Chapter 2: Whirlwind

The next five minutes were a complete blur to the two adults. The moment they stepped into the foyer they were swarmed by an entourage of women who were cooing, fawning and kissing - and not just the children; Michael and Sydney also sported red and purple lipstick splotches on their foreheads and cheeks.

As soon as it happened, the now wide-awake twins and a semi-reluctant Danny were lead away, the abandoned parents finding themselves alone with the luggage in the middle of the entryway.

"I think we just lost our children," she whispered as Vaughn laughed, merely reaching over and using his thumb to wipe a smear of bright purple off of her cheekbone. Their eyes met as she did the same from his forehead, Michael leaning forward to press their lips together.

"Would you like me to give you a moment or can I also give my son and daughter a kiss and a hug?" Amelie asked quietly from the large Victorian staircase looking down on the quiet couple.

They pulled apart slowly flashing matching dimpled smiles over to Michael's mother as she joined them, pulling them close separately before grabbing a suitcase and leading them to their room.

"I'm so sorry that I couldn't be with you in Denver to see the twins sooner, but things here have been so crazy. What with the wedding and everything," she explained.

"Maman, it's perfectly fine. We were more than happy to come. It's like our first vacation." Michael set the bags onto the bed, Isabelle's wailing floating up the steps. "Medicine's in the smaller duffel bag, sweetie,"

"That and he's probably hungry. They all should be," she lifted up her wrist, pushing back her cuff to take a close look at her watch. "I mean…it's like dinner time in Denver. Ooh, speaking of Denver, do we know where the dog went?"

"I'll round him up."

They went two separate ways, Sydney and Amelie joining the gaggle of women trying to coerce the dark haired baby into silence, her bright red face showing utter disdain for being apart from his familiar parents.

"Sydney, I think he'd rather be with you," a face, nameless to Sydney, handed over the unhappy infant.

"Ooh, baby, shh," she crooned, the little body squirming until she found her spot over Sydney's chest and under her chin. "I'll be back after I feed her, and then she's yours."

Walking slowly, taking her time in examining the large sitting room, she meandered over to an ornate maroon couch before flopping into the seats, hearing a muffled 'oof' from underneath.

"Don't skish me momma, I'm hiding."

"Danny?" she asked with a surprised smile, not looking down as she heard the women from the other room speaking in soft tones to the remaining child in their midst.

"Where is that little Daniel?"

"I thought he was right here,"

"Daniel?"

Sydney nodded knowingly, tossing the women a shrug as she began to unbutton her top. "Don't worry Danny boy, your secret's safe with me."

"Fanks momma," he mumbled from underneath the fainting couch as she reached into the side pocket of the diaper bag, extracting a small car and dropping it to the floor next to her foot.

His small hand sneaked out, grabbing the vehicle before retreating under the couch as Michael stepped down into the room with a smile. He knelt in front of Sydney and Izzy, his finger tracing the suckling little girl's cheek as she smiled up at him.

"Her ear looks pretty red inside," he commented, as his daughter looked up at him with hazel eyes, the blue slowly giving way to brown, her hand swinging out and colliding gently with Vaughn's cheek, almost mimicking her father's initial movement.

The parent laughed quietly, Michael leaning in to press a soft kiss to Izzy's forehead before moving forward to set a wet kiss to the side of her breast, his smoking green eyes looking up to the surprised look on her face.

"Don't you dare start anything, Michael Vaughn," she warned with a smirk, Michael pulling back and looking around.

"Let me guess. Danny's underneath this couch right here."

The boy's small voice rose from beneath them. "Did you peek, Dado?"

"No way, Dano, I never peek." Flopping down onto his stomach, he stuck his head between the sofa and the floor. "I used to hide here all the time when I was a kid. Those women in there can kiss you crazy."

Danny giggled. "You wanna come in with me daddy? We can play in here!"

"I don't really fit under here any more, but I'll tell you what. Denver needs to stretch his legs and there's a ginormous backyard you've gotta see."

