Author's Note (12/30): I am so sorry it took me forever to update. I know I said I'd update over the Christmas holidays, but the situation was beyond my control. My service provider had some problems, and it's been nine days since I've actually had internet! Is that crazy or what? I thought I was going to go insane without it, but thank God for computer Solitaire. Anyway, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, you guys! I hope you've all enjoyed your holidays. Don't forget to leave me a nice review - you know, give me something to look forward to until my internet decides to start working again!

Author's Note (01/02): I'm back! About time, too! Oh, and thank you so much to SandyKirsten and 4everKandy for the private messages you guys sent me. It makes me really happy to know that there are people looking forward to my updates! SandyKirsten, I'm afraid I don't have five chapters written in advance, but, hey, you have this update, right? And 4everKandy, you'll find out about that in this chapter! So, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Still not mine, even though, you know, it's been almost a year since we've had new episodes of The O.C. Damn, I miss it.

STOLEN

"Rissa, you know I can't." Kirsten rolled her eyes as she balanced the wireless phone against her shoulder and flashed a quick smile at her boss' assistant. She continued to flip through the catalogue she was browsing through and made some notes on the pieces that were printed on the glossy paper. Although it was Thanksgiving, there was still a lot of paperwork to do at the art gallery she was part-timing in. Plus, with most of her co-workers gone for the holiday, she was more than eager to volunteer for the extra hours. Not that she didn't need the money—she knew her father would disapprove when he knew, but it was a little something that Kirsten wanted to do for herself.

Her pink lips curled upwards at the desperation in her friend's voice. "Look, I've already volunteered to cover everyone's shift here in the gallery for the holidays." She stated matter-of-factly. "There's no one else around to take care of stuff. Besides, you'll have much more fun without me." Especially considering how your last party went, she thought to herself. Larissa, who wasn't going home for the holidays, had just suggested that they drive out of town to 'have some fun', the meaning of which Kirsten knew all too well.

"Well, you'll have Paul around. I'd just be a third wheel if I go with you guys, so you're really better off without me." Not to mention, it would really be awkward to relive the reality that was the night of Larissa's memorable party. Unfortunately for her, Larissa and Paul's screams hadn't faded in her memories.

"I promise I'll go next time, okay?" It's only been a few hours since that night happened, but Kirsten still hadn't confessed to her best friend what exactly happened between her and Sandy. She'd meant to, but she ended up merely telling her that she went out for coffee after the party. Besides, she reasoned out with herself that telling Larissa wouldn't be such a good idea. Her friend would just hound her on seeing Sandy again, so she was definitely better off not knowing.

" Oh, and Larissa?" Kirsten said sweetly. "Next time, I thought you should know that it'd help if you don't tell me at the very last minute."

She was still laughing at how disgruntled Larissa was moments later, after she'd hung up the phone. Her daily dose of Larissa was exactly what she needed. She was feeling more positive, despite the amount of work she had to do. No matter what her best friend said or did, Kirsten always felt much better after talking to her.

Kirsten spun around in her seat and closed her eyes, intending to rest her eyes. Instead, Sandy's sexy grin appeared came to mind, as it had been happening since he left. Memories of that fateful night filled her head, and she allowed herself to entertain them for a little while. His kisses that left her breathless; his hot breath on her ear and on other places that made her blush; the tongue that left lingering patterns as it left deliciously wet trails on her skin, his incredible body, slick and sweaty against hers; the way they moved together as their bodies joined as one; the way he breathed her name as he reached his high…

When she finally opened her eyes, she was disoriented, flushed and flustered.

It was late in the afternoon when Kirsten finally had the time to get up from her chair and stretch. When she signed up for this job, she never realized there was so much paperwork involved in running an art gallery. She was almost numb with fatigue—the kind that came from hours of sitting in a chair without getting up at all.

Her boss' assistant, looking as weary as Kirsten was feeling, appeared in the doorway. "Hey, Kirsten, Some guy named Caleb Nichol is looking for you."

Needless to say, this snapped Kirsten out of her lethargic trance. She hadn't even told her Dad that she was working in an art gallery, though she shouldn't be so surprised. With the power Caleb Nichol had over California, she was sure all it took was a snap of his finger to find her here.

"He's here?" She started freaking out, her eyes widening in horror. "I should have known he didn't take my no all too well. He's probably here to take me back to Newport to spend Thanksgiving with the family, and… and—" And how else was she going to explain to her father about her part-time job which she knew he wouldn't really approve of?

