Hey Everyone – I am so so so sorry for the delay in updating this story. Season three there is such a severe lack of Kandy that it kills me to pull so much from the very, very little that Josh and Co. gave us. I do hope that you will all continue reading. This episode might be one of my most hated episodes regarding Kandy so it was tough for me to write. I viewed it as the beginning of all their troubles. Again, I beg of you to stick with me through these episodes, because I have so much in me to write for the end of the season. Actually the next couple of episodes, Josh gave me a little bit more!
KrabbyPatty – I am really glad that by reading this fic, you are able to see scenes a different way. That is one of the main reasons I read people's episode reviews, so I could get more out of what is shown on the surface. I hope to continue that for you.
Cvmraes – I would love to read whatever take you had on the previous chapter. Sandy deserved a little bit of bashing this season.
Panzie – Glad you liked it. That means so much coming from you.
Kikinjuju – I know there is a lack of Kandy lovin', but The Anger Mgmt and The Game Plan, there is more to work with. Stay Tuned!
Slinn01, uvasoccerchick, bluetoffee, cohenwannabe, kate – Thanks for taking the time to review
Shikabane-Mai – I will do my best to get to the good stuff of season three
4everKandy – I will definitely take into consideration about the smut. Everyone has needs, right?
Robbie-kikka – Thanks for the compliments!
Iheartsandman – I will push on and hope to receive support from reviewers like you.
The Swells – Original Airdate – November, 10th, 2005
Disclaimer – All italics are Josh's words!
With Ryan staying at home with the Cohens, things returned to a semi-normal state. Ryan was going back to Harbor thanks to Dean Hess and Taylor Townsend. Seth and Summer were going strong and Sandy and Kirsten were getting into a routine.
Things weren't as exciting as they were when Kirsten first arrived home, but they weren't bad either. Sandy was busy trying to close the door to The Newport Group and Kirsten knew that Seth and Ryan were keeping them on their toes. There just didn't seem to be as much time for just the two of them these days.
Kirsten woke up early the first morning Ryan was supposed to go back to Harbor. The last thing he needed was to be late. She knew that this was Ryan and the chances of that happening were slim. Ryan was always so responsible, but from anyone looking from the outside in, would deem him reckless and irresponsible. If it was Seth, she would probably not have slept all night. For some reason, she worried about him more not because she loved him more, but because he needed to be coddled more. Ryan was an adult and has been acting like one since he was twelve. She often wondered if he would ever get the chance to be a kid again, now with his teenage years slowly coming to a close.
Sandy and Kirsten were already in the kitchen when Seth and Ryan walked in from the pool house. After they both reminded Ryan to stay out of trouble and Seth made some sarcastic comment, they were gone for the day.
It was such an odd sensation to have an empty house. Ever since Kirsten came back from Suriak, Ryan was being home schooled and was always around. Between that and Summer constantly being over, she and Sandy were hardly ever alone. The house to themselves only served to entice Kirsten and stir emotions deep within.
She turned to face Sandy, hoping Sandy's thoughts mirrored her own.
"Just you and me!" Kirsten exclaimed when Sandy made no move toward her. She felt a little disappointed, wishing he would just pull her into his arms.
"How about another cup of coffee?" Sandy innocently suggested.
Another cup of coffee? Kirsten knew that men hit their sexual peak in their twenties and women in their forties, but never had Sandy passed up an opportunity like this. She recovered quickly, not wanting him to sense her disappointment.
"Don't mind if I do." She said smiling, although she felt sad, wondering if all their magic was gone.
They made their way outside with their second cup of coffee, enjoying each other's company in a different way. She really thought that staying home was suiting her well. That is why when Sandy mentioned finding a possible buyer for The Newport Group, she wasn't upset at all. It hit a more sensitive nerve with Sandy.
"Are you ok with that?" Sandy asked, knowing that deep down she was a business woman who loved her job.
"With what?" She asked, wondering why he was asking that.
"With walking away from the company that your father built." He hated bringing up Caleb, but he didn't want her to brush any feeling under the carpet. "You spent fifteen years there." He reminded her that she was the one that she really worked hard to makeit what it was.
"And it took me that long to realise I hated it. "Oh Sandy, I'm ready to let it go." She said trying to convince him and little bit of herself with that statement. She didn't think she would miss The Newport Group per say, but maybe working in general. But she was enjoying her time at home so much that she really hadn't thought about it too much.
She loved Sandy for being concerned and worrying about her, but she hated when someone questions her ability to make decisions. She told him weeks ago that she was okay with selling the company. Why was he questioning her? She had to keep reminding herself that he only had her best interest in his heart.
