Disclaimer: I don't own The OC or its characters, etc. I took the name of this fic from an episode of ER, so I don't own that either!

Summary: A storm hits Newport, so Sandy, Kirsten, Seth and Ryan lock themselves up in the house for the night. It's set towards the end of season one – post-The Heartbreak and pre-Theresa, although the timing isn't too important. This is just a bit of fun! Hopefully I'll post the rest of the story this week.

I hope you enjoy it!

Kirsten sat at the long table drumming her fingernails against the solid oak. She could hear a murmur of voices in the room but her mind was elsewhere. Outside, the wind was strong and through the windows she could see the branches of the trees waving wildly.

"Mrs Cohen?"

Kirsten felt a tap on her shoulder. She shook her head, focusing on her immediate surroundings. Slowly, she remembered where she was.

Work. Meeting. Clients.

She bolted upright in her chair.

"I'm sorry?" she apologised, hoping her lapse in concentration had not been too noticeable.

"The figures? When can you have them done by?" a man in a dark suit asked her. She could hear slight agitation in his voice.

Mr Taylor. Golf club development. Figures.

"How about by the end of next week?" Kirsten answered.

She waited as Mr Taylor paused, considering her offer. Maybe that was too long? She should have suggested the beginning of the week, or the middle.

"That sounds fine," Mr Taylor said eventually.

Kirsten sighed, relieved. She had no idea if getting the numbers was even possible, but at least he seemed happy. She ended the meeting as quickly as she could, grateful to get back to the safety of her office. She stood by the window and opened the folds of the blinds with her slim fingers. It was hard to focus on anything through the rain that had started to pour down. Large puddles were already starting to form in the car park below. The trees were moving in the wind, leaves floating in the air, being pushed in every direction. It was early in the afternoon but the usual California sun was hidden behind big black clouds and it was already dark outside.

Kirsten let go of the blinds and they snapped back into position. She wrapped her arms around her body and shivered. The weather report at lunchtime had threatened a huge storm. Kirsten hated storms – they were noisy and unpredictable, and she had seen them do a lot of damage.

Moving away from the window, Kirsten sat at her desk and picked up the telephone.

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Ryan ran across the schoolyard, his coat unsuccessfully covering him from the rain and his bag banging against the top of his thigh. The rain was starting to get heavier and his gym class had been cancelled. He came crashing through the doors to the cafeteria, glad to be inside. He spied Seth and Summer sitting on the sofas and made his way to meet them. They were so deeply engrossed in each other they didn't notice Ryan until he dumped his bag and coat on the floor and shook his head, covering them with drops of rain from his hair.

"Hey!" Summer cried.

Ryan grinned. "Sorry."

He flopped down on the sofa opposite them.

"Gym class was cancelled, huh?" Seth said, gesturing towards Ryan's wet clothes.

"Yep. And soccer practice," Ryan moaned.

"Great!" Seth said.

Ryan groaned inwardly at Seth's excitement.

"How about me and you take a little trip to the comic book store after school? The new Legion's out," Seth said.

Ryan smiled unenthusiastically. "Sounds great."

Seth clapped his hands in excitement and started babbling about superheroes. Summer picked up a magazine from the table in front of them and started to flick through the pages. Ryan closed his eyes and leaned back into the soft cushion of the sofa, only half-listening to Seth's ramblings. He was glad when Seth's cell phone interrupted him.

Seth fumbled around with his coat pocket, finally pulling out his phone.

"Hey cutie," Seth answered the phone, one eye slyly watching for a reaction from Summer. He was disappointed. She rolled her eyes and carried on reading her magazine without lifting her head.

"Seth?"

Seth paused, then sighed. "Hey Mom."

Summer's lips curled as she tried to suppress a smile and Ryan shook his head in amusement.

"I want you and Ryan to come straight home after school today, ok?" Kirsten ordered.

"Err, no can do, Mother. Ryan and I have a very important trip to the comic store planned," Seth answered.

Ryan opened his eyes at the sound of his name. Seth rolled his eyes in Ryan's direction.

"Not today, you don't. There's a big storm on the way and I want you both home before it hits," Kirsten said.

Seth opened his mouth to protest but closed it again. He knew that there was no way he would win this argument.

"Ok, we'll come straight home," Seth answered.

"I mean it, Seth," Kirsten warned.

"Straight home, I promise," Seth reassured her.

"Make sure Ryan knows," Kirsten said.

"He's sat right opposite me, Mom, I'll tell him," Seth said.

"Ok, I'll see you later."

"Bye, Mom."

"What was that about?" Ryan asked as soon as Seth had hung up. His mind was buzzing as he tried to think of a reason Kirsten would be mad and want them home straight from school. He hadn't been in a fight for weeks and for Ryan, that was quite an accomplishment.

"Mom wants us home straight after school," Seth said, his tone mimicking Kirsten's.

"Why?" Ryan asked.

"She says there's a storm-a-brewing," Seth explained. "Mom hates storms, she always has. So when one hits, she gets all neurotic and locks us all the house until it's over."

Ryan tried to imagine Kirsten neurotic. She was usually so together about everything, so in control. He couldn't imagine her getting worked up about something as small as a storm. The four of them locked in the house together? It was going to be an interesting night…

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"Mr Cohen, your wife is on the phone," a voice came through the speaker on his desk. Sandy stared at it. When he had worked in the PD's office, they had yelled through the door at him. At Partridge, Savage and Kahn there was no yelling. No excitement.

He picked up the telephone. "Hello beautiful."

"Hey," Kirsten's voice rang.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else," Sandy teased her. He could feel her smile through the telephone.

"You're not working late tonight, are you?"

Sandy held back a laugh. She was straight to the point, as usual. He had been expecting her telephone call all day after seeing the weather reports threatening a night of heavy storms. He had already rearranged his schedule for the day so that he would finish early.

"No, honey. I'll be home by 5," Sandy answered, hoping to placate her.

"Good. I called Seth, the boys will be home straight after school." She paused. "I'm over-reacting, aren't I?"

"Yes," Sandy answered without hesitation. "But in an adorable way."

Kirsten smiled ruefully. "I'm sorry, I just…"

"…don't like storms, I know," Sandy said gently. "Try not to worry, ok? We'll lock ourselves in for the night and force the boys to play scrabble and watch chick-flick movies."

Kirsten smiled. She loved the way he always knew what to say.

"I'd better go. I promised a client some figures by the end of next week," Kirsten sighed. "I'll see you at home."

"Bye, honey."

Sandy hung up the telephone and leant back in his ridiculously expensive leather chair. He looked at the big pile of case files that he had to get through before the end of the day and sighed. It was going to be a long afternoon…