Kirsten x Sandy

Kirsten x Sandy is the het ship between Kirsten Nichol and Sandy Cohen from The O.C. fandom.

Canon
Sandy and Kirsten met in college when he was on a political campaign; he tried to give Kirsten a flyer, but she refused it and so he proposed that she take the pin which she accepted as trendy. Sandy then proposed to offer her a coffee and she feeling intrigued by his personality, accepted.

Despite both having come back from important stories, Kirsten and Sandy end up falling in love and their story will lead to marriage. Years later Sandy will say that the year he met Kirsten was the best of his life.

Sandy will never get along very well with Kirsten's father, Caleb, and the same can be said of Kirsten and Sandy's mother, Sophie. This will mainly depend on the fact that the two spouses come from very different families (Kirsten was born into a rich family and is a Christian, while Sandy is Jewish and comes from a poor family).

At some point the couple will have a son Seth, and when Kirsten's mother falls ill with cancer, the family will move from Berkley to Orange County (where Kirsten's family lives) to be close to her. When Rose Nichol dies, the three will remain to live in Newport, whose bigoted and conceited society will not suit Sandy's personality.

However, Kirsten has landed an important role in her father's company the Newport Group and so the family remains to live in Orange County.

Ryan's arrival
Sandy becomes a public defense attorney and one of his clients is a boy named Ryan Atwood who tried to steal a car with his older brother Trey. Sandy manages to get him released, but realizing that Ryan's mother and her partner are not in the least able to take care of him, she gives him his business card, telling him to call him in case of need.

The need comes almost immediately: Dawn Atwood's partner throws Ryan out of the house without her objecting too much and unable to find accommodation, the boy can do nothing but ask Sandy for help who decides to host him in her house for on the weekend, without asking Kirsten if she agrees. Seth is a lonely and introverted guy, but he and Ryan make friends almost immediately.

Kirsten is far from happy to have Ryan host, but she is convinced almost immediately. Unlike his wife, Sandy thinks it's okay for Seth to be with Ryan, but when his wife tells him to take him home, he agrees. However, the two find the house deserted and so Sandy decides to keep Ryan at home for a while longer. Sandy knows he can't help but put Ryan in foster care, but that it's pretty hard for anyone to choose to adopt a teenager and Kirsten begins to empathize with the boy.

Seth tries to help Ryan not end up in foster care by hiding him in an empty house owned by Caleb, but due to the attraction between Ryan and Marissa, the latter's boyfriend, Luke and his friends attack Ryan and due to the fight the two unintentionally trigger a fire. Ryan is back in jail and Kirsten is persuaded by Seth to visit him.

An inmate makes a vulgar comment about Kirsten and when Ryan tells him to stop it, a fight breaks out. Shocked by the environment in which the boy has ended up (who grew up in a difficult situation, but he is not a criminal) Kirsten is unable to abandon him and takes him back to her house.

This time it's Sandy who doesn't like it, telling his wife that they can't keep making fun of that poor boy by pulling him out of jail to get him adopted by giving him hope and then taking it away. Kirsten retorts that she doesn't want to adopt Ryan, but seek his mother. Sandy retorts that Ryan doesn't want to look for her, but his wife still thinks it's the right thing to do. When he finds out that his wife has lent a hundred thousand dollars to Jimmy Cooper her ex without telling him anything, he gets angry not for the money, but for jealousy.

Kirsten: Ryan's gonna stay with us now.

Seth: ''That's awesome. I mean that's... that's awesome, right? Let's go talk about stuff. Come on.''

Ryan: I'll unpack later.

Sandy: Well, there's a no-return policy now, you know that.

Kirsten: ''I love you. You know that? Are we okay?''

Sandy: Yeah.

Kirsten: ''Good. Beacause we just got in way over our heads.''

- Kirsten and Sandy decide to adopt Ryan. Eventually Sandy tracks down Dawn Atwood, who broke up with the man she was with, but very soon after, she turns out to be totally unreliable and addicted to alcohol and eventually realizes she herself is unable to look after her child, so she decides to leave, leaving his son with the Cohens. At that point Kirsten is unable to abandon Ryan to his fate and she decides to adopt him, finding Sandy's immediate consent.

Sandy discovers that Jimmy is under investigation for scam and immediately decides to talk to his wife, revealing that her ex has drawn money from his clients' accounts (he is a financial advisor) to cover his debts. Kirsten is shocked by this and convinces her husband not to tell anyone what he has discovered until he has talked to Jimmy.

Kirsten is upset and convinces her husband not to tell anyone what he found out until he talks to Jimmy and after doing so she asks Sandy to defend him. Sandy, however, does not want to know, and a nasty altercation ensues. That evening Sandy just because of Jimmy doesn't want to go to the debutante ball, but he eventually changes his mind and joins Kirsten. When Jimmy is attacked by one of his clients, Sandy defends him and his wife appreciates him. Caleb visits the family and berates his daughter for adopting Ryan without consulting him and says he wants to reduce her responsibilities at work (a clear punishment). Sandy is silent, but taking advantage of a moment when he and his wife are alone, he tries to console her and proposes to resign and go back to live in Berkley. Kirsten refuses, however.

