Re-Titled: Changing the title of this fic has always been on my mind from the very first chapter. While some of you do like Stolen, and it's already established itself with that title, I've never been pleased with it because I just came up with it on a whim – when I was about to post the first chapter! Anyway, changing the title doesn't affect the plot of this fanfic at all, so I hope you don't mind the change.

Author's Note: This chapter is kind of an interlude more than anything. I planned on including a whole lot of stuff here, something to do with a six-letter word that starts with a B , but I couldn't get the words to flow right, hence why it's shorter than usual. So, there's not much here that's going to move the story along, but I thought I'd make up for the lack of Kandy in the last chapter. I promise the next chapter will be a whole lot better.

Disclaimer: I think Ansy Pansy puts it well. Schwartza Claus – genius term. But, yeah, no. Not mine. Title from the song by Bright Eyes.

LOVER I DON'T HAVE TO LOVE

"Just leave them there, please." Kirsten couldn't help but feel awkward as she addressed the doorman who had just helped her with her suitcases all the way to the Nichol's penthouse suite on the Upper East Side. While she supposed it made things a whole lot easier for her, she never really liked having to be waited on.

As Jim the doorman set her bags down in the hallway, Kirsten wandered towards the living room, where all the curtains were drawn. She frowned disapprovingly and began to push the heavy fabric aside, letting New York's magical lights gleam through the huge picture window, illuminating the room. She smiled. That was so much better.

Jim's voice broke the silence. "Is there anything else you need, Miss?" She turned to find him still standing where she left him, her bags arranged in a neat pile against the door.

"No, nothing that I can think of, Jim." Kirsten paused, her eyebrows furrowing in hesitation. "Well, not at the moment."

"Very well. You know where to reach me, Miss Nichol. I will just be downstairs." Jim said in his standard formal tone. He bowed slightly and turned around to walk out of the suite. Kirsten called out her thanks, and then all of a sudden, she was all alone in the apartment.

It was kind of odd. People have been waiting on her for most of her life, but it only took a few semesters at Berkeley to make her forget how it was like. She'd become so used to doing everything by herself (with the occasional help from Larissa) that she found that she was actually enjoying being like any other human rather than live the California royalty lifestyle she was born into.

Kirsten twirled around to look out of the window. Even when she was a little girl, she had always loved the place, with all its beautiful lights at night and the hustle and bustle of big-city life. As the bright lights from neighboring buildings mirrored themselves in her blue eyes, she couldn't help but think that Sandy Cohen most likely had his own light out there somewhere, in a world away from the Upper East Side and Newport Beach.

She had managed not to think about him from the moment she arrived in New York, to the time she got to her building. Okay, so maybe that was only thirty minutes, an hour at most, but it was a start. Once she walked inside the lobby, she had paused by the receptionist, debating with herself whether to leave Sandy a message that she was in town. Kirsten had managed to resist, but who knew what little it took for her to change her mind? There was every bit of a chance that they would bump into each other in some way – after all, didn't circumstances bring her to New York, the city she knew he was in?

It had to mean something.

Now, as she made her way to the bathroom for a shower before going to see her mother, Kirsten's mind began to wonder. Maybe it was best if she was the one to initiate their meeting, let them meet under her terms. With just a few days before they were to go back to Berkeley, and to real life, she was sure Sandy would hardly have time for anything else other than a cup of coffee.

As thoughts continued to plague her mind, she couldn't help but notice how taking her clothes off made her feel rather excited, like… like, she was stripping for Sandy. No. Kirsten tried to reason out with herself that it was fatigue that caused her skin to feel this way, like it was overly sensitive to every touch. She could've sworn her nipples were hard when she slid the fabric of her top off her body…

Kirsten stepped under the steady pour of the shower, reaching out to twist the water temperature knob to cold. She took a sponge, squirted some of her favourite blueberry shower gel on it before lathering it all over her body. The sooner she'd get out of this apartment and be in the company of other people, the better for her. She didn't want to be left alone with her thoughts any longer, not when they were all about him.

