Disclaimer: I don't own it because I am not Josh Schwartz.

A/N: I leave Monday. And this isn't the last part. But I'm really, really, gonna try writing the last part some time tomorrow and posting it before I leave. I honestly really want to try and do that for all of my readers because I feel I owe that to you all for being so awesome. But again – don't hate me if I don't. If it doesn't happen, I promise I'll find some other way to post the last part within the next month.

Anyway – read, enjoy!, and review please! (Not gonna lie – reviews would definitely encourage me to get it done before I leave!)

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"Leilah!" Summer shouted from the kitchen, straining her voice as she kept her eyes glued to the coffee she was pouring into her mug. "Time to come down for breakfast!"

To say the very least, it had been hard for Summer since Seth had been gone. Even though it had only been about two weeks, she was starting to go stir crazy. Not only was raising a five-year old daughter by herself hard (especially without the aid of Ryan or Taylor who normally would help out when Seth was really away on business, but couldn't this time on account of them being on their honeymoon), but just being away from Seth was difficult. Regardless of all their fighting, he was still her best friend and had been for the past decade so their break where they weren't speaking to each other (except for the few short moments when he'd call to say goodnight to Leilah and she would answer) was horrible.

Summer soon discovered that she wasn't ready to let go of Seth and that she didn't want them to give up on each other. It was true that she hadn't really been happy with him lately but that didn't necessarily mean she never would be happy with him again. And just because they argued a lot didn't mean she didn't love him. Every inch of her mind, body, and soul loved him in his entirety. And the more she thought about it, the more she felt that the reason she argued with him so much was because she was getting frustrated with the lack of discussion concerning marriage – and additionally, the lack of any intense physical connection with him in way too long. Summer was just starting to realize that it wasn't Seth that was making her unhappy, it was Seth's seemingly absence of love towards her that was. But if he still loved her like he told her he did just a few weeks ago, why couldn't they work things out?

All in all, Summer just wanted her Cohen back. And two weeks was about up and her mind couldn't stop thinking about having him back in Newport again.

"Mommy!" Leilah raced down the stairs and into the kitchen, still in her button-up pony pajamas, grasping Summer's cell phone in her hands, "The phone rang when you were down here making breakfast and I answered and it was daddy!"

Summer didn't have time to react to Leilah's statement before she was being forced to take the phone from her daughter's hands, "He wants to talk to you. He says he gonna come home today!"

"Seth?" Summer questioned as Leilah jumped into her seat at the kitchen table to begin eating her cereal.

Seth groaned before speaking. "I said I might be coming back today. She doesn't really listen well."

Summer smiled after hearing his voice. "Yeah, it's something we need to work on." Summer paused, waiting to see if he'd reply and taking a few moments to walk out of earshot of Leilah. After a few moments, Seth hadn't said anything and she was out of the kitchen so she continued on, "So you're thinking about coming home today?"

"Maybe… is that okay?"

"Seth, it's your home too. Of course it's okay."

"Well, I know. I just wanted to ask… so you're good with it?"

"I really want you back here, Seth. And Leilah does too."

"Yeah?" Summer could hear the smile in his voice.

"Yeah," Summer replied happily, "I really miss you. This break was good and all because it made me realize certain things but it was bad too because you're eight hours away so I couldn't tell you all about them."

"You can tell me now if you want."

Summer knew Seth was anxious to know what was on her mind but she wanted to see him. She wanted to be able feel his skin, look into his eyes, let her heart melt at his smile. She wanted to fall in love with him all over again as she told him all her eager thoughts and she couldn't do that over the phone. She needed to wait. She had been waiting already so taking a few more hours couldn't hurt.

"No," Summer told him. "I need you here. When you're here we can talk."

"All right…" Seth spoke slowly, dragging the words out. "But can you tell me this? Good or bad?"

Summer grinned into the phone. "Good. So, so good."

Seth didn't reply at first and Summer knew he was grinning as well. "Great. I'm going to the airport now."

