Thank you to Carlie, Mickey, skipper, Steph, Lauren, Em, Panz, JenJenxx, Sharkie2008, Cynthia and Marcy for your reviews!

So this is the end! I hope you like this last chapter. And just because it's the last chapter, doesn't mean you shouldn't hit the review button. :p

The Dearly Beloved

Kirsten looked around the room that would be her home for…for how long? She had never felt so scared. Everything she did was usually so meticulous, so organised; her whole life she had followed a plan – school, homecoming queen, college, a career, marriage, children. There had been some surprises along the way – Sandy was one; travelling around the country in the back of a mail truck had been another. Rehab had not been on the list though; it wasn't something she had planned, but it was something she had to face. That scared her. She was scared she wouldn't be able to do it; she was scared she would lose her husband and sons because of it. She was scared she wouldn't be able to change – that she wasn't strong enough.

Kirsten Cohen used to ooze confidence. She was smart and beautiful and her life was envied by so many. The past year had chipped away at her and she had become a lesser person. A part of her had become lost and Kirsten was scared she would never find it again.

It hurt her to know that it had taken an intervention by her family to get her here – physically here, at rehab, and mentally here, ready to allow someone to help her. She hadn't been strong enough to face her problems, instead she had hidden behind the alcohol – the summer without Seth and Ryan, the financial problems facing the Newport Group, Lindsey, Rebecca, Carter, her father…she had hidden from them all. She had pushed Sandy away, she had lost track of what was happening in her kids' lives and she had screamed terrible things at her father that she could never take back.

'Was this rock bottom?' Kirsten wondered. 'Could things get any worse than this?'

She hoped not. There wasn't a part of her body that didn't hurt right now. She wanted to be anywhere but here – anywhere but rehab, anywhere but alone. But was that really the truth? Was she really alone? It had always been her excuse but today had proven her wrong, hadn't it? Sandy, Hailey, Ryan, Seth – they had all been there, asking her to get help. Helping her to get help.

Sandy didn't want her to hurt herself anymore. His eyes had pleaded with her and she had resisted him once again. She blamed him for feeling so lonely, but when he reached out to her, she refused to accept it. The truth was, she missed him – she missed the way only he could make her feel, she missed the way he would look at her and she would feel like they were the only two people who existed. She wanted to get that feeling back.

Hailey had told her that if their positions had been reversed, she would be doing the same thing. And Hailey was right. Kirsten hadn't admitted that, of course. She had become defensive, she had used Hailey's past against her, spitefully. But her drinking was different, because whatever Hailey had done in her life, she had always been in control. Kirsten used to be in control too – only now, the alcohol controlled her.

And Ryan…she had said something inexcusable to Ryan that she couldn't ever take back. She had done it again, just like she had with her father. She had used the one thing that she knew he would feel the most insecure about, but he had stood his ground, and amongst the fear and the pain and the aching, Kirsten felt proud of him. He, too, knew the right words to say to get to her – his own mother. Kirsten had promised him a different life when they had taken him into their family; not verbally, to Ryan, but she had promised herself that she would give him a better life. She had failed, and he had almost made her crack. Almost.

Then there was Seth. Her baby boy. He had barely been able to look at her when he had begged her to get help and it had hit her at that moment exactly what she was doing to her family. She was hurting them too. With Seth in front of her, Sandy beside her, and Ryan and Hailey behind her, Kirsten had felt closed in and she was too tired to fight any more. She couldn't continue like this – she knew it and her family knew it.

So now she was here, in an unfamiliar room soon to be surrounded by unfamiliar people. She heard Sandy making conversation behind her and she wanted to cling to him, beg him not to leave her here, beg him to take her home. She could make all the promises in the world – she could promise to give up the drink, she could promise she could do it on her own – but Sandy had no reason to believe her. Because he knew her and he knew she couldn't do it without help. She looked up at him as he rambled.

"Oh, it's a good-sized bed…nice sheets, high thread count. Nice TV, a lot of channels; I bet you get a lot of reading done here."

"Yeah," was all that Kirsten could reply.

A knock at the door interrupted them and they turned to see a round-faced nurse at the entrance.

"Excuse me, Mrs Cohen? We're having a meeting for new guests," she spoke softly.

"What time is the meeting over?" Sandy asked the nurse. He looked towards Kirsten, offering her reassurance. "I just wanna make sure I'm home when you call."

