Thank you to Kylie, Anna, JenJenxx, Mickey, beachtree, Sunny, Jen and Lauren for your reviews of the last chapter.

The Risky Business

Sandy could hear Seth and Ryan talking quietly as he came into the kitchen. They fell silent when he appeared, looking up with guilty expressions.

"I don't know what you kids were up to, but I'm betting it had something to do with Trey," Sandy said, looking between the two boys.

"He sings, he surfs, and he reads minds," Seth said quietly.

"And it's still not enough to get you to talk to me," Sandy sighed, frustrated. "The next time something happens, come to me."

Sandy looked at Seth, who nodded, and then at Ryan, before leaving them. Wearily, he made his way to the bedroom where he found Kirsten sat at the table, polishing her new tea set. She looked up when she heard him, noticing his sad face.

"Hey. Are you ok?" she asked, concerned.

Sandy shrugged as he pulled off his tie. He kissed the top of her head, sitting down at the table with her.

"What was going on tonight?" Kirsten asked.

"I don't know. The boys are keeping this one close to their chests," Sandy said, clearly dejected.

Kirsten knew how much it upset him when their sons refused to confide in him. She ran her hand down his arm comfortingly.

"I'm guessing it had something to do with Trey and the crystal egg?" Kirsten said.

"Was it that obvious?"

Kirsten raised her eyebrows. "The boys disappearing? Marissa and Summer volunteering to assist? Summer selling her shoes; Trey and Zach selling themselves? And who has ever heard of a blind auction?"

Kirsten couldn't help but smile at how ridiculous it had been.

"I'd say there was definitely something going on."

"Why don't they come and talk to us, instead of keeping all these secrets?" Sandy sighed.

Kirsten felt a pang of guilt. She knew she hadn't been around enough since Trey's arrival…since Carter's arrival. She also knew she was just as guilty for keeping secrets right now.

"Because they're teenagers, I guess," Kirsten tried to placate him.

"Maybe I made a mistake, inviting Trey back here. I'm not sure Ryan ever wanted him here. Maybe he's gonna be a bad influence after all," Sandy mused.

"Sandy, we gave Trey a chance. Just like we did for Ryan, and it wasn't exactly a smooth ride then, was it? I don't like Trey's influence any more than you do, but I think you were right. I think we should let Ryan deal with it," Kirsten said.

Sandy nodded, amazed at how level-headed his wife could be sometimes. He was usually the one who had to appease her, but – just like when Ryan was in trouble with Oliver last year – when he needed it, she knew exactly what to say.

"When did you get so wise?"

Kirsten smiled gently. "Years of being married to you," she answered fondly.

Sandy relaxed in his chair, comforted.

"So, uh…thank you for MC-ing this thing tonight," Kirsten said bashfully.

"Just a figurehead, huh?" Sandy said, amused.

"You never would have done it if I'd told you the truth," Kirsten defended.

"No," Sandy agreed, laughing.

"I'm sorry I misled you," Kirsten said.

"It doesn't matter," Sandy said, shaking his head. He leant in closer. "Don't tell anyone this, but I actually kinda enjoyed myself."

Kirsten let out a small laugh. "Your secret is safe with me. But I don't think Taryn's in a hurry to let you help out again."

"Really?"

"I think the phrase, 'annoying as hell' was used," Kirsten laughed.

"Well, she never got over the fact that I didn't spend new year with her last year," Sandy winked at her.

Kirsten laughed, remembering the swingers' party that Hailey had duped them into going to last year. She had been surprised and embarrassed to meet Taryn there. They hadn't spoken about it since Kirsten had told her that she'd ended up with her own husband. It had taken a moment for Taryn to understand, but when she realised that Kirsten and Sandy hadn't gone to the party to participate in the wife-swapping that was going on, she had blushed and made her excuses to end the conversation as quickly as possible. It had taken months for her to look Kirsten in the eyes after that.

Sandy's eyes swept over the tea set on the table in front of them. "So why did you spend $5,000 on a tea set?"

"It was my mom's," Kirsten answered, smiling wistfully.

"I thought it looked familiar," Sandy said.

"I used to love this when I was younger. My mom used to keep it in this glass cabinet but I would always find the key, wherever she hid it, and I'd play with it with my dolls," Kirsten told him. "She used to get so mad at me."

She smiled sadly at the memory. It was times like this when she missed her mother the most: when life was tough. She wondered what her mom would have said about Lindsay; she wondered what advice her mom would have had when Rebecca was around; and she wondered what her mom's response would have been about her growing feelings for Carter. Kirsten missed her. She missed talking to her and confiding in her. No-one had been able to take her place after she died – not Sandy, not Julie, not any of the Newpsies.

Sandy noticed her sadness and leant it, leaving a kiss on her temple.

"How about you and me spend some time together next weekend, just the two of us? Can you tear yourself away from Carter and the magazine?"

Kirsten immediately tensed up. Even when things were better between her and Sandy, like now, she was still drawn to Carter, no matter how much she denied it. She pulled away from Sandy slightly and smiled half-heartedly.

"Yeah, maybe," she offered in a non-committal way.

She stood up, bending down to kiss Sandy's cheek before picking up the tea set.

"I'm gonna go find a place for this," she said.

Sandy watched her leave the room. He felt her resistance, not understanding it. Sometimes it felt like they had fallen into their old ways; and other times the distance between them was too apparent.

He sighed. It seemed like no-one was talking to him these days.