"Good."

"Good. I'll talk to you later, Summer."

Summer was about to hang up before she had one last instinct to tell him one more thing. "Seth?"

"Yeah, Sum?" He sounded a little out of breath. Summer knew he was already racing around gathering his things.

"You're my best friend. My best, best, best friend. I could never lose that, you know."

Seth seemingly caught his breath, replying back to her. "Is that still a good thing?"

Summer knew Seth was confused, but she just needed to say it. "Of course it is. I love you."

"I love you, too," Seth replied happily, "I'm gonna hang up now so I can race to the airport and catch the first plane back to Newport."

"Okay."

"Love you, best friend," Seth told her right before hanging up his phone and ending their call.

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"Seriously, what plane did he take? One with a layover in Japan?" Summer ranted into her cell phone to her best friend and coworker, Natalie.

Natalie laughed a little into the phone, trying to humor Summer. "No, probably just one with a layover in Seattle. Airlines always do weird things like that."

Summer had talked to Seth earlier that morning at breakfast and now – nearly 10 hours later – still hadn't heard from him. She knew, from previous experience, that the flight from Berkeley/Oakland to Orange County took only a few short hours and that planes flew between those two airports on a constant basis. So what was taking him so long to get home?

"Do you think I'm just really anxious and getting angry over nothing?" Summer sighed.

"I think you really miss Seth and I think you should be happy that you realized that and that you two can both go back to being that sickening cute couple we all know and love," Natalie told her best friend. "And other than that I don't think you should be anxious or angry over anything."

"Right. Gosh, Nat, you're right," Summer nodded her head, trying to convince herself. "Well, I have to go pick Leilah up from her dance lessons. I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Sure," Natalie told her. "Have fun tonight."

"Bye," Summer smiled into the phone, grabbing her keys and purse from the kitchen counter, shutting her phone, walking out of the door and ridding herself of her concerned thoughts.

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"Mommy!" Leilah ran up to her mother in her light pink outfit with her dark hair up in a tight bun.

Summer opened her arms, letting her little girl fall into her. "Hey, Lei. How was dance?"

"Awesome! We learned some point things. I had a hard time but my teacher helped me and told me I should practice when I get home," Leilah told her, then looked around briefly. "Where's daddy?"

"He's not home yet, sweetie," Summer replied.

Leilah's smile faded. "But he said he was coming home today. I miss him."

"Me too, but he should be here soon. Don't worry," Summer smiled, trying to comfort Leilah. "Hopefully, he'll be there when we get home. So go change because the faster we get going the faster we'll get to see daddy!" Summer pushed her daughter lightly back towards the dressing rooms.

Summer stood up to her height, smiling at the other parents surrounding her. A few were gathered to the left of her and she turned to say hello. As she did, she overheard them speaking of a plane crash and before she had any chance to ask them questions about it or include herself in the conversation, her phone began ringing. Thinking it was Seth, she grabbed for it immediately but took notice that it was instead Natalie.

Summer answered the phone apprehensively, turning away from the parents. "Hello?"

"Hey," Natalie replied, gingerly. "What are you doing?"

"I told you I picking Leilah up from dance," Summer told her, noting the tone of her friend's voice. "Why? What's up?"

"Have you heard from Seth yet?" Natalie inquired.

"Not since this morning, you know that." Summer laughed lightly into the phone. "We just talked about this, like, fifteen minutes ago. Wow, your memory is already starting to go, huh?"

Natalie didn't seem fazed by Summer's joke at all. "How about I come down there? To the dance studio?"

"What?" Summer asked incredulously. "What for?"

"I just think it would be a good idea if you didn't drive right now," Natalie spoke calmly to her. "I'm in my car right now and I'll be there in five minutes."

"What are you talking about?" Summer grew agitated. "What is going on, Natalie?"

Natalie sighed. "There was something on the news, Summer. I just saw it a few minutes ago."

