July 9, 2001

Disclaimer: I do not know Ryan Stiles, Drew Carey or any other cast member personally. I have never met any of them. This story is purely fictional. The Drew Carey Show and the characters contained belong to Warner Brothers & AOL Time Warner/ Mohawk Productions. Cherilyn Matthews/Jennifer Nakamoto is a character that I have created. I have used the characters/settings (i.e.: The Warsaw) from the Drew Carey Show (without permission) to write my first fan fiction. If you have any problems or would like to use her in one of your stories, please email me first @ tweety@hi.net. Mahalo Nui Loa. Thank You Very Much. The Fiction Starts Now…

Author’s Note: Whoa, Nelly! It’s been a long time since I released a part of the story. I’m sorry for that folks, you see I’ve been getting ready for two separate trips and it’s really hectic! I just finished this one today. Happy Reading! BTW, at the end, the plot takes an interesting twist. Look out for that! *g*

**4:14 P.M.; Cher’s Dressing Room – Jamie and Cher were talking alone.**

"Cher! What was that out there with Ryan?" Jamie asked excitedly.

"That was staged and scripted." Cher tried to cover her smile.

"Yeah, right. Uh-huh." Jamie was not convinced. "The kisses lasted way longer than they were supposed to, and you guys were just something else tonight. Come on girl, what was it like? Spill the beans."

Laughing, Cher said, "It was heavenly." She sighed with a dazed look on her face. "The kisses were staged and scripted, but I guess we couldn’t help but to give in to our feelings for each other."

"How would you know if Ry has feelings for you?"

"For one thing, he kissed me back! That was an obvious sign, wouldn’t you agree?" Cher went into the restroom and changed into khaki capris and a camouflage print baby tee. She slipped on a pair of sliver hoop earrings as well as a pair of tan Sketchers sneakers.

Five minutes later, Cher emerged from the restroom like she was on cloud nine. "Jamie, I’m almost ready to go…let me fix my makeup and clean-up a bit here. This room looks like a pig sty."

"Let me help, the guys’ll be coming soon."

"That’s okay, I can manage."

"Oh shush, Cherry. I insist." Jamie began to straighten up the messy room while Cher touched up her makeup. She joined in moments later. After about ten minutes, the guest dressing room was nearly spotless.

Cher wiped a droplet of sweat from her brow. "Thanks, Jamie. I owe you one."

"No, I owe you one for introducing me to Colin."

"Let’s call it even then." They both giggled. Jamie twirled a lock of her naturally curly hair around her finger.

Knock, knock. "I bet that’s the guys. Let’s grab our stuff." Jamie opened the door with a grin. She couldn’t wait to see the "Dinoman" again.

It was Ryan and Colin. Kathy, Christa and Craig had gone home to their spouses. Diedrich and Drew were going over some lines in the studio lobby.

Cher could barely look Ryan in the eye. She was crazy to think that it could ever work out between them two. At the end of the week, she’d be out of Ryan’s life and he would forget all about her. She had to face the truth. She knew that she had to get over him, but she couldn’t think about anything but him. His warm breath on her face…he tasted so good. His green eyes looking straight into her soul….

This time, a real tear fell softly down Cher’s cheek. Ryan saw her sitting on the sofa and sat down next to her. He saw the tear and just like on the set, he gently wiped it away with his thumb.

"Cherry, what’s bothering you?" Ryan looked concerned.

"Well, it’s just that…" Cher started to explain her feelings to the man she loved. Soon, she had "opened the flood gates."

Meanwhile, Colin had figured that the two needed to talk things out, so he offered to carry Jamie’s luggage to his car. Jamie sympathetically patted her friend on the shoulder and followed Colin out of the dressing room.

Ryan held Cher close to him. "We’ll just have to make the most of this week. Won’t we Cherry?" He did not want the week to end either. I just met her yesterday, but I think I’m falling for her. He carefully hid his own tears as Cher nodded.

"Come on, Big guy." Cher sniffled. "Let’s go and catch up with them." She grabbed her purse and walked out the door. Ryan followed.

The two strolled hand in hand down the hall and outside the studio. When they reached Colin’s cherry-red Ferrari convertible, they glanced at each other and climbed into the back seat. Jamie sat up front with the driver.

"That was funny when Drew almost called me Cher instead of Jen. I thought I was going to fall onto Christa and Diedrich laughing," Cher said as Colin started the car. The engine purred like a kitten.

"Yeah, that was great, wasn’t it Col?" Ryan asked his best friend.

"Yup."

"Hey, nice ride Colin!" Cher commented.

"Thanks, it was the first car I saved up for." Colin laughed.

After a long pause, Ryan asked, "So, Cher, what’s up with the surprise this week? Can you tell us anything?"

"I know what it is, I know what it is!" Jamie said teasingly. She was proud of herself for knowing the secret that Ryan and Colin were desperately trying to figure out.

Hesitating, Cher said with a smile, "Nnnnooo. I can’t say anything about it. Neither can you, right?" She glanced at Jamie who had turned towards her.