"Sounds fun daddy," he crawled out, jumping onto Michael's back as they stood up and made their way through the dining room as several of the women reached for the little boy.

"Oh no, we're going to play in the back yard. You've got one of my children, Nana Trudy, you have to wait until Sydney's finished before you can have another." Michael evaded them, the older women grumbling as Danny 'hoorayed' his father, the two making a break out the back door.

…

"So after he put the baseball through the picture window, with us sitting in the room nonetheless, Michael pointed at Bill and yelled, 'daddy did it!'" The group laughed as Sydney pushed down the bubble of guilt to laugh along. Will had fallen asleep against Amelie's shoulder, the grandmother unwilling to put him down for his nap.

For a half hour, the older women of the Vaughn family had deemed it necessary to tell stories – some embarrassing and some not – about Michael's past. She'd been stuck with Isabelle dozing on a pillow across her lap sneaking peeks out the large kitchen nook window where Michael and Danny were frolicking about in the snow, Denver plodding after them, and she longed to escape the family's stories about the man her mother had killed.

She'd lied to herself by saying she'd come to terms with it. Forgiveness was something she'd always been willing to hand out like candy, but she just couldn't give herself a piece.

'I guess I am a lot like my dad,' she thought wryly.

"Sydney? Sydney, you're miles away, love. Are you feeling well?" A concerned voice brought her out of her reminiscent thoughts as she broke her stare to find the group staring at her.

"I'm sorry, I guess I was. I'm still a little jet lagged. What were you saying?"

"I was just wondering how you met our Michel. He never really talked too much about his love life, but I don't know why that boy would keep you a secret."

'Leave it to Aunt Trish to dredge up our past,' Sydney thought to herself, remembering Michael's words about his aunt being the crazy and gossipy one in the family.

"Well, it's a long involved story, but the short version is that we met at work."

"Oh, you met at the agency. Were you his secretary? Because that would be a naughty relationship indeed. Quite frowned upon, I'll bet."

'Oh, Gladys, you have no idea,' Sydney mused silently, however she was saved from explaining when Michael and Danny opening the back door.

"Ah-ah, you two kick off your shoes. I don't need mud and snow all over these clean floors," Trish chided, both boys dutifully removing their dirty shoes as they entered the kitchen.

Nana Trudy turned in her chair, watching as Michael lifted Danny up to the sink in order for the little boy to wash off his hands, "Michel? We were just asking Sydney how you two met. Why on earth didn't you tell us about this one?"

'Turnabout's fair play, isn't it darling?' Sending her husband a grin and seeing the back of his neck turn a soft shade of red, he turned and fixed his family with a wry grin.

"Have you been badgering my wife this entire time?"

"Of course not! We've been telling her all the embarrassing stories about your life." His mother smirked, patting Will's back as he stretched in his sleep, his tiny arms and legs peeking out from underneath the blanket before heaving a sigh and cuddling back up against his grandmother.

Vaughn groaned, setting Danny down and letting the boy escape. Resigned to his fate, he grabbed a chair and pulled it up beside a smiling Sydney. Reaching a hand out and setting it against Izzy's stomach, he left it there while looking up at his expectant relatives.

"What?"

"Come now, we haven't heard a thing about your new wife since your mother informed us that you'd gotten remarried and were expecting!"

"Trudy, we met at work. That attraction thing happened, and here we are."

"But how did you meet?"

The couple sighed, deciding that explaining this story once and for all was the best solution. "Go for it," Michael acquiesced seeing Sydney sigh with a smile.

"I was a double agent with the CIA, and Vaughn was the Agent that was assigned to be my handler. Long story short, the bad guys lost five or six times, we got together, we quit, we had babies, and here we are."

"You were a spy, Michel?" Trish scolded. "You told us that you were just working at a desk!"

"Well, I didn't want you to worry about me. Most of my job was at a desk," 'If you don't count all those times I was in the field' he mused as an afterthought.

"That must have been a very exciting life!"

