I think I'm going to say this as long as reviews keep coming in...THANK YOU!

Panz, see? I took a day off. ;-)

and to 21 days till my birthday, if you're Lord Tim, say aye. If you don't know what I'm talking about, well, just so you know it's 10 days to my birthday. :-)

This is chapter five...enjoy.

Disclaimer : I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS...

In a dark, secluded alley somewhere in Orange County two figures seemed to be negotiating on something rather secretive. There was a moment of silence between them - the shorter man seemed a little nervous, while the slightly taller one was very cool and calm - not to mention annoyed too. It wasn't long until the taller one started to speak,

"From this point onwards you have not seen or heard of me. WE have NEVER met."

The taller man was handing over a rather thick envelope to the other guy, whose hands were trembling more and more by the minute.

"N-n-not a word, sir..." said the shorter man in a low, hurried voice. By now he was sweating profusely, with each bead of sweat showing his nervousness. By then the taller man couldn't stand it anymore.

"Oh for goodness' sakes take this and wipe yourself! You're going to dirty the envelope!"

He took out his handkerchief and handed it over to the perspiring man, who accepted it immediately. Before he could say thank you, the taller man was gone.

A grin came over his face as he walked off the opposite way.

What Ryan saw was something that usually happens around the neighbourhood.

But not at his house.

...not at his house.

Could it be A.J.? Or was it Dawn?

The sight of the ambulance in front of his house made Ryan sick. With the whole neighbourhood crowding around, this definitely wasn't just a broken bone or a deep cut.

"It was a gunshot."

He heard someone say. Ryan glanced to his left and saw two kids talking to one another. Apparently one knew about the incident a little bit more and was telling his friend about it. Ryan felt his head spinning, and the next thing he knew, he was barging into the scene, pushing away officers who were stopping him.

"It's MY HOUSE!" Ryan yelled as he barged his way through. There was only one thing in his mind then, 'Please, not Dawn' was all he could think. As he made all the way to the stretcher where they had placed the victim he noticed the white sheet over the victim's face - which only meant one thing - the victim is dead.

"Hey, hey son, you're not supposed to be here." Someone was shoving him away, apparently the police had arrived, just in time to clear away the crowd.

"What's the prognosis?" asked an officer to the paramedics.

"Three shots, one in the abdomen while two right on the chest. Time of death will be confirmed after tests." By then the paramedic was about to lift the stretcher into the vehicle. Ryan tore his way through ("Hey!" was all the officer managed to say) and lifted the sheet off the victim's face.

It couldn't be.

Dawn.

Dead.

Ryan felt as though he was struck by lightning.

"No...no...Dawn? Mom? Please...answer me...damn...Dawn...Dawn wake up..." Ryan was shaking Dawn, hoping she would return. He knew she wasn't going to wake up and say hello but he didn't want to believe it.

"You know the victim?" the officer started to question Ryan.

'How ridiculous is this guy? Didn't I just called her "mom"?' Ryan didn't care, he continued with his hopeless attempts just to be dissapointed again and again.

"Excuse me son? I asked you a question."

The officer was being really annoying, and Ryan couldn't stand it anymore. With one swift he punched the officer right on his jaw as he fell back, and yelled, "THAT'S MY MOM GODDAMN IT! NOW JUST MOVE YOUR GODDAMN ASS AWAY!"

Ryan returned to Dawn and the paramedics gave him a pat on the shoulder and told him softly, "I'm sorry, but she's gone now. She's not going to wake up." Ryan looked up to that lady, as he felt heat in his eyes coming from the warmth of tears and she continued, "I'm sorry. But you can spend a minute with her here if you want. Uninterrupted." She gave Ryan a reassuring look - but that wasn't what he need. He wanted Dawn back - regardless on how much they disagree with each other, she wanted her back. She wasn't that bad of a mother, despite her constant alcohol intake she managed to bring him and his brother up. Ryan was holding back his tears, eventhough he really wanted to let it all out - but he couldn't. He hugged Dawn tightly, something he had never done before, only that she couldn't hug him back. When he started to get hold of reality, he let her go. He looked at the paramedic and gave her a look telling her he was done. She looked back at him sympathetically and gave him a pat on the shoulder before ushering Dawn's body into the van.

"Look, kid." It was the same officer. Ryan turned around and the officer took a step back, weary of his next move. Ryan gave him a sharp look and asked, "What?"

"You're the victim's son? What's your name?"