Samantha just rolled her eyes. "Not here, silly." She held up the wireless phone in her hand. "On the phone. Catch." Without further warning, she tossed the phone in Kirsten's direction. Thanks to her frazzled nerves, her reflexes were quick, and she caught the phone like a pro.

"Thanks." She said to Samantha's retreating back. For nothing.

Kirsten took a deep breath before lifting the phone to her ear. "Dad! Hey. Happy Thanksgiving! You know, you didn't have to call me—I promised I'd call you in time for dinner. This is what—"

"KiKi."

She sighed dejectedly at the sound of her father's gruff tone over the phone. Her balloon deflated as quickly as it was inflated. "Dad."

"I didn't know you were part-timing in an art gallery." Caleb said cryptically, making his daughter sit down on her chair.

"Dad, I meant to…"

"Is your allowance not enough?" Caleb didn't sound too pleased at the situation. "Imagine my surprise when I tried to call you at your dormitory, only to have your roommate Marissa pick up the phone and explain to me that you were caught up with your paperwork there at the gallery."

She had seen this coming for ages already, but she didn't think it would have to be this way—him finding out from someone else.

"Dad, its Larissa. And my allowance is more than enough. I just… I just did it for the experience." It was the genuine reason, but she knew how the argument would sound weak to her father's ears. He knew of her dream to build her own art gallery, but whenever she brought it up, he always changed the conversation. In his mind, Caleb Nichol's daughter wasn't just going to run her art gallery. She was the future CEO of the company he built.

Kirsten heard her father sigh on the phone. "If it's experience you wanted, KiKi, why didn't you bring it up? I would've gotten you an internship with The Newport Group's partner companies there in Berkeley. I'd say that would be experience enough for when you take over my position."

He was pressuring her, and she knew it. Kirsten's temples were beginning to throb, and she massaged them in an attempt to ease her headache away. No such luck. "Dad, let's not talk about this. Why are you calling, anyway?" She said light-heartedly, trying to take off the tension in their conversation. "Let me guess: Hailey couldn't wait to talk to me." Her lips curled at her adorable little sister. When Kirsten was home, they didn't get on too well, but when she left for college, the sibling rivalry dissipated between the two of them.

"That's one reason, though I made her understand you were going to call her tonight."

The statement left her confused. "What's going on? Why can't you just put her on the phone now so she'll stop pestering you and Mom?"

Caleb heaved another sigh. And when Caleb Nichol sighed, it was never a good thing. "KiKi, your mother…"

Kirsten couldn't explain the loneliness that overcame her after that one word. Her mother meant everything to her. It had broken her heart to hear that Rose Nichol was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. It made it harder for Kirsten to continue her studies in Berkeley, but Rose had persuaded her to go and follow her dreams, with the promise that they would keep in touch often. It was a weekly habit they had, talking on the phone every Sunday evening.

"What... what's wrong with Mom? Isn't her chemotherapy working?" Kirsten hesitated, almost afraid to know the answer. She hated that she couldn't be there for her Mom whenever she went through those sessions, but Hailey had promised her sister that she would look after their mother in Kirsten's absence.

There was a pregnant pause before Caleb finally answered. "She's not getting any better." It sounded as if it took a lot of courage for Caleb Nichol to say that. He was a formidable, powerful man, but Kirsten knew that beyond all those qualities, her father was scared of losing the only woman he ever truly loved.

He cleared his throat. "But the doctors think she still has a chance of making a full recovery, or at the very least, give her more time to…" Live, both father and daughter completed the sentence silently. "There's been recent development, and they think your mother is a perfect candidate for it."

"Well, that sounds great, Dad!" Kirsten mustered up enough enthusiasm for this news, even though what she was hearing about her mother was making her heart feel heavy. "I mean, that's good news, right?"

On the other end of the line, Caleb couldn't help but smile to himself at hearing Kirsten's happiness. More often than not, he always felt she grew up too fast and became distant from him. It was times like these, however, when she seemed to turn back into the little girl that she once was, who was excited about her first project—restoring an old building that was about to be torn down. He could remember it like it happened just yesterday.