Still, the more she thought about it, the more her plan seemed perfect. If she saw Sandy Cohen one last time, she would be able to finally start thinking clearly and put all these fantasies… whatever he was evoking within her, behind her. After all, the last time she saw him, he was wearing nothing but that sexy grin of his. Maybe all she needed was to see him out in public, with clothes on.

Sexy grin… more than welcome.

Sandy took her into his arms and began kissing her so ardently that it left her breathless and wanting for more. He pinned her against the bathroom's tiled wall, not caring how cold it felt to Kirsten's bare back. That was the last thing she had on her mind anyway, too distracted by his kisses. His mouth moved past her lips, along her jaw line, down on her swan-like neck, and then finally on the flushed skin of her chest, where he left a flurry of kisses all over.

She let out a breathless moan, encouraging Sandy to take one of her perky breasts into his mouth. Sandy lifted those piercing blue eyes and looked at her while he nipped and sucked gently at the rosy flesh. Kirsten gripped a handful of his hair and steered him towards her other nipple, which was begging for his intimate attention. As he tenderly kissed the very tip of her breast, his hand slowly cascaded down her body and cupped her sex, loving the gasp that escaped from her lips. Kirsten attempted to fight down her growing urges, to no avail, as she held her heavy breathing and waited for his next move.

Sandy continued to lavish his attention on her breast as a lone finger tantalizingly traced over her lower lips. He loved it that she was already wet, but he decided to continue teasing her anyway, enjoying seeing her squirm at his heavy petting. The finger moved on to rub lightly against her clit, eliciting yet another moan. Kirsten buried her face into his neck, distractedly nipping at his skin as she gyrated against his finger. "Sandy…" She murmured into his skin, not certain of how much of this she could take anymore.

Just when she thought things couldn't get any better, Sandy took her by surprise when he pulled back abruptly. Before she could give him a chance to explain himself, he began trailing kisses down her body, until he was kneeling in front of her, water still pouring all over their bodies. He lifted her leg and hooked it around his shoulder, giving him greater access to her core. Then, giving her that wickedly sexy smile of his, he drew his lips closer to where he knew she wanted it the most…

Gasping, Kirsten's eyes shot open, disoriented to find herself in an empty bathroom. She realized that she must've simply been fantasizing, but everything seemed so vivid, it was as if Sandy had just been there moments before. Her free hand was clutching the shower's railings tightly, while the hand with the loofah was lingering teasingly just between her legs. Breathing heavily, she attempted to resume washing herself, trying to recover and calm herself down, but with the intensity of her fantasy and the vividness of the erotic images in her mind…

Oh, what the heck. She needed this.

The loofah fell to the bathroom floor, completely forgotten about.

Dear Sandy,

Something unexpected brought me to New York and I was wondering if you'd like to get together for a quick hello and, maybe a cup of coffee?

Yours,

Kirsten

Kirsten folded the piece of stationary, wrote his name and his address on the front side, and handed it to Jim.

"Can you deliver this for me after you drop me off to the hospital?" She was going to the hospital where her mother was currently checked in, and they were going to have a Thanksgiving dinner together. It didn't matter that they were celebrating in a hospital, but what Kirsten felt worse about was knowing that Hailey wasn't around to share this holiday with them.

The doorman nodded, looking rather pleased to know that he was going to be able to do something for Kirsten. "Of course." Kirsten thanked him before letting him open the door to her Town Car. She smiled at him uneasily, and as he shut the door behind her, she told herself in a whisper, "It's just coffee."

He might not even call her back.

Well, what are you waiting for? Tell me what you think! I know it's not much, but smut is undeniable, right?

Oh, and anyone want to guess what the six-letter B word is? It's a reference to the show, very important, and it's going to be responsible for a lot of things in the next (few?) chapters. britgirl2003, cohenwannabe (and probably JennylovesKandy, too), you guys can't guess, since you guys figured it out already. ;)