Author's Note: I am sooo sorry it's taken so long to update! I've been busy with school, and it's hard to get in contact with Kerry on msn when we have such a big time difference! But finally, here is chapter three, and I hope you all enjoy it. Chapter four and five is in the works on my side, and me and Kerry need to figure out how much longer we're going to make this! So, disclaimer is in the previous chapter,enjoy, and remember, review!

Unresolved: Chapter three.
Operation: Track Down Trey!

"So..." said Seth with a flummoxed expression as he sat on the chair facing Ryan's bed. He gave a long, deliberate sigh and then began to twiddle his thumbs in a slow, circular motion as if maintaining this composed look would betray the fact that inside his mind was screaming

'Noooooooooooooooooooo!'

"So" said Ryan curtly, having just explained to Seth the whole sordid story. Seth opened his mouth to say something but then he made the startling discovery that for the first time in his life, he had no idea how to approach what he had just been told. He just sat there, his disused mouth bluntly gaping open.

Seth was speechless.

"I guess there's a first for everything" muttered Ryan as he jumped to his feet and grabbed the keys from Seth's limp, open hand.

Ryan slid the pool house door shut behind him as he swiftly made his way to the Range Rover. The movement as the door closed firmly behind him seemed to suddenly snap Seth out of his baffled trance. He quickly jerked his head to the right only to find Ryan on his way to the car.

That's when his speech returned.

He bounced up off the chair before dashing like lightning out of the pool house in a desperate attempt to stop his departing foster brother.

"Ryan! Ryan!" he called urgently.

Ryan had barely got the key into the vehicle when he heard Seth's shrill voice come running up behind him. He closed his eyes and produced a reluctant smile. He didn't want Seth getting involved, but it didn't hurt to know that he had people there for him. Relentless or not.

And Ryan soon found out just how relentless good friends can be when only after a full twenty minutes of consistent arguing was he finally able to drive away.

Along with Seth in the passengers seat of course.

They left a brief note for Sandy and Kirsten (Seth had managed to jot down something about going away for the weekend) and now they were both on their way to Chino to try and find Dawn.

"I hope we can get there before he does" muttered Ryan as the drove out of Newport.

Seth perked up.

"Dude, do you really think this guy's gonna go back to her? I mean her kids were the reason he got put away, it's not like he's planning to come home and play happy families."

Ryan kept his eyes on the road and shook his head, "No, he'll go to her alright" he said, "that guy was like a cockroach, no matter how many times she threw him out, he'd always find a way to get back in."

Seth looked gave an incredulous look, "yeah but I mean seriously, the man has been locked away for eight years, you don't think he's learned his lesson?" "Seth you don't know him okay!" snapped Ryan before biting down on his bottom lip. "Sorry…" said Seth lowering his eyes meekly. Ryan immediately regretted loosing his temper. "No man I'm sorry" he said, "I shouldn't have taken it out on you, it's just…Well…Ray's not your average run-o-the-mill crook. He's a madman, Seth, and he doesn't like to be wronged."

At these words Seth conjured a bewildered look "So you're saying..?" Ryan pursed his lips, he had to be straight with him. "I'm saying that he's sly and he'll go to my mum alright 'cause he knows that's the only way he can reel us in." "You and Trey" finished Seth. Ryan nodded, "And if he's got to my mom already then it won't be long before he gets to Trey."

"But here's what I don't understand," said Seth, looking confused. "If Trey's not in Chino, then how the heck is he gonna know about Ray?" Ryan sighed, Seth really didn't know Ray at all. "Ray'll make sure he does Seth, he'll find a way." "And then what?"

Ryan looked at Seth before turning back to the road and shrugging. "Well if Trey gets there before us then there's no question about it. He's a dead man."

"Wait, what? You didn't mention anything about potential death!" He yelled sceptically, frowning still.

Ryan gave Seth 'the look'.

Seth, now too frantic to devolve, could not let this go. "Dude, I'm sorry but if your brother kills some guy we are not getting into trouble for him again, not after what happened last-"

"Seth!" shouted Ryan, cutting him off his rant before he could go any further, "I'm not talking about Ray getting killed." Seth gave him a quizzical look that forced Ryan to complete the rest of his harrowing statement.

"I'm talking about Trey."

"Dude look out!"

Ryan slammed his foot down hard on the brakes as he almost crashed into the familiar looking Mercedes that had just pulled out before them. Summer Roberts, the owner of said Mercedes did the same, before pulling out and swerving round to the side of the Range Rover.

"Careful!" she yelled as she and Marissa climbed out the car and walked up to the boys' windows.

"Isn't it a bit early to be going off on some 'adventure'?" joked Marissa, squinting her eyes in the early morning sun. Summer pulled off her sunglasses "Isn't it a bit early for anything?" she said giving Seth a suspicious look.

"Where are you guys off to in such a rush anyway?" asked Marissa looking rather puzzled. Seth piped up, trying to save Ryan from the embarrassing task of having to divulge his not so pleasant past right then and there. "We were just going to breakfast" Seth said with a smile, feeling quite proud of himself for thinking of such a quick cover up. "Great! We'll join you!" said Summer with an even bigger smile as she saw Seth's fallen reaction. "Sure…" he managed through gritted teeth.