"''My dad isn't the reason we stayed here. We are. We chose this. If you're telling me that all this time you've been unhappy, that this isn't what you want, then this much a bigger conversation". - Kirsten to Sandy.''

Sandy later berates her father-in-law for treating her daughter, but the blonde doesn't like it and tries in vain to mediate between her father and her husband. Sandy later apologizes to his wife, but she points out that they didn't stay in Newport to please her father, but because they decided it and that if it made Sandy unhappy they will have to talk about it. Sandy later arrives to give Caleb advice on how to treat her daughter, all in order to see her happy. Later Sandy watches father and daughter make peace from a distance. Jimmy's wife Julie asks for a divorce and the man who has to leave home finds himself homeless and asks Kirsten for help.

Kirsten later helps her ex also to paint his new home, and when she asks Sandy if it's okay he says yes, having come to feel sorry for Jimmy. When she finds out that her husband is thinking of going to work for a law firm, Kirsten tries to dissuade him and when Sandy notices that she is pleased that he is earning a lot less than her, she feels bad. As they talk, Jimmy asks his ex if he ever thinks about how it would have been if they hadn't broken up and she admits that sometimes happens. At that point Jimmy tries to kiss her, but Kirsten refuses and Jimmy apologizes immediately realized that he acted badly and because of the sadness caused by the bad moment he is going through. Eventually Sandy accepts the job and Kirsten realizes it before she tells her, but he offers to leave him if she wants. The blonde, however, decides not to force him.

Marissa, Jimmy's daughter, learned of her parents' divorce and being cheated on by her boyfriend Luke, overdoses and ends up in the hospital. Julie then decides to ask for sole custody of her daughters. The man can not help but ask for Sandy's help, but when he arrives at his house he is not there and therefore Kirsten accompanies him to the office, but her husband is already gone, and found out that he is celebrating the first. working day in a club joins him in the company of Jimmy, becoming jealous when she sees him in the company of an attractive female colleague. The couple talk about it back home and Sandy tries to persuade his wife not to be jealous. Kirsten states that she doesn't want to accuse him of having a mistress and he points out that even though he's been spending a lot of time with his ex lately, he hasn't complained about it because he knows there's nothing between them of romantic. The two spouses then proclaim mutual trust. Sandy and Kirsten try to get together for a while in the morning, but their work commitments prevent them.

Work tensions
Kirsten: ''I was tying to keep this from my dad, and now it's in front page. I thought we could settle this privately.''

Sandy: This was not to go to the press.

Kirsten: It's your firm! And now the entire community knows we're fightning.

Sandy: Well, I guess they got the story straight.

- Kirsten and Sandy argue.

Sandy at work discovers that Caleb's company wants to build in a wilderness area and the plaintiff wants him to work on the case. When Kirsten finds out about it, she goes to talk angry with her husband, who however points out that her father wants to destroy one of the most biologically productive ecosystems in the world, so Kirsten realizes that her husband wants to take the case. The blonde tries to hide it from her father, but the news ends up on the front page and the two argue.

Sandy: ''I'm gonna take it. I gotta. I'm sorry. It's who you married.''

Kirsten: I know.

Sandy: You know, I've been pissing you off for years. Why stop now?

Kirsten: ''My father, my husband... it's gonna be a long year.''

Sandy: Could be a couple of years.

Kirsten: ''Yeah. Well, I couldn't be married to a man wasn't a man.''

Sandy: I'm all man.

Kirsten: ''We'll get through this. There's a reason why we're together.''

Sandy: I'have that suspicion.

- Kirsten accepts Sandy's decision. Sandy knows he can win the case, but he fears he might lose Kirsten, so he brings her flowers in the evening and tells her he feels compelled to take the case and in the end Kirsten says it's okay.

When the conversation comes up, Sandy points out that he and his wife have not had sex in a while and decide to enjoy a romantic evening, but due to work Sandy is forced to postpone. The next day he apologizes, and promises that they will catch up if the negotiating meeting goes well, but the meeting doesn't go well. The two later argue as Sandy realizes that Kirsten is still complaining about her having to work with Rachel, with Caleb making unkind hints. Rachel later kisses Sandy, but he ignores her. Sandy says nothing to his wife, but back home, the two finally manage to have sex. The two later try to match Rachel and Jimmy.

Jimmy grateful for all the help Sandy got and sure Kirsten told her she apologizes to the jew for kissing her when she sees her husband again, the blonde immediately realizes that something is wrong and he tells her what she has discovered. After scolding her for her jealousy over Rachel, the man goes away angry and during dinner he and his wife continue to argue about it, albeit so that her children don't understand. Eventually the two make peace. Caleb refuses to negotiate and so Sandy risks spending the Chrismukkah period (the hybrid version of Christmas and Hannukah celebrated by the Cohens) working and Kirsten then complains to her father by refusing to work during the holidays. Kirsten accidentally discovers that her father has ordered a survey on the Balboa Islands and gets something for it. Discovered that her father intends to scam Sandy (the Balboa Islands are seismologically unstable, so it is impossible to build on them, and they are not worth a damn) she decides to warn him even if it could cause her to lose her job. So thanks to Kirsten, Sandy forces Caleb to give him the Balboa Islands for the symbolic sum of one dollar.

