A/N : I know I said I would work on what people voted for on the poll located at my profile page. But I already had most of this and, at the suggestion of my awesome beta, was adding a scene. I finished that so here it is.
As for the poll, the stories winning right now are 'Tears & Rain', 'Mistletoe', and 'She Will Be Loved'. Please do go vote if you haven't.
Enjoy!
This chapter continues where chapter two, In-Laws, leaves off.
After the third round, Sandy and Kirsten fell into a lover's silence on his office couch, covered only by Sandy's suit jacket lying lazily over their waists. Within minutes, Kirsten could hear Sandy's soft snore, which he probably still denied he had. She remained in his arms for a few minutes, reveling in his warmth. As his breathing got deeper, the facts set in.
Kirsten Cooper, adulteress, mistress to the mayor of Newport. Who, incidentally, was her ex-husband.
She needed to leave. She had no idea how long she had been here. When a person engages in such a mind-blowing euphoria for the first time in years, keeping up with the time is not a priority.
Carefully, she slid out of Sandy's grasp and began hunting for her clothes. Her underwear and pants were the last to be discarded and, therefore, were the easiest to locate. After several minutes of searching, she finally found her bra on his desk. As she pulled it away, a picture frame was revealed. Ironically enough, Sandy had tossed it over a wedding picture of him and Julie. Kirsten felt suddenly amused and nauseated at the same time.
"Is it 1985 again?"
A voice startled her from her task. She turned back to Sandy, who was lying in the exact same spot with his eyes still closed. Slowly, he sat up and looked at her.
"Were you going to wake me up? Or just leave me sleeping naked in my office?" He extended his hand for his boxers which were on the chair beside her.
"I was going to wake you once I was dressed."
She sat on the couch, fumbling with her shirt, watching as he pulled his clothes on. As she pulled her shirt over her head, the lump that had formed in her throat became too large to ignore. Huge tears began to roll down her face. Only a few minutes passed before a sniffle escaped from her and Sandy realized she was crying. He was beside her in an instant.
"Oh. Hey." He pulled her down to the couch, hugging her close. "I know you feel guilty but…"
Kirsten sniffled. "No. I don't." She began to sob loudly again.
Sandy tried to stifle a chuckle. "Then why are you crying?"
"Because I should feel guilty! I cheated on my husband!" She shrieked before mumbling. "What a whore."
"Kirsten, you are hardly a whore." He gave a small snort. "You cheated. So what? It's not like it was the first time. I mean, let's remember what caused us to breakup in the first place." He looked away for a moment before laughing. "No, you're not a whore. You just have some whore-ish tendencies. Nothing wrong with that."
When Sandy looked back at his ex, he realized that she was in no mood to joke around. Her eyes were narrowed and rimmed with red.
"God, you can be such a bastard."
"Oh, sweetie, you know I was just talking to talk. You're not a whore."
"I find it amazing that you can call me 'sweetie' and a whore in the same breath. And don't call me 'sweetie'."
"I didn't call you a whore, I said you weren't one."
Kirsten stood up and straightened her outfit one last time. "I need to go home," she said moving toward the door.
Sandy stood up quickly, racing in front of her. "Aw, Kirsten. C'mon. Stay. I'll make it worth your while." He wagged his eyebrows.
"Sandy! Are you nuts? Don't you think we've sinned enough? Haven't we hurt Jimmy and Julie enough times today?"
Sandy laughed, bitterly. "How did Jimmy answer that question when you slept with him?"
"Oh my god!" Kirsten yelled, taking a step back from him. "Do not start that again!"
But Sandy didn't want to stop. "He told you he didn't care how much it hurt me, didn't he? He just wanted you to keep screwing him."
"I did not screw him!"
Sandy's tone was mocking. "Oh, I'm sorry. 'Make love.' Did you give any thought to me after you 'made love' to Jimmy?"
"His daughter killed herself, Sandy! He was devastated! I didn't touch, kiss, or screw him but I couldn't just leave him to wallow in his sorrow."
"Of course, you couldn't, Kirsten. You never could leave him alone."
Kirsten looked at him, incredulous. "Goodbye, Sandy." She calmly walked toward the door.
Sandy shouted after her. "If that's all it was, Kirsten, then why aren't we still together?" Her hand stopped on the doorknob. "Why did we break each other's hearts?"
A moment of silence passed between them. Without turning to face him, she finally answered. "We're different people."
Sandy was ready with an answer for her. "Yeah? Well, two different people just had an amazing time together. Three amazing times, actually. Three amazing times that felt just as good as it used to. So how exactly is it different?"
"Jeez, Sandy." She finally turned around and looked at him. "I don't know. You are the freaking mayor of a town which is the epitome of everything the Sandy Cohen I knew despised. You are married to a woman you used to hate and you hate the woman you used to be married to."