"Sometimes, sure. But…it's not as glamorous as James Bond makes it look." Sydney laughed as she threaded her fingers through Vaughn's over their daughter's stomach, the little girl yawning and wiggling for a moment before settling back into dreamland.

"What was involved with being a double agent? Who did you work for?" Trudy's eyes were positively shining with excitement and curiosity. The former Agents knew they couldn't give away all the details, but figured that they could give away some exciting stories to keep Vaughn's family entertained. Sydney was just happy to skip past more stories about Bill Vaughn.

Michael chuckled, "I can remember clear as day getting a phone call about a defector and that I needed to go in and debrief them for information. I walk up to the door and there's a literal crazy woman sitting in the room - bright red bozo hair, crazy makeup." He looked up at his wife seeing her shake her head with a laugh. "But she wasn't crazy - her story checked out."

"What story?" Amelie asked this time, finally getting a chance to ask the burning questions about the woman that had stolen the heart of her son all those years ago.

Sydney thought about her answer for a moment before meeting her mother-in-law's eyes. "I worked for a terrorist organization that pretended to be the CIA. I thought I was a spy for the good guys, and for ten years I was actually a bad guy and never knew. Then I found out and went straight to the real CIA and started working to take down my boss and counterparts scattered across the world."

Murmurs went up from the grandma's and aunties as they talked back and forth, the pair of them sharing a chuckle and knowing glances as Isabelle's pacifier dropped from her mouth, Michael catching it and pushing it back in. Ah hour went by of Michael and Sydney sharing a few of their lighter stories, some where they worked together, some of Michael acting the hero while Sydney blushed or rolled her eyes.

"What's the scariest thing you've done?"

Sydney laughed. "I've jumped out of just about everything from big freight planes to little puddle jumpers, and I've been in more gunfights than I can count. I've parachuted into palace parties to steal data from rich men that bankroll terrorism, I've sneaked into Russian government buildings to find stolen nuclear weapons, and I've probably knocked out at least a few hundred mercenaries. But the scariest thing was to walk away from it all and try to be normal and just hope that it didn't come back to bite you in the ass."

The group was quiet for a minute, Michael nodding and pressing a kiss to her temple. "Well, that and trying to learn the names of every dinosaur known to man thanks to our five-year old." A laugh broke the tension as commotion from the foyer pulled everyone's attention.

In trudged several older gentlemen with snow falling from their jackets. After another bout of chaos, Sydney had managed to grab the twins and escape upstairs with only Will waking up. He looked around with wide eyes, Sydney putting Izzy onto the large bed and Will beside his sleeping sister.

"Look at you two – covered with kisses. I think it's bath time." She coerced a smile from the blonde-haired little boy as she stood up and peeked into Danny's room across the hall. Finding her son in the middle of the floor unpacking his suitcase full of toys, she sent him a smile.

"Hey, big guy. Wanna do me a big favor?"

"Shore!"

"Will you run downstairs and tell daddy that I'm going to take a bath and that I've got the twins?"

"But momma, if I go down there, they'll get me!"

"C'mon, baby…please?" she pleaded, knowing full-well that she'd never get away from the bustling family setting. "Mommy's too tired to talk to everyone."

"Can't we just stay up here? You can take a bath, and I can play wiff my dinosaurs, and they won't catch us!" he exclaimed. "Daddy can find us, he lived here before us."

She couldn't help but laugh at his words, ruffling his hair before closing the door and hearing the little coos from the bedroom. Isabelle was dead to the world, her little fingers twitching as she dreamed. Her brother on the other hand was wide-awake, and since it had been about three days since his last bath, she began running the water in the Victorian-style bathtub.

Making sure it wasn't too hot for his little body, or too cool for hers, she got him undressed, tossing out the soggy diaper before removing her clothes. Taking a moment to pull her hair up into a bun, several curled tresses refusing to stay up, she lifted the nude infant and set him against her bare chest before marching to the bathroom and sliding into the warm water.

