Hello dear readers. Do I really have to say that I do not own the characters, nor the show? I mean we all know that, right?

So well whatever this story takes places a few years after the second season, but in my version, Alex and Marissa never broke up and their relationship has only grown stronger since then. So yea, read and judge.

- Thanks for still sticking to the story! So overall, its 50 : 50. Some think there's too much drama, others say I should just keep going the way it should go.
- ... Read and see what I chose to do.

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Chapter 16 - Guilty until proven innocent

A week had passed. No matter what Jody tried, Summer refused to give her Marissa's address: " Trust me, she had told her, it's because I care about you". Apparently, according to Summer, Marissa would murder Jody if she had happened to pass by her apartment. Actually, Summer wasn't completely wrong about it. However, Jody had no intention of visiting Marissa. She wanted the address for Alex. Poor Alex. She was a complete mess, and the sad part about it was that she kept denying it. Every night, she would stay in the club until its closing and then head home, sleep, wake up the next day and go through the same routine. Sometimes, she speaks to give orders, rarely, she drinks to forget, but not a single time did Jody see her laugh, or even smile. The fun had left her soul. And it was killing Jody.

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Seth got back in the room with two cups of coffee. Marissa took hers, thanking him, and played the video again. Every single day, they would sit there and analyse the cassette over and over again.

- Pause! Seth said. Here, he said, pointing the screen, rewind two seconds, you see this cup, on the counter? Here... two seconds later, it's gone! Just vanished. Marissa wrote it down in her notebook.

- Good, she said, I think we got enough evidence now. I'm calling Stephen. Seth nodded. While she was dialling the number, he took a walk in the crappy room. This hotel reminded him of the one they crashed in seven years ago, Summer, Marissa, Ryan and himself. It was his debuts with Summer... god she drove him crazy that night! Yet, even back then, they spoke more.

- Yes, Stephen? It's Marissa... I know... It's that bad? No, don't tell her I called. Listen, I have a video tape here, and I've got good reasons to think that someone had made a virtual montage out of random data... It's hard to explain, could you meet me in the hotel? But please, don't give the address to anyone.

When she hung up, Seth was still there, standing.

- You think we can trust him? He asked.

- I lost Alex and Summer, Marissa said. I've got nothing to loose anymore, so frankly, I don't care.

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Stephen got his coat and tried to leave from behind. The band wouldn't be there before 20:00 o'clock, and therefore, he wasn't really needed at this moment. Besides, he really wanted to see Marissa.

- Where are you going? She asked. Stephen stopped. She really wasn't the same anymore. She became so bossy and... annoying!

- Out to lunch, he lied. Alex crossed her arms.

- Get me a pack of players on your way back, she said. And I want you here at 1:00, or else your fired! Stephen stared in awe as she left the room then, noticing he didn't have much time, ran to his car. She's crazy enough to fire me, he thought.

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Summer was sitting in her room, watching Seth's sketches of her. She remembered when he was hiding them under his bed, scared of showing them to Zach... and then she found them and he was relieved when she liked it. Smiling, she also remembered Valentine's Day, when he freaked out and screwed all their chances of having a comic book. She felt someone passing her fingers in her hair.

- Seth drew that? Jody asked as she sat close to her. Summer noticed she wasn't jealous at all. She nodded.

- He's good, Jody said. She kissed Summer on the cheek. The shorter brunette laid Jody's arms.

- Hold me, she said. So did Jody.

- Have you told anyone? Summer asked. About us?

- No, Jody replied. I figured you would kill me. Summer smiled.

- We will tell them together. When everything will get back to normal with Marissa and Alex.

- How? Jody asked. Marissa cheated on Alex after a five years long relationship! Alex kicked her out and now, none of us knows where Marissa is, beside you. And then again, she told you to never come back.

- You're wrong, Summer replied. Seth is checking on her. She never cheated on Alex. And they're building up a proof of it.

- They are? Jody asked. Luckily for her, Summer did not see her facial expression at that moment.

- Once they'll be done, Alex will have to admit she was wrong, and take Marissa back.

- If you believe Marissa, Jody asked with confusion, then why is she angry at you?

- It's complicate, Summer replied. Jody nodded. She had more important stuff in mind right now than Marissa's angst problems.

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- I'm glad you came, Marissa said while Seth brought Stephen to the bedroom.

- Oh my god, Marissa, Stephen said. I haven't seen you since...

- I know, Marissa smiled, pulling Stephen in a warm hug. She always loved that guy. So nice and helpful.

- She won't admit, Stephen said, but she needs you badly. Marissa smiled sadly.

- I know, she said. But she won't take me back without your help. Here, take a look at that video. Marissa played it and, everytime there was a bug in the montage, she would stop the cassette and point the bug, with, of course, the assistance of Seth. After only five times, Stephen declared that it was clearly a montage.

- Someone made up a fake video, he said, obviously to break you guys up.

- How can they do that? Marissa asked. I mean, it's so freaky... It looks so real...

- It's clearly have been made by a professional, Stephen replied. You know, technology can go really far... How do you think they make these video games with astonishing graphics'?

- ... What now? Marissa asked. Her mood went drastically up, now that she had the confirmation that she had never cheated on Alex. For a moment, she had started to doubt her own memory. Actually, so did Ryan.

- ... I don't know, Stephen said as he was clearly trying to find some kind of solution. But we could make another montage, you know, to show Alex how ridiculous stuff we can put on a tape with some montage skills.

- Like Seth and Ryan making out? Marissa proposed.

- HEY! Seth objected right away, making Marissa laugh. Stephen looked at her.

- Funny, he said. You're the one who's accused of cheating, you're living in a creepy hotel, you can't even walk properly and yet, you're holding on much better than Alex.