"Ryan Atwood."

"Where were you last night at about 9pm to 12 midnight?"

"Around. I was kicked out of the house and I spent my time strolling somewhere near the park." Ryan wasn't in the mood to answer questions eventhough he had nothing to do with the crime. He was thinking about Trey and how to tell him about the news.

Looking at his bloodstained shirt the officer asked where he got those stains from. Ryan told him about the encounter he had with A.J. and before the officer could ask him more, Ryan shot a question back at him.

"Where's A.J.?"

Ignoring his question, the officer continued to ask, "Do you have proof of all the events last night?"

By then, Ryan was about to blow and considered another strike towards the officer. As he clenched his fist, someone from behind spoke up.

"I saw him."

Both of them turned to look at the person who spoke up. It was the local gardener of the park. He gave a look to Ryan and continued, "I saw him yesterday night. Badly beaten up, stood near the telephone booth and fell asleep on the bench nearby. I was there because I left some of my tools after work. Had to collect them. If you need further information I'll be glad to help. I know the kids here aren't exactly well-mannered, but Ryan here is a good kid."

Ryan looked at the man with a little bit of gratitude. The officer appeared slightly convinced, but he wasn't going to let Ryan get away so soon.

"I need you to follow me back to the station, to clear certain things about the victim. And I want you to tell me more about A.J."

"Is this a murder case?"

"The weapon was not found in the scene of crime. Obviously the murderer took it along. So yes, this is homicide. I'm sorry son."

Ryan didn't say anything but to follow the officer. He didn't appreciate the officer's lack of empathy but he knew he had no place to go - might as well use the police station as a place to crash for a night, and to get first hand information about his mother's case.

He'd hunt down A.J. later.

He wasn't sad or angry anymore. Everything was happening so fast.

He was just...

...numb.

This weekend sucked.

The weekend, however, was all Kirsten needed. A week with her Prada stolen, a heart-to-heart talk with the person who stole it, lying to her husband, almost lying to her father and a whole new sense of gratefulness within her was just too much. She needed a break.

Sunbathing by the pool with a good book and a sip of cocktail from time to time was all she wanted. Too bad her husband couldn't join her, he was busy handling some case that just cropped up several hours ago. She didn't blame Sandy - she couldn't - it was her punishment for lying to him. Somehow, the fact that he couldn't be there made her feel a little better for once.

She would think of Ryan from time to time and start comparing between him and Seth. She could draw out a chart or a table but she knew the list would be endless. Nevertheless, she loved her son for who he is, although she wished she could do something to help Ryan. From their conversations she could tell that Ryan was a bright boy, but he never had the chance to show himself.

'Ah..I need to get this off my head for awhile...' Kirsten thought. There were probably hundreds of these kids around and it'll be very stressful to think about each and everyone of them. She continued to read her book - to get her mind off the things that has happened the previous week while hoping it wouldn't repeat itself.

Would it?

Just as she was about to doze off from reading, someone walked towards her and planted a kiss on her lips. That kiss was familiar, and she knew who it came from. She opened her eyes to see a bunch of beautiful lilies right in front of her. Sandy knew she disliked roses, so he got her lilies instead.

"You shouldn't be here too long if you don't want to end up like the pot roast Rosa made last week." said Sandy as he brushed her hair off her face.

"What are you doing back home? I thought some housewife needed you to get rid of her husband."

"Yeah, I met up with her and she was no you. I even thought it was the husband who wanted to get rid of her instead."

Kirsten liked his cheeky comments.

"I was thinking it would be nicer to talk in somewhere cooler," Sandy added.

"You do, don't you?" Kirsten replied with a cheeky grin as she followed him into the house.

And at that time she thought she was the world's happiest woman.

Meanwhile, Seth was in the shopping mall looking all over for a shirt similar to the one he spilled soda on. Summer wanted it as soon as the weekend is over, and it seemed like it was nowhere to be found.

As he went into store by store, and getting dissapointed from time to time, he saw two figures of what seemed to be Marissa and Summer. He moved closer but discreetly, not wanting them to be aware of his presence and overheard their conversation,

"You think Seth would be able to find your blouse? I mean, you told him to get you a new one right?"

"Cohen? He'd better. Although it is limited edition, I don't see it being impossible for him to get one. Of course, it won't be easy, which is also why I'm enjoying this."

Seth turned away and walked in the opposite direction, not wanting to bump into them.

This is going to be his longest shopping trip ever.