His blue eyes, so identical to his daughter's own, rested on the sleeping figure of his wife. Even though her treatments took its toll on her appearance, she was still beautiful in his eyes. Chemotherapy wasn't going to change what he thought. He just felt hatred towards himself for pushing her away all these years while he was busy with The Newport Group. Now, it seemed as if the time they had together was very little. Their only hope was this new breakthrough, and even so, it wasn't a hundred percent certain that it was going to take Rose, his Rose, out of the woods.

"Dad?"

Caleb shook his head, snapping out of the light trance he found himself in as he remembered his daughter on the phone. Before focusing on his conversation, he took another look at Rose and smiled to himself. He was going to do everything he could to make her happy, no matter what it took.

"You really need to stop this nonsense of yours, working in that art gallery, and in Berkeley, of all places." Caleb said in his usual no-nonsense tone, as if he never spaced out in the first place. He didn't even try to hide his distaste at the place his daughter chose to pursue her studies in.

Kirsten rolled her eyes. "Dad, Mom wanted me to continue studying here. We've talked about this already, remember?" Sometimes, well, okay, most of the time, her father could be so stubborn.

"I know," Her father sounded defeated, she couldn't help but smile. "And if it were only up to me, you'd be studying elsewhere, with a certain someone, like it was originally intended to be." He was talking about Jimmy, of course. There was no other boy Caleb was fonder of than Jimmy Cooper, and he made no secret of his desire to hopefully call him son someday. "But you know how your mother can be, KiKi." Caleb's tone softened down a notch as he uttered the next sentence. "And she needs you." He left a lingering pause, letting his words sink in.

This time, it was Kirsten who sighed. She buried her head in the hand that wasn't holding the phone as she thought some things out. It was a Thursday, Thanksgiving. She supposed she could fly to Newport after her shift ended, and she'd be there in time for Thanksgiving dinner. She could fly back to Berkeley late Sunday afternoon. She'd be back in time so she wouldn't have to miss her classes, and while she was at it, she could spend a few days with her family. It would be good to see her mother, and she was sure Hailey would be happy to have some bonding time with her big sister.

She finally lifted her head from the desk. "Okay, Dad. I've thought it out and I've decided to spend the holidays in Newport after all." Kirsten bit her lip, waiting to hear the delighted tone in her father's voice. She was not disappointed when it came, but Caleb dropped another bomb on her.

"Oh, but we're not in Newport, KiKi. The doctors had to fly your mother to New York. It made more sense for us to go there, rather than have them ship their facilities to us."

New York. Kirsten's head started to spin. New York. Frenzied, she looked through her purse and found that piece of paper that had been haunting her thoughts since this morning. There it was, in his nearly-illegible handwriting. She remembered his words from earlier that morning.

"That's my New York address. Now you know where to find me."

What did all this mean? She never mentioned about her mother's illness to him last night, and even if she did, there was no way he could know that her Dad and her Mom were flying out there for treatments.

New York.

Sandy Cohen.

No. She wasn't going to go to New York for him. So what if they were in the same place at the same time? She'd already decided that it was just going to be a one-time thing, even though that little piece of paper was making her think otherwise. Besides, she would be spending time with her mother, and it wasn't going to leave much time for her to fool around with him.

"KiKi? Are you still there?"

"Yeah, Dad. Sorry. What were you saying?"

"I said, I'm going to send the plane for you. It wouldn't be there for a couple more hours, so you'll have enough time to pack." Caleb didn't even realize how the fact that they were in New York was making his daughter have second thoughts, but Kirsten didn't have the heart anymore to turn him down. Instead, she nodded to herself. "Okay, Dad. I guess I'll see you in a few hours."

"Good. You might want to call your sister too, while you're waiting for the plane. We decided to leave her in Newport, since there was no one to take care of her while we're here. She's too young to be in the hospital, and we didn't want to leave her all alone at the apartment."

It was typical of her father to do such thing, but Kirsten's heart went out to her sister who was spending Thanksgiving all on her own.

"Okay, I'll call before I leave. I have to go now. Bye."

"Bye."

As Caleb flipped his mobile phone shut, he saw that Rose was awake. She smiled weakly and gestured that he sit beside her.

"Who was that?" She asked, once her husband had settled himself on the stool beside her bed.

The smile on Caleb's face was mysterious. "You'll find out soon enough."

What do you think of this chapter? Live up to your expectations? Turned out the way you thought it would? Did I do the Caleb/Rose okay? I know there isn't a lot of Sandy/Kirsten in this chapter, but I still hope you guys enjoyed! Let me know!