- It's because I know that she loves me, Marissa replied. Alex thinks our relationship was a fraud, and that's what's killing her.

- Marissa, Stephen said, you haven't seen her... It's heartbreaking! Besides, I have to go, she threatened to fire me if I wasn't back in an hour.

- What? Marissa replied. Alex can't fire you! Stephen smiled sadly.

- She's not Alex anymore, he said before closing the door behind him, leaving Seth and Marissa alone again.

- So what's your plan? Seth asked.

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When Stephen got back to Exotica with the pack of Players, Alex was nowhere to be found. Searching in the whole club, he finally found her asleep in the warehouse. Carefully, he woke her up.

- I brought you cigarettes, he said in a soft voice. Alex opened her eyes and, with his help, got up.

- How did I end up here? She asked. Stephen handed her the pack.

- I don't know... maybe you wanted to count the beers and...

- No, Alex said, not here... I mean, in this situation. Stephen looked sadly at her. She was killing herself over a fraud. Whoever did this montage must really hate Alex.

- Since when do you smoke? He asked as she lit up a cigarette. She checked her watch.

- Thirty-two seconds, she answered.

- Can I ask you why? Stephen asked again as he followed her out of the warehouse.

- She used to. Stephen took the cigarette from her hand.

- Right, he answered, and you forced her to stop, you remember why?

- Because every cigarette you smoke reduces one day in your lifetime. That's exactly why I'm smoking! Alex said as she took another cigarette from the pack. Stephen stared at her with disbelief.

- So you're doing this to hurt her? Alex didn't reply; she kept walking.

- Don't you think you hurt her enough by refusing to see her? Stephen screamed after her.

- She's the one who left the house without any note! Alex fired back.

- Because that's what you told her to do! They both stared at each other.

- You're fired, Alex finally said.

- WHAT? Stephen screamed. Alex, you got a show in a few hours, you need a technician...

- I DON'T NEED ANYONE WHO'S ON HER SIDE, NOW GO AWAY. Stephen stayed in awe and, slowly, left the building, regretting his actions. At least now I can help Marissa full time, he though.

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Jody ran into Stephen.

- Where are you going? She asked.

- Home, he replied.

- What? But the band is coming soon, you got to be there...

- Apparently not, Alex just fired me. Jody laughed in a nervous way.

- She did not do that... she said, no, she can't... but a part of her knew that Alex could.

- She did, Stephen assured her. Therefore, this is none of my business anymore. I couldn't stand her anymore anyway. As he was about to leave, Jody caught his arm.

- Wait, she said. Have you heard about what happened between her and Marissa?

- Well yea, Stephen replied. Marissa told me everything this morning. Jody blinked. Too much just happened in her brain. Marissa and Seth working together this morning. Stephen being a computer and electronics' technician, Stephen seeing Marissa this morning... Stephen being fired...

- Are you heading there? Jody asked. I needed to see her anyway, so you know, at least that way we won't use two cars... Stephen looked at her for a moment. There was no way he could see through her act.

- Okay, he said, Sure.

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Alex threw the rest of her cigarettes in the closest garbage. How could Marissa smoke those? Coughing, she served herself a cup of beer and drank it one shot. Now that was something she enjoyed. Good alcohol. Great, the band was there. She went to meet them, still sober. Once they started singing, she took more cups and suddenly wasn't feeling that sober anymore. The club was spinning. Walking through the customers, she reached the bar and sat down for a moment. The music, however, was making her head want to explode. Not supporting it anymore, she left the place, unnoticed by everybody but one person who, realising she was drunk, followed her.

Hardly managing to stay at the right side of the road, she walked through the streets, not really seeing what was happening. She didn't care either. She could even get passed over by a car from all she cares. She felt someone pulling her back on the sidewalk everytime she would get in the street, but she was way too wasted to attribute an identity to the shapes she was seeing. And then she saw him. Blond, midget, with that ugly ass nose. What was Ryan doing in this street, in the middle of the night? Alex didn't care much, but she knew he wasn't going to stay in that street alive much longer.

Ryan was bored as hell. Since he promised Marissa not to, he did not visit her a single time, however, Seth spent all his days with her, leaving him all alone. He obviously couldn't speak to Alex or Jody, and since Summer was practically a stranger to him, he ended up being left out. These streets had become his home. Every night, we would linger there, walking all alone, hoping that everything gets back in order anytime soon. That's when he saw her.

- Alex? He called out, surprised. Her eyes were read and she wasn't walking straight. She was obviously drunk.

- This is all because of you! She screamed. Ryan backed off. There was something about Alex that has always scared him. Maybe it was her absence of fear of the consequences.

- This is a mistake, Ryan assured her. Marissa will find a way to prove it to you... She pulled out a knife. Ryan's eyes went wide.

- Put this back, he said.

- Don't you DARE give me orders, she screamed back, getting closer. Ryan's heart was racing. He could run away, but what kind of a friend will he be, leaving Alex all alone in the streets with a knife, in this drunken state of hers?

- Alex please, he said calmly, don't do anything you could regret...

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Everything was dark. When Alex opened her eyes, she immediately felt her headache and screamed in pain. She heard footsteps and someone handed her a cup of water with two Tylenols. She gladly swallowed the pills.

- Thanks, she said and, recognising the person, she asked him what had happen last night.

- You were tired, Mike answered. So I brought back in your office. Once there, you had a couple of drinks and feel asleep, drunk. That's what you will tell anyone who asks you, okay? Alex did not like the sound of this.

- Why? She asked. Anything happened last night? Mike was about to reply when they heard knockings on the door.

- Stick to my version, he quickly said before opening the doors. Tree policemen stepped in her office. Two men and one woman.

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OMFG MORE DRAMA! I'm sorry, really. I guess I'm a drama lover. Please don't hate me

- Ethereal123