"Right," Jamie answered, feeling slightly guilty. Was giving Colin that hint a mistake?

Colin had parked his car close to the curb of the hotel and popped open his trunk. Being the perfect gentleman Ryan is, he stepped out of the car and opened Cher’s door like Cal had done that same morning. Colin did the same for Jamie and insisted that he take her luggage up to the girls’ room himself.

"Eh, Moochrie!" Ryan chuckled. "What about your car, smart guy?" Colin then turned the color of his car. Ryan took the bags from him as he trudged back to his car. Colin muttered, "Stupid me. What a great way to impress a girl."

Not surprisingly, Jamie walked briskly to catch up with him. She yelled back to Ryan and Cher, who were waiting in the hotel lobby, "Can you watch the bags for a bit please?" Colin was glad to have the company.

"I guess we don’t have a choice, huh?" Ryan turned to Cher and smiled. Finally some time alone. He thought.

"Looks like someone has a little crush." Cher was referring to Jamie who had just caught up to Colin.

As Ryan dropped Jamie’s stuff onto the hotel’s colorful carpet, he said, "Yeah, it looks like someone has…" He looked into Cher’s eyes the same way he had on the set. He was a sucker for brunettes with deep brown eyes.

Cher turned to Ryan and realized that she loved him and he loved her back. She leaned in, he leaned in. Their noses nearly collided, but she moved out of the way at the last second. 3…2…1..Their lips made CONTACT!

With hormones racing, another moment in time was theirs. If there was a god out there, he was definitely smiling upon them. There the two, stood in the hotel lobby, lip-locked in a French kiss. It was the "long lasting, extra flavored" kind of kiss…

"Excuse me, Mr. Kiniski?" A deep voice said.

Ryan pulled away from the kiss first. Why had this guy chosen now to interrupt? That was the perfect kiss. "Yes?" Ryan tried to remain calm.

"You have a phone call, sir."

"Who is it from?"

"A Miss Kate O’Brien. Please sir, she says it’s urgent."

Cher was left in the distance as Ryan made his way to the front desk to answer Christa’s call. What did she want? Why was she talking in character? Cher sighed. It was the best kiss I had had in a long time.

Ryan picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Lew…Ryan? It’s Ka…Christa." Her voice was shaky.

"What’s wrong?" Ryan could sense there was trouble.

Trembling, Christa said, "Diedrich…he’s been stabbed."

Ryan tensed, "Is he…?"

"No, but you gotta come down here, he needs you. We’re at the George Burns Memorial Hospital."

"I’ll be right there, with Colin, okay? Stay calm."

"Bye."

"Bye, Christa." Ryan hung up the phone, weak at the knees. Was Christa really serious? He was stabbed? A sharp pain went through his heart. Diedrich and Ryan were practically brothers. How could this happen now?

Just in time, Colin and Jamie returned from finding the very last parking space in the lot.

Colin immediately saw the look of shock on Ryan’s face. "What’s up, buddy?"

Ryan looked like the life had been sucked out of him. "Diedrich, he’s…he’s been stabbed."

Cher came over and placed her soft hand on Ryan’s shoulder, "Okay, Ry, you and Col go to the hospital. Jamie and I will stay here, okay? But, you gotta promise to call us from the hospital once you find out anything!" Ryan nodded.

Jamie and Cher watched helplessly as the two men walked sadly towards the parking lot.

Cher sighed. "Everything was going absolutely perfect, and now this!"

"Come on, let’s go up to the room. I should get unpacked. Then we can get some dinner…maybe, we’ll temporarily get our minds off this." Jamie picked up her bags.

"Let me help." Cher took the heaviest suitcase and headed towards the main elevator.

Cher had noticed a blinking light on the phone. The phone was on the wooden table between the two double beds in the room. Someone had left a message.

While Jamie started unpacking, Cher called the hotel operator’s machine to retrieve the messages.

The machine said, "Message number one." Then Gail’s voice said, "Hey! I got the ticket today! Flight leaves in the morning. Call me, ASAP!" Beep.

"Message number two." Drew’s panicky voice said, "Cher, or whoever else is there, Diedrich has been stabbed. He’s not dead, but he’s losing blood fast. He had been walking down the street on the way to visit his girlfriend, when some punk stabbed him in the stomach and chest and ran. Fortunately, some passerby had recognized him and called 911. HURRY UP AND GET TO THE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL!" Beep, Beep.

Jamie walked in from the bathroom to where Cher was sitting. Cher was crying a steady stream of salty tears. She had never been so scared in her life. She had been a fan of the Drew Carey Show since it started, and she had loved to watch Diedrich play Ozwald, the kooky roommate of Lewis on television. Now since she actually got to meet him and work with him…she could actually feel the pain rushing through her body. The phone receiver was slightly off the hook, because Cher had slammed it down.

Part Five is now up!!!

*Copyright 2001, Cherilyn W. Gerard. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted without written permission from the author. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.*