Thank you to Sunny, Sheryl, Kylie, storymom, Jen, Lu78, ally, paintmyselfout, Pumpkin Muffin and FriendsHolic for your reviews. I liked the last chapter too!

I hope you like this one!

The New Era

As Sandy came through the steel gates to the community he passed a caterer's truck and hoped that this was a sign that the party was over. When he pulled into the driveway he was relieved to find it empty. The house was silent. He checked the kitchen for his wife before making his way to the bedroom. He found Kirsten sat on one side of the bed, kicking off her shoes.

"Ah, party's over," he said cheerfully.

"Oh, finally. I literally had to push Steven Herbert out the door," Kirsten answered as she took her earrings out.

"Deal's back on?" Sandy asked, taking off his jacket.

"He re-signed his contracts. Hopefully he'll remember that in the morning," Kirsten sighed.

Sandy shook his head in amusement. "Julie Cooper: definitely understands the weakness of man."

Kirsten turned to him. "You were gone a while?"

"Well, I was driving around, thinking how I find myself again in a very familiar triangle," Sandy said, sitting on the bed next to her.

"What triangle is that?" Kirsten asked.

"You…me…your dad."

Kirsten sighed. "He's guilty, isn't he?" It was a statement more than a question.

"He's guilty of something. Something he thinks we're better off not knowing," Sandy said.

"Well, you've never been one to shy away from the truth," Kirsten said, a little surprised by his defeated attitude.

"I could start now! A man can make a nice life out of cheetos and Dr Phil," Sandy laughed.

Kirsten smiled. "Not the man I love."

Sandy grinned as she leant in to kiss him softly, before pulling away. He stared into her bright blue eyes, knowing that she could see who he really was. Sitting around the house all day, letting Caleb's mess fester while he watched TV, wasn't him. She knew it and Sandy knew it too.

Sandy felt like he was in an odd place right now. Since he had left his job at Partridge, Savage and Kahn, he had felt a little lost. He had his plans for his own practice, but they were just ideas at the moment. He needed something concrete to hold on to.

Kirsten leant forward and kissed him again, and Sandy lost himself in her. He could worry about Caleb tomorrow; tonight he was just going to enjoy being with his wife.

Their kiss was soft and gentle. Sandy lifted his hand to touch her, cupping her face as he savoured her taste. Kirsten's hand rested on his thigh as she leant into him. Their noses brushed against each other occasionally, as their lips broke apart, before finding each other again. Together, they lightly fell backwards on the bed, never losing each other. Kirsten intertwined her leg with Sandy's, leaning into his body, and slowly found the bottom of his trousers, sliding her warm toe up his leg. Sandy grinned through his kiss.

They lay together like they were teenagers, not going any further than enjoying the kisses they shared. Sandy slipped both arms around Kirsten's body and he held her tightly against him. Kirsten's hands rested on his chest, rising up and down as he breathed in and out. She could feel his heart beat under her palms.

All of a sudden, Sandy shifted his body, rolling them across the bed so that he was leaning over her, wanting more. They broke apart and Sandy looked down at his wife as she lay with her hair spread across the bed beneath her. Her eyes looked hungrily at him. Kirsten lifted her head to reach him. Sandy responded by lowering his head and kissing her again, more passionately this time, snaking his tongue around hers. Kirsten's hands wandered over his back, tugging at his shirt.

Sandy pulled away again, breathless this time. He heard Kirsten moan quietly as he moved his mouth away from hers. She tugged at the front of his shirt, trying to pull him back down towards her, but she wasn't strong enough. Sandy held back, grinning mischievously. He stood up from the bed and wandered across the bedroom. Kirsten rolled over, propping herself up on her elbows and watched him. Sandy felt her eyes burning his back as he first turned the light off then pulled the blinds down, sending them into darkness.

Kirsten's eyes didn't have time to adjust to the dark before Sandy was next to her again, his lips pressing firmly on hers.

This was definitely better than cheetos and Dr Phil…

>>>>>

Sandy lay down the middle of his bed, tired and happy, his head propped up by a pillow. Kirsten lay on top of him, her head resting on his chest, her chest resting on his stomach and her small waist gripped by his thighs. He felt her sigh happily against him. Sandy ran his hands over her bare back and kissed the top of her head.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"Nothing. Just that we don't get to do this enough," Kirsten said.

"I guess we didn't make the most of the boys being gone over the summer, did we?" Sandy said.

Kirsten looked up at him, her smile tinged with regret. The summer had been hard on them and it finally felt like their marriage was back to normal. Sandy kissed her forehead.

"Do you think the boys are ok?" Kirsten asked suddenly.

Sandy frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It's just that Ryan hasn't really mentioned Theresa or the baby since he got back, and I don't think Seth is really over his relationship with Summer. With everything that's going on with my dad, I don't want to neglect them, you know?"

"I think they're ok. They're just trying to move on," Sandy said.

Kirsten nodded.

"We can always schedule in some Cohen family time, if you want? Force them to play scrabble or something," Sandy suggested.

"Yeah," Kirsten agreed, settling her head back down on his chest.

They lay quietly for a moment, before Kirsten raised her head again.

"Were they back from their double date when you got home?"

"No. And, honey, it wasn't a double date, it was a group hang."

Kirsten rolled her eyes, amused. "Right. Sorry. I'm not hip to the kid's slang these days."

Sandy laughed.

"Maybe one of us should go and check they're home?" Kirsten suggested, eyeing up her husband for the task.

"I don't think either one of us is suitably dressed for the job, do you?"

Kirsten screwed up her nose. In fact, neither of them was actually dressed. And Kirsten was too comfortable in her husband's arms to move.

"I'm sure they're fine. They would have called otherwise," Sandy placated her.

Kirsten rested her head again, content that Sandy was right. She closed her eyes and felt herself drifting off to sleep until Sandy's chest started to rumble as he laughed.

"What?"

"I was just remembering that awful double date that we went on when we first started dating," Sandy chuckled.

Kirsten's forehead crinkled as she thought and she joined in with his laughter when the memory came back to her.

"We went to that little bar with your friend, Mark. He was trying to impress that girl from his course…she had a strange name, like a flower or something, what was it?"

"Coriander," Sandy answered.

"That's it! Oh, I remember. It was small and smoky, and the barman was really creepy. They had some old guy with his guitar for entertainment and he sang completely out of tune," Kirsten laughed.

"And you wouldn't let me get on stage and help him out," Sandy said.

"No, I wouldn't!" Kirsten agreed.

"She never went out with him again after that night," Sandy laughed.

"I don't blame her, it wasn't the best place to take a girl for a first date," Kirsten said.

"It didn't stop you," Sandy said.

"Well, it wasn't our first date," Kirsten defended. "Besides, you were much more charming than Mark was. He used to burp all the time."

Kirsten wrinkled her nose in disgust. Sandy laughed.

Kirsten looked up thoughtfully at him. Slowly, she wormed her way up his body so that her face was close to his, the tips of their noses touching.

"I think I was already in love with you by then, anyway," she said softly.

Sandy grinned. "I knew I was already in love with you by then."

Kirsten smiled and kissed him. Sandy's hand wandered across the bed and found the light switch, plunging them into darkness once again.

Oh yes, this was definitely better than cheetos and Dr Phil.