He cooed and let out a sigh as the liquid surrounded his tiny body, Sydney letting it lap at his shoulders before stopping it from going any higher. Taking the soft washcloth they'd packed, she wet it before placing it over his back and rubbing gently. He stuck his wet thumb into his mouth with another little whimper, more than content in this little warm cocoon.

Sitting for about ten more minutes, she decided that she'd better wash him before he fell asleep on her. Sitting up, hearing his little grunt of disapproval, she bent her knees up and lay him back. Peering up at her with blue-green eyes, Sydney excited that they were finally changing from their newborn shade of pure blue, she smiled and placed a soft kiss to his stomach. Washing him carefully with the baby body wash she'd packed, he made soft noises as his hands tried to chase hers in a series of uncoordinated movements.

She talked quietly to him as she rinsed him off, moving him back against her chest as she stood, reaching for a towel. Wrapping him up first in a small terry cloth before swaddling herself in a large fluffy towel, she walked into the bedroom to see Michael reading a book to Danny, Isabelle sleeping peacefully on Vaughn's chest.

"How was your bath momma?"

"It was goo, sweetie. You need to get to bed if you're planning on doing anything tomorrow." Dressing the little Will into his diaper and fuzzy zip up pajamas – all without dropping the towel around her own wet, nude, body, Danny grumbled but climbed down and headed off to his own room to get changed for bed.

"Sorry about before. Did the aunties bug you too much?" Michael smiled, setting the book down and cuddling up with his littlest baby.

"Nah, it wasn't too bad. You've got a nice family."

"They're yours now too, remember? You married in. What incriminating stories did my mom force upon you?" Vaughn asked, slightly curious about the conversation between the gaggle of women.

"Oh, nothing too bad, she promised to get into that tomorrow."

"Nice evasion," Michael tossed her a smile, seeing through her attempt at getting around his question. "Was it about my dad?"

"Yeah…there were a few stories in there about your father. But…I'm okay, it's fine. It's your family, Vaughn, you can't expect them not to talk about him at all,"

"Maybe we should just tell mom-"

"Absolutely not." She snapped, unzipping her suitcase and pulling out a pajama set. Dropping the towel, his eyes following its path to the floor, he couldn't help but feel a small stirring of arousal for his wife as she dressed angrily. "You promised you wouldn't say anything – this was going to just be between us."

"Do you know how much this is killing me, Sydney? To talk to my mom and hear her say how much she misses my dad? To look her in the eyes and tell her that we never did find the person who killed him and know that I'm lying to her?"

Her shoulders slouched as she slid into the warm button-up shirt. "I'm sorry, Vaughn."

"This isn't just about you anymore, Sydney."

Turning to face him with a frown, "it never was, Vaughn."

"It always has been, baby. You can't just sit here and pretend it never happened, you'll be miserable for the rest of the week."

"Who says I'm not? I would've been happy just staying at home with the kids!"

"Damn it, Syd, no one would blame you for something you didn't do! You didn't kill my father!"

"No, but my mom did! A mother that I've learned to care for! I mean…doesn't that bother you?"

"No! Why the hell does it bother you so much?!" he yelled, Izzy waking with a start and crying instantly.

The couple each closed their eyes and took a deep breath, trying desperately to keep their emotions in check, Michael quieting the startled infant.

"You've gotta get past this, Syd. It has to stop," he ordered, standing up and making his way out of the room. Opening the door, he was greeted with the angry, appalled face of his mother.

"Apparently…we need to talk." She growled, entering the room without permission.

Sydney's heart plummeted to her stomach. She hadn't thought of someone overhearing their argument, let alone that somebody being Michael's mother.

"Maman-"

"Michael, you lied to me!" she growled, taking the baby from her son and handing her to his startled wife. "Sydney, I would like a moment alone with Michael, if you don't mind."

Sydney put the now awake Will to her shoulder, accepting Izzy on the way out. The door was closed behind her, and for a moment she felt completely deflated.

