TITLE: The Sleepless
CHAPTER 11: Promises, Promises

"It really does work like a magic wand," Ryan commented, tilting his head to better examine the spot where his lips had marked her on New Year's Eve.

Kirsten hummed a chuckle, flipping another page in the folder she was going through. "I told you." She shifted slightly as she laid sideways across his lap, her ribs protesting the position just a little. She craned her neck back to look up at him. "I'm sorry I had to work over lunch. I'd hoped we'd have some more alone time."

Ryan smiled and caressed her hair. "We're having alone time right now."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Not the kind we usually have." She shifted again, still across his lap but now mostly on her back, casting an apologetic gaze at him.

With a grin, he leaned down to her and they exchanged a passionate kiss. "It's alright," he murmured against her lips before kissing her deeply again.

The next time they came up for air, he added, "Your sister's still here, anyway."

"You're right. One more person we have to tiptoe around." Kirsten moved onto her side again and flipped the folder shut, closing her eyes and smiling when Ryan's hand curved around her stomach to her waist.

"We've done a pretty good job so far."

"Famous last words," she quipped.

"We'll be fine, Kirsten. It might be good for us to, y'know... slow things down a little, anyway. I mean, you are still trying to work on your marriage, aren't you?"

She sighed. "Yeah. I guess so. New Year's left me a little confused--"

"You and me both."

Kirsten braced herself on Ryan's crossed legs and pushed herself up to a sitting position, angling her body to face him. "I think it would probably be a good idea to work on it. Granted, I don't know how involved Sandy's going to be in that process..."

Ryan raised an eyebrow while moving a lock of hair behind Kirsten's ear. "He's still doing a lot of late nights at work? With that Rachel woman?"

"No. That -- whatever it was -- seems to be pretty much over. It's this ongoing case with my dad that's causing some friction. Friction that Sandy seems to be okay with for now." As if realizing she was rambling, Kirsten shook her head and reached for Ryan, laying her palms across his cheeks and drawing him in for a kiss. "But that's nothing for you to worry about."

Ryan leaned into her for another kiss, one which immediately turned passionate, and they simultaneously leaned back on the bed. He smiled against Kirsten's lips. "When is your lunch hour over?"

Kirsten grinned right back and bit down softly on his bottom lip. "Umm... probably right about now."

He left a trail of wet, open-mouthed kisses down her neck and across her collarbone as he undid her blazer. "So, don't you have to be getting back to the office?" he murmured teasingly against her skin.

She smiled as her eyes slipped closed, and she raked her fingers through his already-tousled blond hair. "Yes, I do. If only you'd get off me."

"Mm," he hummed, now against her navel as he pushed her silk camisole up to rest just under her rib cage. "I wish I could help you there, I really do."

She chuckled, barely suppressing the following moan when his tongue dipped into her belly button. "Ryan, I really should get back." Regretfully, she shoved at his shoulders just enough to maneuver herself out from under him. "I'm sorry."

He caught her from behind at the edge of his bed and twined one strong arm around her waist, leaning around her to kiss her again. "If you stayed, I could make it worth your while."

"I know," she smiled against his lips. "Believe me, I know." She gave him one last, deep kiss, followed by a smouldering look through her lashes. "You've made it worth my while every single time we've been together."

"Come on," he grinned, "What would you rather be doing? Work, or--"

"You know I'd rather be doing you," she chuckled, and untangled herself from him yet again to rise to her feet and step into her shoes. "But I'm expected back at the office. Not to mention Hailey's still here, and you have to get ready for school to start up again tomorrow. Besides..." She leaned down to dust his lips with a kiss, one that held a promise of things to come. "There's always tonight," she reminded him in a whisper.

"Alright, fine," he huffed, mock disappointedly. "But if you don't keep that promise, I will have to punish you." He raised his eyebrows pointedly.

She winked at him over her shoulder on her way to the door. "I'll be looking forward to that."

She mouthed her love at him before she slipped out the door; then, she schooled her features in case Hailey happened to be in sight, and headed back to the Newport Group.

"There you are! Thank God, I didn't wanna be stuck talking to Julie Cooper any longer than I needed to," Hailey Nichol gushed as her sister breezed by.

Kirsten smiled at her younger sister as she headed into her office. "What are you doing here, Hail?"

"I was waiting for you to come back from lunch to see if you wanted to go shopping with me."

"Hailey..." Kirsten tilted her head, giving her sister an admonishing look.

Hailey lifted her hands in supplication. "It's only for stuff to wear on interviews, I swear."

"You're actually planning on staying long enough to find a job?"

Hailey folded her arms across her chest and studied her sister with narrow-eyed contemplation. "Why do you sound so shocked?"

Kirsten shrugged and ran a hand through her hair, half-realizing she hadn't combed it after spending her lunch hour with Ryan. "It's just... not really like you to stick around anyplace for long." Upon catching the look she was receiving, she added, "That's not a bad thing, Hailey. That's just who you are. You're not comfortable staying in one place for too long, you like to move around; you like to try new places and new things, meet new people. That's one of the things I love about you."

Hailey smiled. "Thanks."

Kirsten shrugged and amended, "Of course, that's also one of the things that makes me worry about you."

"Things are different this time, Kirsten, I promise. I'm really going to try to find someplace I wanna stay and put down roots. I want to find a job that I can be happy at, and still earn a good living."

Kirsten smiled and wrapped her younger sister in a hug. "Well, I'm proud of you, Hailey."