After not taking advantage of having the house to themselves, she should be grateful that he cares so much.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked breaking her from her thoughts.
She smiled, loving how well he knew her. "I was just wondering how I got so lucky for you to love me."
He just smiled back, loving these lazy days he spent with Kirsten.
Later that evening, Kirsten started to forget their sex life and started to enjoy who they were as a couple. She decided to make stew since everyone would be home and Summer and Marissa would be coming over for dinner.
She watched as Sandy cut fresh corn for her stew as she sliced bread. She couldn't help but smile at how bizarre all of this really was.
"What are you smiling at?"
"You are supposed to be cutting corn!"
"My eyes are always on you." He said partially joking even though it was true.
"You are going to cut your fingers." She said changing the subject.
"What are you smiling at?" He asked again, loving that smile.
"I am smiling at us. You and me here in the kitchen like this." She said waving her knife between the two of them, gesturing to the fact that they were both cooking.
"Yeah, things have changed, but I think for the better." When she didn't respond, he asked. "You?"
"Yeah." She said with uncertainty, but decided to bring up what was bothering her. "Although I do miss the days when your eyes weren't the only thing on me in the kitchen." She kept her eyes focused on the bread, not daring to look at him, almost embarrassed with what she said.
It didn't take Sandy long to figure out what she meant, and immediately dropped the knife from his hands and made his way over to her.
She heard the knife drop out of his hands, hitting the marble surface in front of him. She knew she wasn't going to have to say much for him to come rushing to her side. She then felt his hands swipe her hair to one side exposing her neck.
Sandy moved his lips toward her delicate skin, leaving a soft gentle kisses, making his way toward her ear. "We were always good in the kitchen, huh?" He whispered.
She felt his warm breath lingering by her ear and she could feel herself slipping into a Sandy induced trance. "Mmm, hmm."
His arms circled her waist and his hands made their way to the hem of her top, searching for the skin beneath. Once he found it, her eyes slipped closed, enjoying the fact that her husband still wanted her. Suddenly her thoughts drifted back to this morning. She grabbed his hand in hers, stopping his upward ascent.
"Now?" She asked as she spun around in his arms. She was a little bit annoyed.
"What's wrong with now?" He asked, feeling a slight twinge in his pants.
"We had all morning with the house to ourselves and you decide to get frisky now?" She said, wondering why he couldn't have been like this earlier when she wanted it.
He knew their moment passed and decided to keep his hands to himself. "I'm sorry." He said. "I guess I wasn't reading you right this morning."
Kirsten felt bad that he was apologizing. "Don't apologize. It's not a big deal."
"It's a big deal to me." He decided to take this in a different direction. "You know, if you ever feel this way and I am too blind to see it, you don't always have to keep your hands to yourself. I promise you, I will never turn you down."
She just laughed at him, knowing she had been a little more reserved since she had been back from Suriak. She knew he must have missed her old ways, but she needed constant reassurance from him and he had been obliging. "Okay."
Once Summer arrived and dropped the bombshell that Marissa chose to spend time with Johnny rather than with them, dinner was more than uncomfortable. Ryan played it off that it didn't bother him, but Kirsten could see the hurt in Ryan's eyes. She felt terrible for him.
Sandy didn't mention it, but she knew he could not have missed the saddened look in Ryan's eyes. Ryan had people jerking him around his entire life, he didn't need that now. He didn't need that from Marissa.
Once she went to bed, Kirsten decided to do some reading waiting for Sandy to join her. He had to make some phone calls to set up this big meeting for tomorrow. She tried to focus on the pages in front of her, but her mind kept drifting back to Ryan. Once Sandy came in, she watched him go into their closet and get changed for bed.
As she rolled over to face his direction, she spoke slowly. "I'm really worried about Ryan."
"Don't be." He said almost immediately, dismissing her thoughts.
She was a little annoyed, wondering why he was being so short with her. "I can't help it." She explained. "We both know Ryan has his share of trust issues. He doesn't need to question his relationship with Marissa. Not at this point in the game." She was referring to the fact that they had been through so much already.
When Sandy made his way back out of the closet and pulled the covers back, he stopped to look at her. "Are you serious?"
"Yes, why?" She asked confused.
He sighed loudly, again acting annoyed. "Because they're in high school. Drama follows high school relationships around." He settled himself between the sheets as he continued. "I really wouldn't think too much into it."
"You don't think Ryan was upset tonight?"
