It was the evening, just after Danny and Riley's wedding, and Ben was feeling guilty for not being happier for them. Not that he hadn't been the model best man and brother in law, running every aspect of the wedding to perfection, convincing everyone of his contentment at the turn of events, the very picture of conviviality and good will. To anyone who had been aware of his past feelings for his new sister in law, any inconvenient emotions had been effaced with the ease of an Etch-a-Sketch. But as the wedding dinner concluded, and as the various guests danced and ate appetizers, and as the happy couple prepared for their wedding night before leaving for a honeymoon on a Caribbean island so lovely that it had overcome Riley's fear of flying, Ben was seriously miserable. Weddings were apparently a wonderful time for easy hookups, but that clearly wasn't the case for Ben at this wedding, or the last three weddings he had been at. Indeed, he couldn't help but remember that it was at the first of these weddings that Ben had first realized he had feelings for Riley. Three times he had tried to start a relationship with her, and three times he had failed. He had better luck pushing her into his brother's arms at the second of these weddings, when his mother tried and failed to marry her second husband.

Ben looked at his watch. He had about half an hour before he picked up his two year old daughter from Riley's sister Rebecca. Supposedly in that time he could find a beautiful woman for an aforementioned hookup, and renegotiate with Rebecca so that he wouldn't have to worry about Emma until the morning. But his heart just wasn't in it. As he wandered near the open bar it occurred to him that the reason why the attractive young woman from Riley's law firm in the sleeveless dress had spent twenty minutes talking to him about The Terminator franchise was that she actually wanted to sleep with him. But he just ignored her and he realized that the rather irritating contracts law expert who had been hovering around them had probably picked her up when Ben left her to check up on Tucker.

One thing that made him feel guilty was that everyone he cared for was so happy, that he felt his own unhappiness was a perverse malice on his part. He wanted to be happy for them, he wanted to take heart from their happiness, and realize that however poorly he felt now everything would be better. After all he was barely 25: four years ago he wouldn't have imagined marrying before 30. Surely his disappointment with Riley was merely a learning experience, a stepping stone to better and more fuller relationships in the future. Once again, he thought of his mother. There was no shortage of complications with her second marriage. Her husband was substantially younger than she was, it had been a very rocky courtship with all sorts of problems, and his Mom was, after all, his Mom. But after her second and successful attempt to marry Brad, things had went surprisingly well. Bonnie had not actually mellowed, had not stopped imposing or interfering in the life of her children, or had been any slower to stress that she was clearly right or been any less quick to take offense at any lapse or slip from Brad. It was just that the bad things that one might expect to happen from this never actually did. It seemed that her considerable energy and determination were being devoted to things that did not lead to disaster. For example, Ben learned much more than he wanted to about Bonnie's sex life from her recent sculpting and painting classes, but despite several deeply embarrassing and mildly amusing anecdotes, it seemed that Bonnie had actually learned to sculpt and paint competently. For another example, it turned out their Bonnie and Brad's vigorous disagreements at a dance class had not led to a destructive clash, but to an amazing and highly satisfying synthesis. It was as if destiny, realizing that for Bonnie the art of compromise was going to be the last thing she was ever going to learn, had decided to wade her very gently into the subject. There had been a couple of ostentatious examples early in her honeymoon when she was convinced (by Ben among other people) to be the bigger person, but destiny had decided that if it took ten or fifteen years to actually be that person, destiny would be more than happy to give her the time.