"Actually, she won't be able to make any phone calls for 72 hours," the nurse interjected. "It's detox."

Sandy met Kirsten's eyes, seeing the fear in her face. His heart reached out to her. He hated this – he hated that he couldn't help her himself and that he had to leave her in this room that wasn't theirs, to sleep in this bed that wasn't theirs and to wake up without him. Or maybe he just didn't want to wake up without her.

"Could you give us just a minute?" Sandy asked the nurse. She nodded and left them alone. Sandy turned back to Kirsten, studying her for a moment.

"I'm so sorry, Sandy," Kirsten said, her voice shaky through the tears. "What I said to you…put you through."

Sandy moved towards her, cupping her face and lifting her chin so that he was looking directly into her eyes. Her soft blue eyes that usually sparkled were now dull and lifeless. He wanted to reassure her; he wanted to reassure himself – that they would be ok, that they would be 'Sandy and Kirsten' again soon. He was a lawyer and usually so good with words, but when he needed them the most, he wasn't sure that they would be enough. Enough to make her realise how much he loved her and how much this was hurting him too.

"You know, we can bend this thing," Sandy said softly. "Doesn't mean it's gonna break."

Kirsten nodded, a silent understanding falling between them. She held onto his arms and leant into him. Sandy kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as tightly as he could into his body.

"I love you so much, you know that right?" Sandy whispered into her hair. He felt her body start to tremble in his arms. "I love you so much, don't you dare forget that. I'm only a phonecall away, whenever you need me. And I can drive up here any time."

He spoke forcefully, needing to know that she believed him. "We'll get through this, I know we will."

He felt Kirsten nod against his shirt. He pulled back and lifted her face again. Gently, he wiped away the tears that soaked her cheeks. "You can do this. You're strong enough to fight this. I know you can do this."

Kirsten offered him a small smile through her tears, grateful for his confidence when her own was lacking. There was a knock at the door and a voice telling them that Kirsten had to go. Sandy felt her hands tighten around his body.

"I don't want you to go," Kirsten whispered, her vulnerability transparent.

"I don't want to go either," Sandy said. "But I have to."

Kirsten squeezed her eyes shut to stop the tears from starting again. She nodded her head slowly.

"I'm so sorry," she repeated.

Sandy shook his head. "We've both got things to be sorry for. And we'll deal with them when you're stronger. When we're stronger."

"I love you," Kirsten's voice cracked as she spoke.

"I love you too," Sandy said, grazing her lips with his own. "I have to go."

He took in a deep breath, suddenly unsure if he could do this. Could he really leave her here?

"We're going to go out there together, ok? And I'm going to kiss you and I'm gonna have to go. But I'm not leaving you, do you get that? I'm not walking away from you or us."

Kirsten gulped, frightened, but she nodded resiliently. Sandy took her hands, but it was Kirsten who led him out the room, drawing strength from him the way she always had. She turned and Sandy did as he said: his hands cupped her face and he kissed her. And then he let go. She watched him walk away, reminding herself of his words – he wasn't leaving her. He paused at the corner and she blew him a kiss. Her brain told her to run after him and cling to him, but her feet refused to move. She couldn't follow him. She had to stay.

Sandy smiled sadly before disappearing out of sight. He walked briskly, which turned into a run when he saw the door. He rushed outside, gasping for air as he felt his heart pumping in his chest and his mind spun with doubts. He fumbled with his keys as he unlocked the car and collapsed into the driver's seat, locking himself inside.

Inside, Kirsten was following the nurse to her first meeting, her hands trembling; outside, Sandy dropped his head against the steering wheel, finally allowing his own tears to fall. They were both scared; both regretful; both heartbroken.

Both alone.

That's it! A massive THANK YOU to everyone who has been reading this story and especially to those who have left reviews and comments, whether here or somewhere else. They mean so much to me! A special thank you to anyone who has every listened to me moan over MSN when I've been stuck and uninspired, especially Sunny who has beta'd for me.

Now that this fic is over, I'll be concentrating on Rehabilitation and, hopefully, I'll now find the time to finish Maybe This Chrismukkah. I'm sure Season 3 missing scenes will be written too – first prize goes to anyone who can come up with a decent fic title! (I'm serious, I'm totally stuck – any ideas would be gratefully received!)

Thanks again. Roll on season 3. :D