Kirsten's sister, Hailey shows up at the Cohen house without warning and notices that Kirsten and Sandy know each other perfectly and are quite a habit. Her sister's comments prompt Kirsten to want to attend a party she told her about. The two, however, discover that they have ended up at a party where the couple is swapped and as a challenge, they decide to stay, even if in the end they will not play along and leave. Hailey settles in the Cohen house much to Sandy's annoyance, starting to live at the expense of her sister, who decides not to do anything. Knowing that the redhead is planning to go out to dinner with Jimmy, the couple decide to take advantage of the evening to be together. Unfortunately for them Hailey discovers that there is a television marathon of a series that she likes and so she decides to stay at home by inviting Jimmy too.

Having no money and not finding a job, Jimmy thinks of moving to his brother in Phoenix and Sandy who has become his friend does not want him to leave so he decides to run a restaurant with him. Kirsten supports the idea and appreciates that Sandy does so much for Jimmy. Kirsten is excited about Valentine's Day, but Sandy isn't, and when he tries to avoid her big gala that evening, she gets angry. Kirsten scolds him for never wanting to do anything she likes and refuses to go to lunch with him. Kirsten is still pissed off the next day. On the night of the gala, hearing Sandy giving love advice to Marissa Cooper, however, she is moved and forgives him. Back home Kirsten discovers that Sandy has prepared a romantic surprise for her and is very happy about it.

Caleb asks Kirsten to convince Sandy to help his friend Shaun who got drunk and got the wrong room in a hotel. Kirsten cares about Shaun too, but she tells her father that if after so many years of ignoring him he wants Sandy's help, he has to ask him. In fact, Sandy rejoices us, and realizes that it was Kirsten who told her father to talk to him and decides to help him, which his wife appreciates. Sandy, however, realizes that Shaun has entered that room to do industrial espionage for Caleb, but the man points out that if he is indicted for something he could get away with accusing Caleb whom he has known for forty years and of whom he knows many secrets. Sandy is then forced to accept when Caleb tells him that if he sinks, Kirsten will follow him as his daughter and big shot of his company the Newport Group. Sandy later forces his father-in-law to tell Kirsten the whole truth if he wants his help. Caleb eventually does, and his daughter is upset when he finds out what wrongdoing he is involved in. Sandy sets out to help her, but she states that she won't let her get caught up in Caleb's cheating or have her compromise to protect her. To protect his wife, Sandy helps Shaun by convincing the plaintiff to drop the complaint by going against his principles for Kirsten's sake.

Kirsten: ''I talked to my dad. He told me what you did.''

Sandy: ''Obstructed justice. Tempered with a witness.''

Kirsten: So, what happens now?

Sandy: ''My guess is, not much. Since it's an election year, the DA can't afford to lose. And without this star witness, the don't really have a case. And if you're gonna go after the king, Caleb then you have better know you can kill the king.''

Kirsten: I told you I didn't want you to get involved.

Sandy: I do what's best for my family.

Kirsten: I'd rather go to jail than be responsable for you being mixed up in this, getting into bed with my father.

- Kirsten confronts Sandy about his actions Caleb tells her daughter what her husband did and Kirsten talks to Sandy about it saying she would rather go to jail than see him go against his ideals, but he declares that he will always act in the interest of the family.

Discovered through Ryan that Hailey has started a stripper in Los Angeles, Sandy decides not to say anything to his wife so as not to disappoint her as she believes her sister works as an aerobics teacher.

Sandy gets tense when his mother arrives for the Seder (Passover), and his wife tries to calm him down. The lady is strangely polite and when Sandy suspects something is going on, Kirsten tries to push him not to investigate.

Sophie: You married a woman whose father represents everything I have fought against my entire life.

Sandy: I did't marry her because of her father's politcs or principles.

- Sandy defends his love for Kirsten too against his mother suffering from a dangerous disease. Sandy finally asks his mother for an explanation. The woman admits to being ill with lung cancer and Kirsten then hugs her husband in an attempt to comfort him.

The two later try to get Sophie to heal, and when she complains about her marriage to Kirsten whose father is the perfect antithesis of his values, the man says that this has nothing to do with his relationship with his wife. Kirsten later talks to her mother-in-law and manages to push her to chemotherapy.

Unfortunately, the restaurant's alcohol license is revoked as the commission manager was a client of Jimmy's and wants revenge and on hearing this Kirsten urges her husband to ask Caleb for help and eventually he is persuaded. Caleb fails to get Sandy and Jimmy licensed, but offers to buy the restaurant. Later Julie and Caleb decide to get married and Kirsten doesn't like it at all, but Sandy seems to take it more philosophically and she complains.

Sandy accompanies Caleb to Las Vegas along with his children and Jimmy, for his bachelor party, but begins to find suspicious that he paid the restaurant so well and found out that he just sold the area where the restaurant is located for two billion arrives. to ask Kirsten for information.

Sandy eventually discovers that Caleb has arranged for them to be denied their license in order to sell the property at an exorbitant price, and then informs his father-in-law that he has screwed himself because considering the fraud he committed the property will be blocked. from a civil lawsuit that could drag on for years and this eliminates its value. It turns out that Caleb also blackmailed Marissa into making her move in with him and Julie and Jimmy punches him in front of an entire restaurant. Disgusted Sandy leaves with his friend.

