up with Ryan. She had made the big leap of faith to try life without him and selfishly allowed Ryan to put his child first. It was just her and her friends. Summer, Seth, and oh yeah Seth. That wasn't a part of her original equation. It wasn't how she assumed it would go. She never expected to meet up with Seth that day on the docks.

But she did, and now she couldn't have imagined it any other way. He unselfishly listened to her. They were each other's sounding board. It was a comfort, the kind of comfort she wanted to be with her, her whole life. It made her feel safe and appreciated.

She brought the letter down and clenched Shear Bear in her arms. She turned on her back and sighed. She stared at the ceiling. She felt her stomach continue to turn. But what could she do at this point? Seth was gone and he likely wouldn't be back till just days before school started again. And then what? Marissa had no clue. If this was how Seth was going to deal with things then she didn't owe him much of anything.

Marissa was suddenly pulled from her somber thoughts when she heard a not so distant crash. By the resounding echo it made through the hallway and her walls she knew it wasn't just the construction workers.

Marissa jumped from her bed and brought herself to her door only to hear more cluttered noise.

"What the hell?"

She was too curious. She had to check what all the ruckus was about. She turned her hand on the doorknob and peered through the opening door. She quickly turned back gasped. There in her view was a familiar face. And this person was looking for a quick exit. Anything to make it out before Marissa would see him.

TO BE CONTINUED …