Feeling quite satisfied with herself, Summer skipped back to finish parking her car as Marissa hesitantly got into the back of the Range Rover. Marissa looked at the two unusually quiet males, well…Seth at least.

"What's going on?" Marissa asked. Ryan opened his mouth to speak, but Seth cut him off. "Some psycho is getting out of jail so we need to find Trey so he doesn't get killed." He blurted out.

Ryan glared at Seth, and Seth shrugged helplessly "What? You know what I'm like under pressure" he pleaded. Ryan rolled his eyes just as Marissa's widened "What? You're going alone?"

Ryan sighed, he's been expecting this sort of reaction. "I have Seth…" he muttered. Marissa looked at him sternly "And what if something happens? No offence Seth, but you aren't exactly a martial arts expert." Seth shrugged off the comment with a great sense of indifference, and Marissa continued as Summer got in the car. "You can't go alone, you'll get yourselves into trouble…That's it, me and Summer are coming with." Summer blinked "Wait, what?" she exclaimed, wondering what Marissa had just consented her to.

Everyone paused to look at her. Seth explained what had been said in the past few minutes and Summer nodded wearily, looking at Ryan. "Coop's right, you can't go alone." she said softy, "Cohen wrote Atomic County for a reason, and we should use that. We're a team, just like our comic counter parts, we're in this together and if one of us has a problem then it's all our problems." She said, nodding to Seth, who smiled back at his girlfriend proudly. "Comic book reference, cute Summer…" he turned back to Ryan. Face it man, we can't deny Summer's super motivational vocal ability…" he mused.

"C'mon" said Marissa reaching in from behind to message his shoulders coaxingly, "Pleaassseee…" "We can help you find him faster" offered Summer. "Yeah, four heads are better than…" "Alright!" said Ryan, finally giving in. "But when we do cross paths with Ray, you three are out of there, you hear? You can help me find him if you want but I don't want any of you getting directly involved." He warned, driving down in the direction of Chino, explaining the specifics as they drove.

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A few hours later, the gang had arrived in Chino, and Summer, quite enthralled by the sights, looked around the new landscape with fascination.

"So this is where you grew up huh?" She asked Ryan, who nodded. "It's also where we almost got killed delivering a car during thanksgiving…" Marissa reminded her. Ryan thought back on the memory, and how long ago that event now seemed as he parked the car outside a gas station.

Seth and Summer stayed with the car, as Marissa nipped into the station to see if she could find a toilet to use. Meanwhile Ryan took his time to go into a near by phone booth to see if he could find any information about where his mother was now living.

With a little luck and a great deal of time sifting through the battered Chino phone book, Ryan finally came up with a number for the place where Mrs D. Atwood was supposedly staying at, and so lifted the receiver to make the call. As he did so, his three thoroughly bored friends were busy pacing up and down the side walk beside the car.

Summer approached Marissa with a restless look "I'm so hungry" she said "want to go find somewhere we can eat?" Marissa nodded, it had been a long journey and they'd had nothing to eat all day. "Sure" she answered, motioning to Ryan where they were going. Ryan nodded from inside the phone booth. The diner was only across the street, what harm could it do?

Summer and Marissa walked into the diner, getting a few dire looks in reference to their Newport clothes, and went to a booth. A waitress came over and the girls ordered enough food for them and the guys to takeout, before they began chatting about the situation at hand.

As they waited, two Spanish guys that had been sitting in a booth near them came strolling over, the tallest sporting a confident smirk. "Hey ladies, you two wanna come for a ride wid us?" he asked, trying to act cool infront of his younger friend.

Summer gave them a disgusted look "Ew!" she exclaimed, despite Marissa's warning look. The smaller guy gave a fake pout. "Aw c'mon honey, don't be like that…" he said, trying to sit down next to them.

"Oh, you don't!" Summer said, standing so the guy couldn't sit. Summer was quite a bit shorter then this guy, even with her heels on.

"Lets get this straight, I don't date guys from Chino. I don't even go to Chino, with the exception of today, which I was tricked into. And if you think for one moment that I'd go anywhere with you, you're wrong, bud." The guy opened his mouth to speak, but Summer put her hand up, cutting him off as she continued. "Oh, I'm not done. If you even think of making this day anymore worse then it already is, I'll kick your Chino ass!"

And with that, Summer grabbed the takeout bag from the approaching waitress and handed her the money, pushing past the guys. "C'mon, Coop." she snapped, walking out, Marissa rushing after her, not looking at the stunned guys.

Marissa laughed at Summer once they were on their way to the Range Rover. "I can't believe you did that!" she grinned at her friend. Summer shrugged, smiling. "I was pissed off and needed to yell at someone." She answered, approaching the Range Rover. The two girls' smiles disappeared as they saw Ryan's sullen face.

"What's wrong?" Marissa asked, frowning. Summer looked at Seth, who was silent. Ryan spoke up. "I found mom…The friend she's staying with said she's in pretty bad shape…We have to go there, see if she knows where Trey is…"

The girls nodded, handing out the food as they all got in the car, eating and driving in silence on their way to see Dawn Atwood.

End Chapter Three.

A/N: Ooh! Did anyone enjoy Summer's little rant as much as I enjoyed writing it? It's very Summer-like, isnt it? Ok, so, Chapter four is coming up, so review and i'll try work a little faster for your enjoyment! Ciao!