The departure of Ryan and Seth
Later the man tells everything to his wife and since the wedding will soon take place, she tries to push him to reconcile with Caleb by seducing him. They later learn that Ryan's ex-girlfriend Theresa is pregnant, either with him or with another man who beat her Eddie.

For the sake of his wife Sandy visits his father-in-law who admits he attempted real estate speculation because the Newport Group is in dire straits. Sandy comments in amazement that Kirsten hasn't told him anything and Caleb replies that she runs the only part of the company that is always profitable and therefore she knows nothing about it. Sandy keeps the secret for the moment and in the meantime Theresa decides to have an abortion. Sandy agrees, but Kirsten (who unbeknownst to everyone after graduation has aborted a child she was expecting from Jimmy), reminds her that she doesn't have to and the young woman finally thinks about it. Sandy isn't happy with that, but Kirsten defends her positions. Eventually Ryan decides to return to his hometown Chino to help Theresa raise the baby. All the Cohens are devastated and Sandy tries to console his wife as much as she can, but another shock soon comes to them as Seth decides to escape to Tahiti by boat the same day.

Season 2
Sandy: ''What do you want me to do? Tie him up, stuff him in a trunk?''

Kirsten: ''At this point? Yes. I have enough of your hippie parenting psychobabble.''

Sandy: ''So thath's the problem. It's not just smothering overprotectiviness that kept him from having a friend until Ryan came. Sometimes the best thing for a kid is to have some space.''

Kirsten: ''The Pacific Ocean? That's not enough space?''

Sandy: If you force him to return, he'll wanna run away again.

Kirsten: ''I don't care what he wants. I don't care what he thinks is fair. He could have died out there.''

Sandy: ''Okay, so you can blame me. And he can blame us. And we can keep passing the buck all summer long.''

Kirsten: ''Summer is over. School is starting.''

Sandy: ''This is were he belongs. He's figure that out.''

Kirsten: ''I'm tired of waiting for that. Bring him home, Sandy. Bring him home.''

- Kirsten and Sandy argue over the best way to get Seth home.

Seth camps in Portland with his friend Luke for the summer, but when the holidays draw to a close, he doesn't seem to want to go back to Newport. To make up for the lack of her children, Kirsten starts doing tons of housework and takes it out on Sandy because he doesn't do anything to at least get Seth back.

The return of Seth and Ryan
Sandy joins his son in Portland, but since the boy makes it clear that he does not want to return to Newport because he hates it just like him Sandy decides to allow him to stay in Oregon.

Ryan in turn decides to join Seth to convince him to go home, only to discover that Theresa has lost the baby (a lie told by the girl who doesn't want the boy to be with her out of a sense of duty). At that point the two boys decide to return to Newport and Kirsten and Sandy are delighted to welcome them back.

Later, Sandy is nervous because Caleb risks quite big legal trouble, he argues with the boss of the workers who fix the house and he quits leaving them with the house all in a mess. Kirsten surprised by her husband's outburst thinks that it depends on how she tormented him in the summer and she apologizes. He tells her that she has nothing to do with his outburst and when Caleb is mentioned in their conversation she realizes from Sandy's expression that he has done something else.

Sandy's law firm forbids him from defending Caleb and so he resigns to represent him and help him and Kirsten. When Caleb gives Julie the leadership of the Newport Group instead of Kirsten, Sandy becomes very angry and tells Caleb that if she doesn't find a way to please the blonde as well, she won't represent him. The next day Sandy tries to cheer up his wife and pushes her to tell her father about it. Later Sandy begins to feel that Caleb's case is lost in the first place and complains to his wife who in turn complains about having to work with Julie. The two understand that Caleb is hiding something and the blonde begs her husband to investigate.

Caleb's legal situation continues to deteriorate, and Kirsten tries to persuade her husband not to risk trouble, but to no avail. Eventually Sandy discovers the woman his father-in-law has been giving money to for years didn't take a bribe to issue him building permits, but did accept them to raise the daughter they had after a brief relationship. Finally Sandy that Caleb's illegitimate daughter is Ryan's new girlfriend Lindsay! Though that makes the revelation all the more urgent, he's silent, thinking it's up to Caleb to tell Kirsten if he wants to. In the end, however, when he realizes that the relationship between his adopted son and the young Wheeler is becoming serious, Sandy decides to reveal the truth to him and Seth, making them promise to keep the secret. Eventually Caleb is forced to admit everything in front of the whole family, and the Coopers and Summer. Realizing that her husband already knew, Kirsten asks him why she kept the secret and he hides behind the secrecy and Kirsten gets angry with him as well as with Caleb. Sandy and Seth then convince Caleb to give his daughter time to process the news. Sandy asks Ryan to hide his relationship with Lindsay from Kirsten and he agrees. Kirsten and Sandy's anniversary arrives but Seth keeps making trouble with his new girlfriend Alex (sneaking out, getting drunk etc) plus Sandy forgets how many years he and Kirsten have been married and she gets upset. Because of Seth, Kirsten doesn't intend to go out of town with her husband for the anniversary, but he grounds him and Ryan... too bad he then catches Seth trying to get away again, while Kirsten sees Ryan and Lindsay, while they are to have sex.