"Yeah, but he'll get over it." When Kirsten didn't say anything, he knew she was getting mad and tried to explain himself better. "He is going to get his heart broken. You and I cannot protect him from that."
"Do you think she is cheating on him?"
Sandy laughed. "I don't know, but think about when you were in high school. I am sure you and Jimmy shared your ups and downs. It's all a part of being an adolescent."
Kirsten hated to admit it, but Sandy was right. When things with Jimmy were off, at the time, she thought it was the end of the world. Now as an adult looking back, that couldn't have been further from the truth. "I just don't want him to get hurt. I don't want him to bottle up his emotions or worse, get into any sort of trouble."
Sandy tuned to face her, wishing that he was lying in bed with his beautiful wife finishing what they started earlier. He knew that that was not in the cards for tonight. "We'll keep an eye on him and be there for him. I think that is all we can do. Okay?"
Kirsten wanted him to share her worry, but she had to settle for what he offered her. "Okay."
The next day they both had their plates full. Sandy was meeting with a man named Kurt Williams and his associate Matt Ramsey. He was hoping that he would be able to sell The Newport Group, pay off all the debts, keep the things he and Kirsten felt were important all in tact and finally rid themselves of what was left of Caleb's so-called legacy.
Kirsten was having Charlotte and Julie over for tea in the afternoon and she was looking forward to the company. The house got lonely when Sandy and the boys weren't there all day to fill it. She still couldn't believe that they were living together. It seemed like such a weird match but she tried not to think too much into it.
After Sandy's meeting and Charlotte and Julie left, the phone rang breaking Kirsten out of her thoughts of what to make for dinner.
"Hello?"
"How's my lady doing all day by herself?"
"I'm fine, but I wasn't by myself. When are you going to stop worrying about me?"
"When I take my final breath." He simply responded.
"You are so dramatic!" She chuckled. She hated that Sandy was constantly worried about her well being when he had a million other things to worry about.
"So, I am going to be home a little later than I anticipated."
"Really?" She couldn't help but keep the disappointment out of her voice. "Did the meeting not go well?"
"It went okay, but something isn't sitting well with me. I want to meet with one of the associates before I come home. It will make me feel better."
"Okay. What did you want for dinner?" That was her biggest concern these days.
"Why don't we order in? We haven't done that in awhile and you could use a break."
"That's fine. Do you want me to make dessert?" She needed to somehow fill her time.
Sandy lowered his voice. "What if you were the dessert?"
She laughed, blushing, not knowing how to respond.
"I'll be home by seven."
"Sounds good."
On Sandy's drive home, he thought about his meeting with Matt, wondering how the hell he was going to bring up to Kirsten what has been plaguing his mind. He was a lawyer and knew it was all about the presentation. He was never nor wanted to be a businessman. He saw how his father-in-law was and although successful, a complete son of a bitch.
He didn't want to hurt Kirsten in any way and he was afraid to make any wrong move. He knew she was a strong woman, but her professional future was so uncertain these days. He didn't know what type of reaction to expect.
When he opened the front door, he was met with the sound of soft classical music and candlelit reflections. When he turned the corner into the kitchen he saw the form of his beautiful wife leaning over the table, setting it just perfectly. He never understood why she did this, but he was not about to complain.
He leaned against the kitchen counter, just pleasantly watching her. "Hey." He said softly not wanting to startle her.
"Hey." She smiled back.
"I could get used to coming home to this."
They were in the middle of dinner, enjoying each other's company when Kirsten mentioned that she was going to help Charlotte and Julie host a fundraiser.
"It's for a good cause and I know Julie and Charlotte need me to draw the crowd." She explained. "Although my dad is gone, the Nichol part of my name still holds a lot of clout in this town."
Sandy was really confused. He never thought this would be something his wife would want to do on numerous levels. First and foremost, he knew she was dreading facing the Newpsies. She hadn't been out socially with any of her "friends" since she had been back from Suriak. Word spread pretty quickly that Kirsten was spending a long summer holiday overseas. This spurred the rumor mill at full speed. Kirsten Cohen was at rehab, Kirsten and Sandy Cohen were separated, Kirsten Cohen ran off with her Parisian lover, Kirsten Cohen had a nervous breakdown and of course Sandy's favorite, Kirsten Cohen couldn't stand her self righteous husband and finally left him.
On a completely different level, this was so unlike Kirsten. The once over-driven, professional tiger of a business woman was now going to spend her days planning Newpsie events? It all made absolutely no sense.
Kirsten picked up on Sandy's quietness. "Do you not want me to do this?" She asked almost afraid of his answer.