But if things worked out well for Bonnie, they were working out miraculously for Danny. He had been so sweet and wonderful during his engagement with Riley, it was like being force fed raw saccharin, or so said Tucker in a rare expression of sarcasm at Danny's expense. If a certain obtuseness had not actually gone away when he was with Ben, or when he was with Ben and Tucker, it somehow never manifested itself when he was with Ben and Riley. There was always the perfect romantic gesture there to await or appease Riley, and if things went wrong there was always Ben and Tucker to make sure that things went back together. These interventions were not as common as one might think, and they had a charming quality such as the time when Danny made a cake and reversed the quantities of sugar and salt. Certainly it was an extreme outlier when Ben found out that Danny's fellow Rangers had decided not only to get him a stripper for his bachelor party, but another six strippers for a second bachelor party that ran exactly the same time at the first. At some point in his life he would undoubtedly find funny the many measures he took to make things did not collapse on Danny's head, such as watering Danny's drinks (who would have thought someone 6'5 could get drunk so easily?), being hand-cuffed to a venial, selfish lustful stripper with a talent for anti-Semitism, and successfully misleading a trio of cops called in because of complaints about the noise, (complicated because one of the cops was also moonlighting as one of strippers). Certainly nothing as painful to Ben had happened in the past few months as falling down a flight of stairs after getting out of the hand-cuffs. And of those occasions when Danny and Ben and Tucker and even Bonnie couldn't put things back together, at least three times things magically worked out for Danny anyway. But over all if it didn't appear that Danny was taking more of the initiative in his life, or learning key details about Riley's life, or actually sharing that many common interests, there would always be some reminder of the purity and duration of his love that would make any objections appear petty and churlish.

It helped, of course, that Riley had made increased efforts to be the extremely reasonable and forgiving girlfriend. Over the last few months she had found it easier to confide in Ben, who had been the model of selfless, tactful discretion. Clearly she had made her choice, and she would have to live with it. And why should she have any regrets when she was with someone as sweet and wonderful as Danny? None whatsoever, agreed Ben, who had developed the habit of keeping his hands behind his back when he was alone with Riley. After all, what would Danny be like if he was any less like Danny? Any suggestion that she had been wrong would be simply perverse. And certainly the one thing Riley Perrin was not was a frivolous woman. Meanwhile, over the past few months the relationship between Ben and Riley had gone better than one would have expected. Clearly, they were much better as friends The absence of sex and romance had clearly solved all the awkwardness they had felt towards each other! Ben had spent the months since Riley and Danny had gotten together trying to figure out what he had done wrong. After several hook-ups that had been less erotic, or even sexual than one might think, he had learned that it would be a good idea to let the woman initiate sex. He now kept a notebook where he put down key facts about the women he was dating, as well as any lessons from the Cosmo quizzes and women's magazines he read while taking Emma to library storytime. And if he ever had to choose between asking a woman out or taking care of Emma, well Emma always came first. And if this had not gotten him much, or indeed any romantic success, it was reasonable to assume that it would in time, as he told himself for the 15th time that evening. And Riley had told him earlier today, while he was part of shuffling back and forth between her and Danny as part of the traditional not seeing the bride in the wedding dress, he had been so reasonable and sympathetic. He was actually her closest friend. There was nothing strange and ironic about that at all.

Over Danny and Riley's engagement, Ben had made two serious attempts at a relationship. The second one oddly enough involved Tucker. Now that Ben was actually helping run the Bar on B, it occurred to him that instead of being irritated and afraid by Tucker's old girlfriend Vanessa and the competition she presented her, he could use her undoubted competence to help run the bar. Vanessa not only agreed to return to work at the bar, but the two soon started a civil, then friendly rapprochement. Indeed, after clarifying things with Riley about sexual harassment law, Ben asked Vanessa out for a date, and she agreed. One problem with their maturing if still chaste relationship was that Tucker, who had no more romantic success than usual, had now realized that he was actually in love with Vanessa. Which meant that Ben had once again turned himself into a third wheel in the affairs of his friends and turning the straight path of true love into a twisted triangle. At least, that was the reasonable way to present it when Vanessa abruptly broke off with Ben and returned to Tucker, if not in that order. Certainly they were a much happier, and much more sexual couple than Ben and Vanessa had ever been. And Vanessa was sincerely apologetic when she talked to Ben a week after it had ended between them. "I'm very sorry, but I don't want to be your second choice." Ben had naturally moved on after that, and there had been some promising developments. But it oddly seemed that something had happened, that something had been abruptly cancelled, so that while everyone else had true love, he would have to live on the promise of hope and a new found maturity. This would undoubtedly pay dividends in the future, and even this miserable evening would be a learning experience.