Sandy tries to resolve the situation with Seth, but Kirsten doesn't want to leave anyway and says he's too permissive and a fight breaks out related to Seth's summer getaway. In addition, Kirsten claims to have canceled Sandy's hotel reservation. Eventually Seth and Ryan agree with Sandy to help him organize a romantic surprise for his wife. Before the surprise takes place, the woman apologizes to her husband, and when she sees the party that her husband and children have organized for her, she is very happy. Some time later Kirsten decides to ask Sandy to help her improve the reputation of the Newport Group and he suggests they build houses for low income families, an idea which Kirsten approves of.

Julie unfortunately has completely different plans, but her idea is also good and Kirsten doesn't reject it a priori. Caleb however finds it a stupid idea and decides to ask for the support of Sandy and Kirsten to reject it and the former agrees.

When Kirsten surprisingly supports the redhead's idea, Sandy gets angry and leaves, but the blonde later decides to support his proposal. Kirsten later helps Sandy find a location for his law firm.

The return of Rebecca and the arrival of Carter
Shortly afterwards Max, Sandy's ex-professor, father of ex-girlfriend Rebecca, asks the man to help him find her daughter, who has been on the run for twenty-two years. Sandy accepts, and Kirsten looks a little concerned. One of Sandy's sources from Rebecca for dead, and when she tries to comfort him, he hints that he doesn't believe it and continues to investigate. Later Kirsten openly tells her husband that she believes he is still in love with Rebecca and he denies it. She later receives proof of her ex's death and Kirsten apologizes. Soon after, however, Rebecca shows up with her father in Sandy's office. Sandy decides not to tell his wife that Rebecca is alive and back so as not to make Kirsten his accomplice, as he is technically hiding a fugitive. Rebecca only intends to stay a couple of days, but Max convinces Sandy to defend her in court as he's convinced there's a good chance of clearing her and Sandy agrees, telling Kirsten he just wants to clear Rebecca's name. Sandy doesn't like lying to his wife, but he thinks it's for the best. That night Caleb has a slight heart attack, and Sandy rushes to Kirsten, but when she finds out that her father is out of danger, she tells him that it is better to avoid seeing each other, since she doesn't have to stress and the two of them don't get along very well, so Sandy goes back to work. Rebecca finally pushes Sandy to join his wife and he goes home to cook her dinner. Unfortunately, Kirsten decides to reciprocate by setting up her husband's studio, and runs into Rebecca hiding there.

Sandy: ''I think I know what this is about. And I can explain.''

Kirsten: You lied to me, Sandy.

Sandy: I didn't lie.

Kirsten: You told me Rebecca was dead.

Sandy: When I told you thath, I thought she was.

Kirsten: ''I went to your office. She was there.''

Sandy: You saw there.

Kirsten: ''And then I came home you and I had dinner, and nothing. You didn't say a word.''

Sandy: ''She's accused of a very serious crime. Anything I would tell about her could make you an accessory,''

Kirsten: ''Don't try to get off on a technicality. This is about our marriage. You and I come first.''

Sandy: ''I did what I thought I had to. She's innocent. And she's my client.''

Kirsten: ''She's not just your client. You were in love with her. Don't pretend this isn't complicated.''

Sandy: ''You damn right it's complicated. Look. There's going on between us.''

- Sandy and Kirsten discuss Rebecca. When Valentine's Day arrives, Sandy decides to celebrate it more thinking that his wife needs fun and relaxation between Caleb's heart attack and the discovery of Lindsay's existence, but Kirsten, angry at his lies, throws away one of the decks of roses bought by her husband in the garbage disposal. Sandy understands why and tries to explain herself to Kirsten who is angry and jealous.

Sandy then decides to give up Rebecca's case to avoid further tensions in his marriage and back home he talks to Kirsten who says that if she wants to defend Rebecca he won't stop her, but he tells her that he has decided to pass the case on to a colleague and she is happy about it.

Max's sudden death leads Rebecca to decide to let it go and leave and knowing it, Kirsten tells her husband to go and say goodbye if he wants, which he decides to do. Eventually the two share a kiss, but soon after Sandy leaves.

Kirsten: I told them Professor Bloom came here two weeks ago and asked you to clear Rebecca.

Sandy: That's it?

Kirsten: ''You mean, did I tell them where Rebecca is staying? No, I did not.''

Sandy: ''I'm protected. I'm her lawyer. But if you withold information, you could be persecuted.''

Kirsten: Are you worried I'd withhold information or tell them too much?

Sandy: It's not a choice between protecting you and Rebecca.

Kirsten: ''Oh, I think it is. And I think you've made that choice Sandy.''

