Father? Figures Chapter 1: Tension, an o.c. fanfic

Ok. This one is angsty. I've thought about this for awhile and decided to try it out.

This is Season 2 and it follows the events up to "The Power of Love". It's AU from there. I don't think I'm gonna include much of the whole Ryan/Lindsey thing (yes I know that it was a big part of those eps, but) I'm keeping the drama strictly to the Cohen plus one clan.

Enjoy.

Keydazy

Father? Figures

Chapter 1

Sandy Cohen lifted himself off the chair in his office, massaging his temples, head still spinning from his 4:00 meeting. He had only started this case a few weeks ago and he was already beginning to feel restless. Who cared if the neighbors bushes were 2 inches over the fence line? Now that he was no longer sorting out Caleb Nichol's mess, he was back to settling high priced law suits for the selfish and spoiled.As the clock hit 6:00, the thought of going home excited him and the man wasted no time escaping from his office. He stifled a groan, pushing documents into random files, not caring where they fell, and lugged his suitcase to the BMW. The light traffic on the ride home proved only to dampen his mood. In an effort to break away from DA hell, he'd forgotten what he was coming home to: An angry wife and two unruly sons.

He gripped the steering wheel tighter.

It's not that he didn't love his wife, it was that his relationship with Kirsten was so … strained. Things just weren't the same after the boys left for the Summer. His wife blamed him for not dragging Seth home or forcing Ryan to stay. She blamed him for the empty house and the quiet dinners.

When his sons came back things finally started to approach normal, but both knew their relationship was far from it. He missed the looks across the table, subtle touches and the passionate kisses that would send their son running from the room. The spirited conversations about work and the kids they once had, was a far cry from polite chatter they used now. All in all, the anniversary party had gone well, but both of them still had to deal with the fact that he, Sandy Cohen, who supposedly loved his wife more than anything, had forgotten the day they were married. They both tried to let it go and move on, and Sandy knew Kirsten was trying, but deep down he could still see the anger and disappointment she felt at having such an inadequate husband.

As for the boys, things were nowhere near as good as last year. Sandy couldn't bare to see his sons go down the wrong path, but he just couldn't seem to get through to either of them. He hadn't brought Seth home from Portland, fearing the kid would resent him, but it seemed like now it was inevitable. Along with a vast knowledge of grilling, his son came home with an unruly streak. The child was becoming harder and harder to live with, sneaking out and lying to him and Kirsten. God knows he's tried to get through to the boy, but Seth didn't seem to care about how his careless attitude was wreaking havoc on the family. His other son, Ryan, who had been doing his very best last year to stay out of trouble and not ruin the chance he was given, was following in his adoptive brother's footsteps. No, he didn't steal another car or drink a fifth of Jack (he wasn't that stupid), but Sandy could feel him distancing himself from the family, from him. It was like his first year with the Cohen's had amounted to nothing and they were back to square one.

Frustrated with his thoughts, Sandy shook his head and drove towards home. All he wanted to do was lay on his couch, watch the game and have a beer or two.

Kirsten Cohen was in the kitchen, going over the contract for a new development when she heard her husband walk through the door. One look at the disheveled figure and she knew that the bags under his eyes weren't just from long hours at the office. The thick tension that choked their relationship over the summer had lightened considerably, but was not gone all together. Kirsten could admit, if only to herself, that she didn't really need to stay late at the office as much as she did. She loved her husband truly, but work and the events of last summer seemed to be getting in their way.

"Hi, Sweetheart. I'm home"

Her husband offered her a small, awkward smile

She returned the gesture, pulled out a beer from the fridge and handed it him.

" You look like you need one"

Silence hung in the air and Kirsten fiddled with the rings on her index finger

"You should go relax, I think there's a game on ESPN"

"There's always a game playing on ESPN" he replied with a wry smile

No Kiss. He noted as he retreated to the den while Kirsten took off to his office to get more work done.

A couple of hours and a couple of beers later, Sandy was feeling better. Kirsten came into the den carrying take out containers.

" Have you eaten yet?" she asked trying to gauge his mood.

" Is that Chinese?" She nodded.

Sandy grabbed the dish away from her with a grateful smile. She still knew what he liked.

" Where are the boys, they in the pool house?". the man inquired, a mouth full of Mushu pork.

He could immediately sense a shift in atmosphere, as Kirsten's body stiffened and the fingers on her left hand drifted subconciously to her wedding ring.

" I think they went out. Seth left a note, the Bait Shop or something like that" she gestured towards the door, keeping her voice light.

Sandy grunted in frustration. He had just put Seth on restriction two days ago for his last escapade. An all- nighter who knows where.

" You let him go out" he was trying to keep his voice steady

"No, I told you they left a note. They were gone by the time I got home"

" Well, at least he let us know when he was gonna disobey us this time. And of course he dragged Ryan with him." Sandy scoffed . " I don't know what to do with that kid anymore" .

" Well, maybe if we had come down harder on them before …".

She hadn't meant to twist the knife, it was merely an observation, but it hurt just the same. He looked away. He didn't want to look in her eyes and see her disappointment over the lousy father, who couldn't even keep his boys home for the night.

"I'm gonna turn in. I'm sure the boys will make it on time for curfew" and with that she fled the room.

Sandy was no longer feeling relaxed. Abandoning his dinner he walked over to the bar. Using his key to unlock the liquor cabinet, he pulled out a bottle of vodka and took a few swigs. He needed to get out of his head for a little while. He glanced at the surfer clock on the bar wall.