"Yeah…" Summer trailed. "And?"

"There was a plane crash on the runway at the John Wayne Airport," Natalie tried to speak calmly, trying to keep her voice from cracking. "The plane was coming in from Oakland."

"What?" Summer asked quietly after a few moments. "Oh my God."

"I mean, there's no guarantee Seth was on that plane but I just thought that since you hadn't heard from him -"

Summer cut Natalie off. "Oh my God!"

"Summer? Hey, Summer, it's gonna be alright, okay? I'm almost there and I'll take you to the hotel where they're asking all family to come so they can find out more answers."

Summer didn't hear Natalie's last statement for she had already fainted in the hallway of the small dance studio.

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Summer woke up with a little girl sobbing on her right and a familiar face in a sea of unfamiliars to her left.

"Summer?" Natalie brushed her hair away from her face. "Are you okay? Do you need a drink or anything?"

Summer felt a piece of wet cloth on her forehead and then shook her head, glancing to her little girl crying on her right arm, sitting up. "Leilah, hey, it's okay."

Leilah looked up with tear-stained eyes and bright red cheeks. "Mommy, you weren't alive!"

"I was alive, honey," Summer soothed her daughter, "I just passed out. But nothing's wrong with me. I'm okay."

"Why did you pass out?" Leilah hiccupped her way through the sentence, trying to gain control of her crying.

Summer ran hand up and down Leilah's arm for comfort. "Sometimes it just happens, Lei. I think I'm just tired." Summer looked to Natalie, asking for help with her eyes.

"How about we go to my house for a little while, Leilah? I have tons of movies and ice cream!" Natalie told Leilah but Leilah just shook her head, refusing.

"No, I want to go home with mommy so we can see daddy."

Summer spoke up once again. "I need to go get your daddy. And once I get him I'll come pick you up at Natalie's. Okay?"

"No!" Leilah shouted. "I want to go with you and see daddy!"

"Your mommy needs to go get your daddy. It's a grown-ups only place," Natalie tried to help but Leilah still refused, this time returning to her crying.

In the midst of Leilah's temper-tantrum, Summer had managed to stand up and spoke to Natalie. "I hate doing this to you but can you please take her? I know she's in a bad state right now but I really need to get to this hotel. Which hotel is it?"

"Summer, I can take you and wait with you. We'll just drop Leilah off with Garrett and go to the hotel," Natalie tried to reason with Summer.

"No, my car's here and I'm gonna go and I'm gonna find out where he is."

Natalie followed Summer, who by now had already picked up a crying Leilah and was walking out the door with her. "Summer, you just fainted. You don't know where your boyfriend is – if he's all right. You need me there."

"Seth is okay. I know he is. He has to be," Summer stopped and whimpered briefly, then quickly gaining composure, handed Leilah off to Natalie. "And I can do this on my own. I need you to be there for Leilah right now. Please, just tell me where the hotel is."

"I don't want you to get hurt too."

Summer flinched at her statement. She didn't want her to get hurt too. Plural. As in more than one person was hurt. As in Seth was hurt already. "I won't. Where's the hotel, Natalie?"

Natalie sighed, giving in. "The Four Seasons on Bridge Street."

"Thanks," Summer took a deep breath, leaning in closely to Leilah. "Leilah, Leilah, listen to me. Listen to mommy." Leilah stopped her crying only ever so slightly to listen to her mother. "I'll be back soon. Please be good for Natalie." Leilah's cries only seemed to intensify at this as she grabbed for her mother.

Summer walked away, out of her daughter's grasp, toward her car. "I'm sorry, Natalie."

"Don't be," Natalie tried to shift Leilah in her arms. "Just go get Seth."

And with that, Summer got into her dark blue Hybrid and drove off towards the Four Seasons in an unfathomable daze.