- One of the many discussions of the two spouses about Rebecca. Kirsten binds Rebecca's story to her finger, but despite not liking it, she decides to trust Sandy when he and Rebecca meet to pay homage to Max's memory (it is not possible to give him a real funeral, because Rebecca as a wanted woman could not go there). Rebecca is no longer interested in being rehabilitated, and has no intention of trying to win Sandy back again, but he tries to convince her not to give up. The FBI goes to question Kirsten, but she doesn't mention that Rebecca is in Newport and this later leads to an argument between her and her husband. Kirsten later goes to talk to Rebecca and she admits that she still loves Sandy, but also says that nothing happened between them. Later Sandy discovers that Kirsten and Rebecca have met and that's why the second has left and this triggers another argument between the two spouses. A chill forms between the couple due to this, and Kirsten is annoyed when Rebecca calls Sandy on the phone. Due to the rain, Sandy and Rebecca are stranded outside the city and are forced to stay overnight in a motel. Sandy however makes it clear to Rebecca that nothing will ever happen between them and warns Kirsten and the two seem to start to sort things out. When Sandy returns, Kirsten kisses him back. After these events Rebecca flees again.

Sandy discovers his wife has lost a ring he won for her at the carnival and sets out to win her another one. Meanwhile Kirsten meets a journalist named Carter who came to work for the magazine wanted by Julie and she feels attracted. To try to spend time together Sandy tries to teach his wife to play golf, but she quickly gets bored. Hoping to restore harmony between them, Sandy begins planning a family trip, but it doesn't come to fruition due to various circumstances. Ryan's brother Trey is released from prison and Kirsten and Sandy agree quite well to try and help him out. Julie notices Kirsten's crush, even if she vehemently denies it and the blonde doesn't complain about her husband's decision to host Trey for a few days and tries to prevent him from knowing Carter.

When the two men finally meet, Kirsten seems nervous. Carter comes to fear that Kirsten thinks he's hitting on her, but he assures her that's not the case. Sandy begins to befriend Carter and even tries to set him up with a female Erin, but Kirsten sabotages their relationship. Due to Kirsten's sabotage, Erin refuses to take Carter to Santa Barbara for a wine tasting. Knowing that Carter will have to go alone, Sandy offers his wife to keep him company and she readily accepts. The two go overboard with the wine and are forced to spend the night in Santa Barbara. For Sandy this is not a problem, because as he tells Trey he trusts Kirsten. The blonde eventually finds a driver to get home, probably thinking about how she felt when Sandy was with Rebecca.

Sandy's mother Sophie decides to get married and wants her son to walk her down the aisle, so he and the children join the woman in Miami. As soon as she is alone, Kirsten inquires about Carter's whereabouts. But Carter has decided to accept a job offer in New York and will go there on Monday. Kirsten says she's happy for him and she accepts an invitation to dinner on Sunday to say goodbye. While talking to her mother, Sandy admits that things have gotten better between him and Kirsten. Sandy discovers that the man wanted to screw his mother and therefore the marriage goes uphill; he offers to stay with Sophie for a while after but she goads him back to Kirsten who ends up sharing a kiss with Carter but that ends there. Sandy decides to take his wife to Palm Springs for the weekend and accepts them, but then received a gift that Carter had left her backs down. She also later tries to contact Carter, but later leaves him a message asking him not to call her back.

Kirsten's alcoholism
Sandy: Did something happen between you and Carter?

Kirsten: Don't do it like this.

Sandy: Just tell me.

Kirsten: Is that what you really think?

Sandy: ''Is it so crazy? You have a close relationship when we're going through a hard time. When he leaves, you go on a bender.''

Kirsten: Nothing happened. The same way nothing happened between you and Rebecca.

Sandy: Why are you bringing that up again?

Kirsten: ''Again? Sandy, what you think this is? What do you think Carter was about?''

Sandy: I want you to tell me.

Kirsten: You left me.

Sandy: Did you have an affair with him?

Kirsten: You don't get it, do you?

Sandy: No.

- Kirsten and Sandy fight over Carter and Rebecca

Sandy realizes that his wife is overdoing the alcohol, and tries to talk to her about it, and the blonde tries to reassure him. Kirsten later tells Julie that she and Sandy have been drifting apart since September. Sandy himself realizes something is wrong and asks Kirsten if there was something between her and Carter and the two argue.

Kirsten: I'm sorry.

Sandy: ''Oh, honey, it was my fault. You were trying to tell me something, and I wasn't listening. Tell me where you are and I'll pick you up.''

Kirsten: ''I'm coming home. I thought I was losing you.''

Sandy: That's never gonna happen.

- Sandy and Kirsten make up. Kirsten doesn't come home that night and her husband goes looking for her, but then she calls Sandy and apologizes, but having been drinking she gets into a car accident. Sandy rushes to his wife's bedside and discovering that she was driving drunk, tries to convince her to go to the clinic to detox. Although she does not want her, Sandy defends her from Caleb angry with her daughter for what happened. The woman and her father end up arguing, and she realizes she's gone too far, but Sandy tries to comfort her. Sandy discovers that Kirsten has been hiding some alcohol, and the two argue about it, but sadly that same night Caleb has a heart attack and dies, much to Kirsten's grief. Sandy has that point decides to commit Kirsten, who goes heavy on alcohol during Caleb's memorial. While Hailey and Ryan realize there's nothing else they can do now, Seth initially resists the idea, but Sandy eventually talks him out. Sandy then invites a doctor and together with her and Hailey's children they manage to convince Kirsten to go to the clinic.

Kirsten: ''I'm so sorry, Sandy. What I said to you, put you through.''