So the logical thing was to go to bed, so this learning experience would be mercifully over. He remembered his first attempt at a post-Riley relationship, with an old high school friend named Samantha, also like Vanessa a Bar on B employee, that he had long had a crush on back as a teenager. The relationship had collapsed because Sam could not stop being rude to Riley, as she had back in high school. As they broke up, she vindictively flashed her quite attractive breasts at him. Then after doing up her blouse Sam whispered into his ear and then left his life forever. Observers would have assumed that what she whispered was merely a Penthouse Forum version of her gesture. Not quite. "I may have bullied Riley back in high school because she was fat and unattractive and unpopular..." "Not improving your case." "...but I wouldn't lie to someone I loved, and I certainly wouldn't break the heart of someone I thought I loved. You think you are being the good friend and the good brother in law. You are a fool. The others don't appreciate you and they don't respect you. I know what you really want, and when the others find out they will hate you and never forgive you." "Get out!"

Ben did not feel like drinking, and was not really hungry. But as he stood on a bar stool he noticed a little bowl of candies. There were smarties, little Rolos, some obnoxious gumdrop like creations, some milk chocolates and some hard mint candies. Out of curiosity he noticed one of the last of these. Except it wasn't a candy at all. Picking it up he realized it was some of jewel. It looked like an emerald, yet in some way it was indescribably odd and unique. What was it doing there? And was it glowing? He looked into its centre and suddenly...

After a two a half week honeymoon Bonnie had returned to conscript the others into settling down into her new home with Brad. Indeed for the next two weeks after that she showed no curiosity whatsoever about their lives except to badger them even more into helping her. She paid no attention to how Ben and Danny were running the bar. She dismissed Tucker's informing her that Ben had started potty-training Emma, (but was doing it at Riley's so that Emma cries wouldn't upset her uncle) with a casual shrug. She certainly could not be bothered when Riley mentioned that her mother had commented on the wedding...

This made no sense. These events hadn't actually happened to Ben. Indeed looking at the weather outside, these events must have happened months before Mom's marriage. Unless...this had happened after her first attempt to marry Brad, and they had actually married this time. Why would that have happened?

Now a month after the wedding, Bonnie decided to show some vague concern for the others' lives. "So what's new in the dating world?" "Well," said Tucker, "I thought the beautiful woman who come on to me was genuinely attracted to me, but it turned out it was all a byzantine plot to seduce my boss' boyfriend. So I suppose I should be grateful for the extremely humiliating way it all turned out, since otherwise I might have lost my job and..." "Yeah, yeah, yeah, same pathetic old Tucker. What about you Ben?" "Well actually there's so much work at the bar and so many new responsibilities I just don't seem to have the time." "Really? And what about you Riley?" "Oh, yes, work is completely crazy. Literally swamped. It's actually amazing that I have the time to talk you." "Fascinating. And what about you Danny?" "Not a lot has happened actually. Oh, last Friday I met this girl from Estonia. That's a real country right?" "Yes, it is." "Anyway, she's interested in hockey and we're having a date this evening."

Why was he being shown this? There was something very strange...

Later Bonnie turned up to confront Danny at the apartment. "OK, so Riley isn't seeing anyone, Ben isn't seeing anyone, and you weren't seeing anyone, but now you're going to start seeing this Estonian girl. Is it serious?"

"Well, I don't know if it's serious. But all things being equal we will probably have sex tonight."

"So, you're starting another affair, and it will probably last weeks, maybe months, because you never have the heart to end them. Is it just me, or doesn't that completely screw up the getting Riley plan? I mean both of you are, or were, free, and yet you don't seem to be doing anything to get her."

"Well actually about three or so months ago, Riley told me while at a hockey game that she was falling in love with me."

"Uh-huh, Tucker told me about that. And you had some kind of quarrel?"

"Yes, she had known I had loved her ever since I accidentally left a message on her phone. But she had done nothing about my feelings. And I was really hurt."

"So you've been doing nothing on this front for more than three months?"

"Well you told me yourself that you shouldn't let that kind of thing go unpunished. You have to stand your ground."

"Danny, that's supposed to last a few days. If nothing happens for three months, you're both losing. And what about your brother?"

"What about him?"

"You don't think he's still interested in her?"

"Actually, I don't think so. I mean up until we all went to Las Vegas, he couldn't shut up about being with her. God, it was so annoying. But after we came back his attitude changed completely. In fact we were talking about true love and I can remember exactly what he said..."