"Thanks." When she pulled away, Hailey took a good look at her sister. "Are you okay, Kirsten?"

Caught off guard, Kirsten met Hailey's eyes. "Yeah. I'm fine. Why?"

"Your face is a little flushed."

"Oh, I was... running late," she explained, and immediately regretted uttering such an explanation.

"Why? What were you doing?"

Kirsten shrugged and averted her eyes, busying herself with taking folders out of her brief case. "I was just, y'know... catching up on files and stuff over lunch, and I lost track of time. I kind of had to hurry to get back here."

"Oh." Hailey's brow furrowed. "Your hair's messy."

"It was windy."

"You're hiding something, Kiks," Hailey intoned, using the shortened nickname their father bestowed upon Kirsten.

Kirsten shook her head, still keeping her eyes from her sister's. "Not hiding anything."

"Yes you are," Hailey laughed. "I'm your sister. I may not be around all the time anymore, but that doesn't mean I've lost the ability to ready you like a book! Now spill."

Kirsten finally forced herself to meet her sister's eyes as she insisted, "I'm not hiding anything, Hailey. Drop it now."

Hailey narrowed her eyes contemplatively. "Alright..." she replied slowly, warily. She pointed over her shoulder to the door. "I'm gonna head out to Fashion Island. Are you coming with me?"

"I can't, I'm sorry. I have a lot of work to do."

"Okay," she shrugged. "I guess I'll just... see you at dinner tonight."

With another smile and another narrow-eyed look toward her sister, Hailey headed for the door, leaving Kirsten to sigh and stuff a hand through her hair again.

"Hey, Ryan."

Ryan just barely looked up to acknowledge who'd entered the Cohen kitchen. "Hailey."

"Can you help me?" Without waiting for a response, she dumped a few shopping bags into his arms and flicked him a smile, sighing, "Thanks. Those were getting so freakin' heavy. My arms are going to fall off."

"Did some shopping, huh?" He did his best to sound interested though he continually eyed the clock every few seconds, counting down the minutes until Kirsten would be home.

"Yeah. It's for job interviews, I swear."

He raised an eyebrow. "Did I imply otherwise?"

Hailey smiled. "Just wanted to cover my bases. So what's for dinner tonight?"

He glanced over his shoulder at the stove, where he was preparing angel hair noodles. "I'm making spaghetti. Just to help Kirsten. Otherwise we'd be having Thai for the fifth night in a row."

"You do that a lot, huh?"

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, well. Thai food's pretty good, I guess, and I don't think the Cohens have ever been really big on--"

"No, not that."

"Then what?"

"Helping Kirsten. You do it a lot."

"Well..." He went over to the stove to stir his noodles (and avoid Hailey's penetrating stare) as he replied as nonchalantly as possible, "Kirsten's not exactly an ace in the kitchen."

"No, I know. But I just mean... helping her in general. I mean, I've seen you helping her in the garden -- on a Saturday, might I add, when you should be out with your friends or at least a girlfriend--"

"Don't have one," Ryan said, continuing to avoid her gaze.

"Yeah. Right. A guy that looks like you doesn't have a girlfriend."

The sarcasm was hard to miss. "Is there a point to this conversation?"

"Not really. I was just making an observation that you and Kirsten seem... close. You seem to really care about her."

He nodded. "I'm very grateful to Kirsten for letting me live here." Which was the truth, but... the smallest fraction of his feelings for her.

"I guess so."

There was something about Hailey's tone. Ryan turned away from the stove and narrowed his eyes at her slightly, contemplating her. "What?"

Hailey shrugged, parroting his, "What?" right back at him. She smiled enigmatically and reminded him, "It was just an observation, Ry-man." She started to head out onto the patio and glanced at him over her shoulder on the way out. "No need to get your tightie-whities in a wad."

Ryan was left mere moments to ponder her remarks before Kirsten arrived home. She beamed at him from the entryway and set her stuff down as quickly as possible. "Hey!"

He twitched a smile back, mindful of Hailey wandering around just outside the window. "Hey, so I thought I'd save us from having Thai yet again and made dinner."

"Well aren't you sweet!" She grinned and made a beeline for him. "Thank you." She placed her hands on his shoulder and leaned in to press a lingering kiss to his cheek.

Ryan shied away as nonchalantly as he could. "Yeah, you're welcome, and uh," he made a point of adding, "Hailey's outside waiting for dinner to be ready."

"Ah." Predictably, she got it right away. "Thanks for telling me."

"Mm-hmm."

Kirsten raised an eyebrow and tossed a glance out the window, where Hailey was smiling and waving almost... knowingly? Smugly? Something. Kirsten waved back, smiling tentatively. Then she turned to Ryan and lowered her voice, leaning one hand on the counter while planting the other on her hip. "So I guess me dragging you off to the poolhouse for a proper greeting is out of the question?"

At this, Ryan chuckled. "Yeah, unfortunately."

"Well..." She patted his shoulder and started for the sliding glass door. "There's always later," she promised, and winked covertly at him over her shoulder.

Ryan was careful to only smile after her a few seconds before schooling his features again, whispering "Promises, promises," as he drained the angel hair.

TBC
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Yes, I know this took me an absurdly long time to update, and I apologize. It's getting harder and harder to write season one Rysten (especially with all the great moments we were given in season 3 and a few in 4), but I'm going to try my damndest, because the Rystenlove must live on!