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The hotel was crowded with cars of all types and news trucks. Summer could barely find a parking spot within a mile radius. She walked hesitantly into the loud hotel lobby looking for someone to question but couldn't help but notice all of the sobbing bodies flooding the area. She yelled at herself silently to stay on task, searching once again for someone with answers.

"Hi," Summer reached a tall, policeman with a clipboard. "Hi, I'm trying to find out if someone was on the plane."

"Are you looking for a family member?" The man asked. Summer didn't hesitate nodding her head yes. The man nodded in response, pointing to another man across the lobby at a counter. "Over there – he has a list of who was on the plane."

"Thank you," Summer replied as she darted in the direction of the other man in uniform. "Hi," Summer reached him, "I was told to come to you to find out if someone was on the plane?"

"Yes," the man looked down to his papers with a pen in hand. "What's the name?"

"Seth Cohen? C-o-h-e-n," Summer spelled out for him.

The man searched through his papers, leaning down on the counter. He looked up to Summer's eyes after the third page, pointing his pen to the paper. "Cohen, Seth E. Is that him?"

Summer's eyes' watered; tears threatening to fall at the verbal confirmation that Seth was on a plane that crashed. "Seth Ezekiel. Yes, that's him."

The man smiled sadly, putting his hand on Summer's shoulder. "The people at the front desk will be able to give you more answers. I'm sorry you have to go through this."

At this, Summer fell into hysterical sobs, falling to the floor. Not too many others around her noticed, since they were already in their own fits of hysterics, but the man tried to help her up and calm her down. "Hey, hey – no deaths have been confirmed yet. Just stay calm for the time being – it's the best you could possibly do for yourself and others in a situation like this."

Summer tried to stop her sobs, but couldn't calm herself down enough to walk over to the front desk so the man helped carry her over. He spoke a few words to the people in charge at the front desk and then turned to Summer, gripping tightly onto her shoulders. "Hey, miss, these people just need to see some identification. Something to prove you're related Mr. Cohen."

"He's my boyfriend," Summer whimpered.

"Boyfriend?" A woman from behind the desk eyed Summer. "I'm sorry but we can only give information out to family members."

Summer turned to look at her incredulously. "He's the father of my child! My Leilah!" Summer reached into her purse frantically, gripping her wallet and opening it to reveal a picture of her, Seth, and Leilah that was taken the previous November for Christmas cards. "Here's a picture of us! Him, me, and our five-year old daughter, Leilah Rose. We're not married by law but I've been in love with him since I was sixteen. He's everything to me. Please help me. I need to know something."

The woman tried to continue abiding by the rules but the man who had helped Summer over to the front desk spoke up. "Leslie, this isn't the time to stick strictly to the rule book. Sometimes you just have use your own judgment."

The woman sighed, agreeing. "What's the name?"

"Seth Ezekiel Cohen. C-o-h-e-n," Summer repeated for the second time that day, smiling gratefully at the man.

The woman typed on her laptop, searching the names. "Seat 39B. That's in the far back of the plane."

"So?" Summer sniffled, trying to compose herself.

"So," the woman continued, "we've only been told that there were deaths in the seats that were located near the front of the plane. That's not saying that everyone else seating elsewhere is fine, or that everyone in the front of the plane was killed, I'm just telling you all the information we have right now."

"So he could be all right?" Summer tried to smile. "He could still be alive?"

"Yes, he most definitely could still be alive," the woman provided, "but that doesn't mean he still isn't hurt. We won't know more information for another hour or so."

"Yes, of course," Summer smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

"If you want to just have a seat in the banquet hall, we'll notify you of any new information," the woman told Summer, handing her a slip of paper. "Show this to the doorman when you enter the hall."

Summer took the slip appreciatively, thanked the man who had helped her over to the front desk, and walked toward the banquet hall, wishing desperately for good news within the next few hours.

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A/N: I've never been a situation like this before so excuse me if this isn't exactly how things would pan out in real life.

And I don't think this was my finest bit of writing but with a topic like this and a stressful life I'm in right now, that's a bit excusable, right?