Hi all…thanks so much for the reviews I got…it keeps me going knowing that people are going to be reading it. Well, one down, 11 to go!

Disclaimer: I still don't anything except the plot lines. Sorry!

The Apology Song

"5 Songs"

February 1997:

"Seth! Seth! Comere' quick!" A shrill voice called.

"What Mom? What could possibly be so import…oh my god! Where is it!"

There was an empty place in the row of surfboards on the back wall of the pool house.

I'm really sorry, Steven, but your bicycle's been stolen.

I was watching it for you 'til you came back in the fall.

I guess I didn't do such a good job after all.

"This was one of his extra ones right? One he didn't care about?" came out of Kirsten's mouth frantically.

"Yeah Mom, if by extra you mean favorite and one he uses every day, that's the one."

"Oh my god…he's gonna kill me…" she murmured.

"Mom, you never know, he might take it better than you think he will."

"Are we talking about the same Sandy Cohen? The one that gets paranoid when you get close to the boards, and you don't hate surfing. I on the other hand, he will think that I stole it to keep him from surfing." She was still talking incredibly fast.

"Well, maybe you can replace it."

"What?"

"Buy him a new one, you know. That way, if he does notice that it's not the right board, he'll at least know you didn't do it…or did you?"

"Seth…you know better than that…"

"I know, good mother, but if you are going to follow my advice, you had better hurry, he'll be home soon."

She looked at her son, who was calmly eating an apple, and then looked back inside, wondering where the phone book was.

I was feeling really sorry, Steven, and I spent all morning grieving.

And everybody's saying that you'll take the news gracefully.

Somehow, I don't think I'll be getting off that easily.

Kirsten poured through the yellow pages searching for a surf shop in the area. How hard could it be right, after all, this is Orange County. Finally, she stumbled upon a name that she had heard her husband mention before. Her nimble fingers dialed the number as fast as she could.

"Hello, yes, umm…I'm looking at purchasing a surfboard, today, soon, is do you guys have any?" Pause. "What do you mean not now?" Pause. "It's 4:45 in the afternoon." Pause. "Oh god….no, you don't understand, my husband's favorite board has been stolen and he's going to think I did it!" Pause. "No I did not do it!" Pause. "Well, is there I can come in and…" Longer pause. "Well screw you too buddy!" She slammed the phone down to hear a car door close.

I meant her no harm when I left her unlocked outside the Orange Street Food Farm.

I was just running in, didn't think I'd be that long.

I came back, she was gone and all that was there was some bored old dog, leashed up to the place where your bicycle had been.

I guess we'll never see poor Madelline again.

"Hate to ditch you in a moment of crisis mother, but I'm outta here for this," Seth spoke as making his way to his room.

Kirsten glared at her only son.

Sandy walked in the door to see his wife scowling at their son.

"Now what did he do?"

"He disappeared on me," she said hinting at the double meaning and loud enough for Seth to hear.

"Well honey, I hate to tell you, but I think I'm going to disappear on you too. There are some huge waves coming in in about 10 minutes and I've got to get there to catch them," he said heading to the pool house.

"No!" she exclaimed catching up to him.

"What?"

She quickly realized what she had done, and she had to distract him.

"Sandy," she drawled walking over to him and slowly undoing his tie. "Don't you want to stay home with me?" She had his tie off and was centimeters away from his face.

He moaned. "Hold this thought for about two hours."

Panic. "I…I don't think I can wait that long." Lie.

He moaned again, contemplating. "Do it for me honey…two hours, I promise."

He snaked out of her arms and turned around and walked to the kitchen towards the pool house. He could see the space.

"Kirsten…"

"I'm so sorry honey. It was gone when I came home. I swear on everything holy that I did nothing to it."

Let this be consolation, Steven, that all the while you were in England, I treated her with care and respect and gave her lots of love, and I was usually pretty good 'bout locking her up.

Where has she gone?

Well, I bet she's on the bottom of the French Town Pond, rudely abused on some hasher's joy ride.

So I wrote you this song in the hopes that you'd forgive me even though it was wrong, being so careless with a thing so great and taking your poor Madeline away.

She was fearful by this time, afraid of what he was going to do. He walked over and placed his arms around her neck.

"You swear to your god that you had nothing to do with this?"

She meekly nodded.

"Well, then I forgive you," he said, leaning in to kiss her.

"I'm so sorry Sandy," she whispered while closing the distance between them.

"That's okay," he kissed her. "I was thinking about selling that one anyways."