Sandy: Now, ''we can bend this thing. It doesn't mean it's gonna break.''

- Sandy and Kirsten before she starts therapy.

Sandy accompanies his wife to the Suriak clinic and tries to cheer her up as best he can and is disappointed when he discovers that the regulation of the structure does not allow contact with the outside for the first three days, so he stays for a moment with his wife who apologizes for the happened. He consoles her and leaves.

Season 3
Sandy has a stressful summer not only from missing Kirsten, but also because Trey tried to force Marissa to have sex with him and she had to shoot him to defend Ryan during a fight between the two brothers and Sandy is forced to hire again Ryan's defense. Kirsten has worked hard to overcome her addiction, and the doctor decides to release her from the clinic. However, the words of another patient make her doubt herself, so Kirsten decides to postpone her return home. She will leave the clinic, but instead of going home she will go to a friend's cottage to make sure she is cured. Sandy is clearly disappointed, but he respects his wife's decision.

Kirsten: I'm home.

Sandy: Oh, thank God you're are all right.

Kirsten: ''I'm so sorry I scared you. I think I even scared myself.''

Sandy: Where were you?

Kirsten: ''In a sleazy motel with a bottle of vodka. But I didn't drink. Oh, Sandy I'm sick of hiding from my life. I want to live it again.''

Sandy: If things get messy, we'll clean them up together.

- Kirsten decides to go home. Kirsten at the suggestion of her friend Charlotte, decides to invite Sandy to dinner and he accepts. Sandy later goes to inform Kirsten about the reading of Caleb's will, and doesn't trust Charlotte very much, still respecting Kirsten's will. When the blonde decides to be present at the opening of the will, her husband is very happy. When she learns that before he died, Caleb left her a letter written after their last fight, Kirsten storms off angrily and ignores Sandy's attempts to calm her down. The blonde doesn't come back to Charlotte and her husband worries. The next morning, however, she returns home saying that she has decided to stay there.

Though he doesn't want to stress his wife, Sandy at one point tells her that they have to make a decision about Newport Group whether to try to save it or sell it. Sandy promises to accept every decision of Kirsten, and the woman decides to sell. Jack Ass the enforcer of discipline at Harbor tries to make sure that Ryan can no longer go to university and he decides to get to work, embarking on a fishing boat and Sandy decides to give him permission. Kirsten disagrees, but he points out that they can't decide for Ryan and she's convinced. Luckily Seth and Summer discover that Ass is having an affair with a student, Taylor, and manage to get proof of it, so Sandy forces Ass to resign and readmit Ryan to school. Sandy finds someone interested in buying the Newport Group, but makes sure his wife really wants to sell it. Eventually Sandy decides to run the Newport Group himself and Kirsten backs him up. Kirsten later cheers Sandy up after he had to lay off four people for budgetary reasons. Sandy really wants Seth to go to the same university he and Kirsten went to, Berkley, but she tells him she can recommend it, but not force it on him and he admits she's right. When she discovers that Sandy has invited an old friend of theirs who now teaches at Berkley to dinner, Kirsten doesn't protest, although she understands that he is doing everything to convince their children to go to study there. Chrismukkah arrives and it's the first without Caleb, so Sandy tries to force his wife, also because their children will go to college next year and therefore they may not celebrate with them anymore. Ryan and Seth later try to raise money to help their friend Johnny get surgery, and Sandy and Kirsten agree to help. Sandy later tries to help the boys and Summer get Marissa readmitted to Harbor and learns that the judge who will be hearing the case has a drug addict son and wonders whether or not to take advantage of it. She talks to Kirsten about it and she tells him to act like he's still a prosecutor and Marissa is still a client of his. Sandy succeeds in the enterprise, implicitly exploiting that information and for this reason Kirsten considers him a hero. Later Kirsten and Julie set up a lonely hearts agency and Veronica Townsend asks Kirsten to set her up with Neil Roberts and she goes to Sandy to ask him to get Summer's father to agree. Sandy isn't happy about it, but he accepts. The date goes surprisingly well, but since Neil is fresh from his second divorce and Veronica is a beautiful woman it is not difficult for her to twist him and Summer strongly disapproves of the relationship, so Sandy and Kirsten team up with her and Seth, to make sure that Veronica loses interest in Dr. Roberts. Eventually Seth tells a lie to Taylor who repeats it to her mother, and then Veronica lets Neil go.

When Sandy threatens to lose the contract to build a hospital, Kirsten cheers him up and tries to convince him not to give up and win the contract his own way. Sandy tries, but in the end he decides to convince the buyer with elegant dinners and his assistant gets him some strippers and so they win the contract. Sandy later doesn't have the heart to tell his wife how he won the contract. Kirsten continues to be Sandy's rock as he questions the direction of the Newport Group. Later the woman lends a hand to her husband's right arm to go out with a girl in exchange for a romantic evening on Valentine's Day.