Sandy wanted to tell her that he wasn't thrilled about it, but he wouldn't dare. "No, it's fine. You don't have to make this decision according to what I think." She didn't want to tell her he completely disapproved of this. He kept questioning if she was ready to face this judgmental, superficial town.
"Well, what do you think?" She knew there was something he wasn't saying.
He struggled with what to say. "I just don't want you to be forced into anything you don't want to do."
"But I want to do this." She defended. "It's for a good cause and it is the perfect way to ease myself back into society."
Sandy knew that look in her eye. It was pure driven motivation and a spark that spoke volumes of how there was no backing down. "Well then, I think it's great."
"You do?" her eyes softened, glad he was so accepting.
"Yes." Sandy gave in. He knew he had to let her go at some point even if he was scared for her well being. "Besides, what I am about to tell you is going to deserve your disapproval."
"Well..." She leaned and kissed his lips softly. "I just wanted to do that before you don't deserve it anymore."
He laughed at her and leaned back so he could get a good look at his face. He wanted to take all of her nonverbal behavior in, to tell if this was a completely bad idea. The last thing he wanted to do was upset his wife. "My meeting didn't go as I expected it to."
Kirsten thought that was what was worrying Sandy so much. "That's okay honey. I know you have been working hard to sell the business. A buyer will come along and we still have a few weeks before we default on our loans."
"No, Mr. Williams wanted to buy the company. I'm just not so sure I want to sell it to him."
"Okay. You've peaked my interest." She figured he didn't like the man or that maybe the offer was too low. Nothing could have prepared her for what was to come next.
"After I met with him, something didn't sit right. He gave me his word he wouldn't touch the low income housing I fought your father tooth and nail to leave alone. I know I shouldn't worry about that kind of thing, but..."
"No. I remember how hard you fought for that. We should make sure it's left alone."
"Well, my lawyer skills kicked in big time and I could just tell this guy was lying to my face. So after he left and I thought about it I wanted to make sure my instincts were right. So I called his associate. He is this young hot shot kid who basically told me the truth. Williams has no intention of keeping that project if it doesn't make him any money."
"So we won't sell to them. I am sure we will have other options."
"Well there is one option that really peaked my interest. It is something I never really thought about, but Matt put the idea in my head and I think it might work."
"Okay." She waited impatiently for him to continue.
"I was thinking of holding on to the company and having Matt help me run it."
Kirsten was floored and couldn't understand why Sandy would even entertain such an idea. He seemed so lost in his career mostly due to her father. She didn't want to see him do something she knew he would hate.
"I thought you loathed corporate America." She stated the obvious.
"Oh I do! I loathe it all. Greed, republicans, navy suits..."
"So why are you considering this?" She asked thinking he was crazy. She desperately didn't want him to run The Newport Group. It made her father a workaholic and Sandy was nothing like her father.
"Well after your father died I basically shut down my law practice so I could be with the Newport Group, and this might be a way to make it all mean something. Your work and mine." He knew Kirsten was struggling with this a little bit, but he had to get that point across. He could do a lot of good with that kind of power in his hands.
"Well, if this is something that you want, you know I'll support you." She wanted to tell him that he was crazy. She wanted to explain that he had no idea what he was getting himself into. Sandy was not a businessman. That is what attracted her to him in the first place. But her supportive words flowed out of her mouth and she did nothing to stop it. Sandy's declaration made a lot of sense, but right now, there was so much to take in.
Sandy was still worried about her. He heard the words spoken, but did she mean them? "Well what about you? If my taking over the company threatens any of the progress you've made..."
"I'm out of the woods now. Its time for you to get back to making yourself happy." That was the honest truth in her mind. She didn't want Sandy to tiptoe around her anymore and if he wanted this, she would do everything in her power to support him. It was what he did all summer long. He could have left her and he didn't. He didn't have to drive to visit her several times a week. He didn't have to do the things that most men would never have put up with.
"Thank you baby." Sandy said pulling her close, kissing her with so much love. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, wanting much more. Sandy pulled back surprised, smiling a little bit. "As much as I want to continue this and I promise we will, I have to go out and meet up with Matt. I told him I would let him know by tonight so he could resign from his old job."
"Oh, okay." Kirsten said disappointed, wondering how many times she must have done this to him. She felt like The Newport Group always pulled her away from her family.
"I won't be long, but when I get back, we will continue what you just started."
She laughed again, although she was hurt a little bit inside. "I love you." She called after him.
"I love you too."
--
--
Please hit that button. It would really mean something to this writer!