"Hey," he interrupted. "I could never hate you!"
"Well, you should. I'm a bitchy workaholic. I'm a terrible mother and wife. And I'm married to the man who you've always been compared to and told that you could never be better than."
Sandy chuckled. "Well after the shows we put on, I'll never doubt that again. I mean, does he just not care about your pleasure or is he just bad at sex in general?"
"Don't get a complex." Kirsten warned, bored with the subject. After all, it was one she was too aware of.
"Oh, baby, it's too late for that."
Kirsten flinched as if she heard nails on a chalkboard. "Don't call me baby! I'm not your baby."
"Mm. That's right. You're Jimmy's." The words were bitter as they left his tongue.
"And you're Julie's! Doesn't it bother you that you've hurt your wife?"
"Oh," he smirked. "Does sleeping with your ex-wife really count as adultery?"
She glared at him, clearly not in the mood for jokes.
"Of course I didn't want to hurt Julie but you're pretty damn irresistible." She blushed and he grinned. "Plus, it's not the biggest secret that my marriage to Julie is more of a political move. We're not exactly star-crossed lovers."
"I don't know. The new Sandy Cohen and the new Julie Cooper seem kind of perfect for each other."
Sandy chuckled. "Some would say our corruption finally makes us perfect for each other."
Kirsten knew he was not talking about himself and Julie anymore.
"What do they know, right?" She murmured.
Sandy smiled sadly before chuckling. "You should have heard Ma when I told her I was marrying Julie Cooper."
Kirsten laughed. "I can't believe I missed that!"
"I've never heard so many curse words in my life. From such an old lady, too." He laughed with Kirsten before returning to the serious mood of earlier. "I bet your father was pleased at your wedding."
Kirsten rolled her eyes. "I'd rather not talk about it."
"I figured you'd be happy that your father was happy and not always telling you that you picked the wrong man."
"I guess that's what you get for assuming." She mumbled, hoping Sandy wouldn't hear.
"So you aren't happy?" He pushed.
Kirsten felt her walls go back up. She didn't come here to talk about this. "What is your problem? Why are we arguing over my marriage? It's like it confuses you."
"I just don't understand what draw he has."
Kirsten snorted. "You wouldn't."
"What does that mean?"
"He's what you're not. He's helpful. He doesn't complain. He'll actually celebrate Valentine's Day because he knows that I love it!" She smirked. "Heck, he even washes the dishes before he puts them in the dishwasher!"
"Oh, I see. You don't want to lose your little housewife, Jimmy."
"Leave him alone, Sandy!"
"Tell me, Kirsten. Do you enjoy being married to a woman?"
"Do you enjoy being a dick?"
"You were enjoying my –"
"Sandy!"
"I'm just saying didn't hear you complaining. Although, it's no wonder."
"Leave it alone, Sandy."
"When was the last time? Huh? With Jimmy, I mean. I know when the last time was."
"Why do you have to do this? You know the answer. Why ask?"
"Because. I want to know why you're even with him."
"He makes me happy."
Sandy shook his head. "He makes it easy." He said, softly.
"That's not fair!" Her eyes were filling again with tears. "He loves me."
"Exactly. He loves you. Do you really love him?"
"He does things for me. He doesn't complain about every little thing about this town. We actually have things in common! We don't scream and shout and argue about everything!"
"Yeah, great guy. Steals from everyone in town. Quits looking for a job and lives off of 'the richest girl in the county.'" Kirsten's face scrunched together in confusion. "His words, not mine." She couldn't meet his eyes. "He's a boy, Kirsten, he's not a man."
Kirsten took a few deep breaths, channeling her anger. "Like you're some great man, Sandy. You're a sellout. Mayor of Newport, ha. Shouting orders from your high castle. Caring about nothing, nobody, but yourself. You're not a man either. At least, not the man I married."
"If I'm not the man you married, then why do I miss you so much? Sometimes I miss you so much it hurts. I'll see you across the room and just want to hold you, kiss you, make love to you. Why do I feel that way? Why do I still dream about you?"
"Because we, occasionally, transform back into those people we were. Parts of our hearts belong to each other, Sandy. They always will. That part of me will always love you for you, and another part cares for you because you are the father of my child. But the rest of me is not the Kirsten Nichol you met at college or the Kirsten you married. I'm Kirsten Cooper now." Tears slipped down her cheeks. "And she can't be with Sandy Cohen, mayor of Newport."
Sandy longed to cross the room and wipe away her tears but a force greater than either of them kept him in his place. He stood helpless with his hands by his side, simply watching Kirsten.
"I'm sorry but this was a mistake. It can't happen again." She wiped her eyes. "I have to go."