Sandy really takes the construction of the hospital to heart, but Kirsten doesn't approve of him wanting to exploit the romance between his collaborator Matt and Maya, the daughter of an influential doctor. Kirsten begins to notice that Sandy is getting too involved and crossing the line, albeit for a good cause. Ryan's 18th birthday is coming up and Kirsten and Sandy think they should invite some of his relatives over. Since his father is in jail and Trey skipped town after nearly getting him arrested, the two fall back on his mother Dawn. Sandy is not very convinced, also because the woman hasn't heard from her for almost two years, but in the end Kirsten persuades him to try to look for her. However, Sandy discovers that Dawn has also ended up in jail and manages to get her released from prison and interned in a detoxification center, but the woman in the end limits herself to sending her son a letter.

Kirsten: Promise me you're gonna quit this thing.

Sandy: ''Oh, honey. It's complicated''.

Kirsten: It's not.

Sandy: It's about more than the hospital.

Kirsten: Do you forget that I worked at that company for 15 years and I saw what happened to my father?

Sandy: ''I'm not gonna become your father. But I can't just quit.''

- Kirsten worries that Sandy will become like her father. Because of work Sandy has to postpone a romantic evening with his wife and even if Kirsten is a bit upset, but she accepts it. Later, she fears that her husband is working with a crooked businessman and tells him to get out of the deal, but he refuses and Kirsten walks away, fearing Sandy is becoming like Caleb. When it comes time to graduate, Kirsten would like to invite Dawn again, but neither Sandy nor Ryan are convinced, and Kirsten while talking to her husband, mockingly brings up his recent decisions related to the Newport Group. One evening Sandy promises Kirsten to come back soon to talk and clear things up, but she doesn't do it to prevent her ex-assistant from being beaten up again by a businessman he's blackmailing. Kirsten becomes disillusioned and nearly drinks again. Seth and Ryan leave to visit the colleges they're going to attend (or rather Ryan does, Seth's purpose is to beg for an admission) and Kirsten drives them to the airport, while Sandy misses due to a meeting, which seems to worry the blonde. At the airport Kirsten notices Ryan's ex Theresa with a baby and goes to talk to her husband about it. Sandy takes the opportunity to apologize, but when she finds out why Sandy is visiting, she decides not to tell Ryan until he gets back from Berkley.

Sandy: You told him.

Kirsten: I didn't think he'd come home.

Sandy: Oh, you know Ryan better than that.

Kirsten: ''It just happened. You weren't there. You had to take a business call.''

Sandy: Oh, so you told Ryan about Theresa to punish me.

Kirsten: ''I told him. He asked. He has right to know.''

Sandy: ''Theresa hasn't demanded anything of him. Why should we?''

Kirsten: ''Being a father is important. Being a family is important. There was a time you'd be making this argument.''

Sandy: What's that mean?

Kirsten: You know what I'm talking about.

Sandy: ''I know that we have to talk about this more, and I can't right now. I gotta go to the office before dinner.''

Kirsten: ''It'll have to wait. Fine.''

- Kirsten and Sandy discuss Ryan and Theresa. That night, however, Kirsten decides to tell Ryan everything and he comes home immediately and when Sandy finds out, he and his wife argue. The blonde is uncomfortable because of the importance Sandy now gives to the Newport Group and makes him understand that she doesn't like it and that he is becoming more and more like Caleb. Since the school year is almost over, Kirsten and Sandy decide to postpone a clarification to devote themselves to their children. Kirsten drinks again, but she doesn't tell her husband. Sandy is sued because of dealings with Griffin and decides not to tell his wife. He is later named Man of the Year, but Kirsten is unimpressed as she is assigned to him for the hospital.

Sandy: ''So have you drinking again? No explanation, no jugdment. I just wanna know. Oh, I wish you'd talked to me.''

Kirsten: I tried.

Sandy: ''That night you called? I wish I had know.''

Kirsten: ''Then you would have come? The only thing that would get you to talk to me was the treath of a relapse?''

Sandy: I hope you know that's not true.

Kirsten: ''I don't know that. Oh, Sandy, I'm sorry. For everything. Especially the relapse. And more importantly, for keeping it secret.''

Sandy: I'm sorry too.

- The Cohens make up. Eventually the blonde finds out about the complaint through Julie and discovering that her husband has decided not to tell her anything, she joins him in the office and confronts him, after this Kirsten drinks again. Eventually Sandy discovers that his wife has started drinking again, through Seth and the two blame each other's shortcomings. The two eventually make it clear and Kirsten also tries to get Seth to reconcile with her father, and he agrees, but first goes to the Newport Group headquarters to run an errand and starts a fire by mistake. Sandy later publicly apologized to his wife and son. Due to the security footage Seth is arrested. He declares it was an accident, but Sandy doesn't know whether to believe him and talks about it with his wife. Eventually he decides to keep his doubts to himself.

Unfortunately after graduation, Ryan and Marissa are involved in a car accident; Ryan is not seriously injured, but Marissa dies. The death of his ex has a devastating effect on the young Atwood who doesn't go to university, leaves the Cohen house and starts playing cage matches.

Fanon
is a popular ship in The O.C. Despite being a teen drama and their characters being always seen as adults (except in a flashback), being the only adult couple who remain together throughout the series has been something fans of the ship enjoy. According to them, this shows that they have a marriage that always remains strong, despite the shocks. There are fanfics and videos dedicated to this ship. And on AO3, the ship currently has over 60 works.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Kirsten/Sandy on Fanfiction.net
 * Kirsten/Sandy on Fanfiction.net