As it happened, Danny had not exactly remembered what had been said, but now Ben saw himself saying "If mom and Brad can make it work after all they've been through, maybe Ri...I mean if Mom can find real happiness when she's in her forties, it shows that we can all find true love, even if we have to wait five or ten or fifteen years..."

"So that's why you think Ben has no feelings for Riley? Because he hasn't said anything? And it hasn't occurred to you that given the relations between the three of you he might have thought it would be a good idea not to broadcast to you his every stratagem?"

"But he hasn't done anything with Riley!"

"He danced with her at my wedding."

"Lots of people danced with her at the wedding, she was the maid of honor. I danced with her."

"Yes I know. You stepped on her feet. Twice."

"I mean three weeks ago, he went out with her to this old French movie. But he invited all three of us. It was just coincidence that Tucker was too busy, and I didn't want to see a black and white French film."

"What was the movie, dare I ask?"

"It was Jules and Jimmy or Jim and Jules and someone else or..."

"Jules and Jim. You are aware that is one of the most romantic movies ever made."

"Really? Have you seen it?"

"Not on your life. But then I'm not Riley, am I?"

"But they haven't been doing anything else. I mean Ben goes over to Riley to help toilet train Emma. But that's because Tucker is so sensitive about the mess."

"Oh, so that's the reason he gave. Danny, you know that I love and care for you deeply, so please take what I am about to say with that in mind." And then she cuffed his ears.

"Mom!"

"You are going to call Riley and tell her what you feel and you better pray it's not too late."

"You mean today?"

"No, on her deathbed, when she's appointed to the Supreme Court, when she gives birth to her first child, who I'm laying even money is going to be Emma's sister! Yes I mean today!"

"Really? And don't you mean brother or sister?"

"No, I don't!"

And now Ben saw that Danny had the good sense not to try to make perhaps the most important decision of his life over the telephone, but managed to waylay Riley at the bar about an hour before his date. He gave a surprisingly credible pitch, admitting that he had taken his objections too far, but still trying to defend the general principle, while asserting that the two of them needed a reasonable conversation in the hope of moving forward. Men would have found it creditable, and many women would have given him the benefit of doubt, even if a vocal minority would have found it presumptuous. And then Riley spoke.

"That was quite a speech. And I suppose the best way to reply to it is to be as straightforward as possible. For the past two weeks, I've secretly been dating your brother. And when I say secretly dating that means sex."

"What? What? i mean..what? What? Isn't that, wait, a little premature?"

"Considering that this is the fourth time we've started dating, no not at all."

"But why, why why keep it secret?"

"I wanted to see if I could trust Ben. So I wanted to see if he could keep our relationship secret for a couple of weeks."

"Couldn't, couldn't, you maybe test Ben by not having sex?"

"Nooooo. That would be a lot less fun."

"I'm confused, I mean how did this happen, I mean why would you start this, did he try something, was it some scheme, I mean why the change..."

"I'm not sure what you're asking, but no it wasn't a cheap seduction on Ben's part. He was very patient, over several weeks. Once I realized that he still loved me, I took the initiative."

"Do you really love him?"

"I've always been in love with him. Now I know I was right to."

"I thought you were in love with me. What happened?"

"I got tired of waiting for you. I stopped comparing real Ben or hypothetical Ben to ideal You, and instead compared real Ben to real You."

Somehow Riley's consoling of Danny was subtly but quickly elided and Ben saw her walk over to himself, then working at the bar. She kissed him and told him they no longer had to keep their love a secret. Staring at the jewel it seemed so strange. A slightly different sentence, a little more caution, and everything would have been different. As he tried to take that in, he accidentally dropped the jewel. Although it only fell a couple of inches under the bar, it would be lost for decades. As it did so, the vision he had seen, the memories that he could have had, the life that could have been his, they did not fade or shatter or dissolve. It was like they were water slipping effortlessly from his hands, not leaving even moisture behind. What could have been was no longer conceivable, was now forgotten, was now not even remembered. There was only a desperate need as Ben tried to focus. And then he did. "I wish I had done something completely different."

"I suppose that's my cue."