"Momma? Can you tuck me in?" Danny's little voice pulled her from her thoughts. Compartmentalizing her emotions and walking slowly to the boy's temporary bedroom. "Why were you and daddy yelling?"

"We just had a little argument, buddy, it's nothing for you to worry about. Now, c'mon, let's get washed up and ready for bed."

Placing the twins in an antique crib, they climbed into the bed. "Can't I sleep with you and daddy?"

"No, pumpkin, you have to sleep in here. It'll be fine, I promise."

"Will you lay wiff me until I fall 'sleep?"

She acquiesced, not entirely knowing when it would be safe to enter her own room for the night. They curled up on the bed, Danny's back against her chest as she hugged him close, running her fingers through his hair.

"Michael…I…I'm completely at a loss of words." Amelie crossed her arms over her chest, staring at her son with teary blue eyes. "You've lied to me so many times…and – and about this, Michel! About him!"

Pinching the bridge of his nose and rubbing his head, he stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. She made no move to hug him back, but didn't pull away so he continued.

"Je suis si désolé, maman. I…I never wanted to hide this from you." [I'm so sorry, mom.]

"Puis pourquoi vous a fait?" she asked, a quaver in her voice, pulling out of his comforting embrace to fix him with a sad and questioning stare. "Because of, Sydney?" [Then why did you?]

"Yes and no, but…Sydney means a lot to me maman; her feelings mean a lot to me. I wouldn't want to hurt her,"

"Je suis votre MÈRE Michel!" [I am your MOTHER Michael!] She shouted, pointing a delicate finger at him. "It was not your decision to make! You cannot decide whether or not I would want to know that you found the killer of my husband!"

"The minute I found out, I wanted to call you. But…I wasn't allowed to."

"Damn your protocol, Michel Christoph! Vous l'avez cassé assez de temps de gâter votre précieux, Sydney, vous ne pourriez pas me dire au sujet de votre père?!" [You broke it enough times to coddle your precious, Sydney, you couldn't tell me about your father?!]

"Non, attendez une minute-" [No, wait a minute-] Michael started, but was quickly silenced by his mother's hand.

"How long have you known? Combien de temps?" [How long?] She asked, Michael stopping and looking down at his feet.

He honestly thought of lying to his mother at that moment, just to make it easier on him.

"Almost...about – a little over five years."

A deafening crack filled the air as his mother's hand came into contact with his cheek, the stinging sensation radiating from his heart rather than his face. Michael was in complete shock; not only had his mother struck him – he'd given her a reason to.

"Michael…you…you've known for five years and you've said nothing?" Amelie sobbed, turning and leaving the room in a rush.

Vaughn didn't exactly know how to react…or – if he should. Reacting right now probably wouldn't look pretty…he was close enough to tears as it was. But two conflicting emotions began swirling in his stomach, leaving him with an ache that filled his soul raw. Falling back onto the bed, his head in his hands, he was barely aware of the door opening up and Sydney walking in.

"Vaughn, I - I'm sorry."

Speaking softly from the doorway, unsure if he actually wanted her there, she waited for confirmation. He looked so broken sitting on the bed alone, and she ached to hold him, despite the fact that she was the major catalyst to the battle between mother and son.

"I – just wanted to tell her the truth, Syd," he groaned, his voice slightly muffled inside his hands.

"I know,"

"I always have, but it's just so hard. I mean…I had a hard enough time getting over it myself, I guess I just didn't want to put her through that."

"I guess…what she said was right. It wasn't our decision to make. I'm sorry that I pressured you into keeping my mother from your mother." She moved to the edge of the bed, running a hand through his hair as he reached out, pulling her close to push his head into her abdomen.

Wrapping his arms around her waist and bringing her between his legs, "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

She smiled at his quiet words before tipping them backward to land on the fluffy bed. He squirmed up until his head was propped against her chest, falling asleep almost immediately. Sydney allowed herself to doze, waking about four hours later; she carefully extracted herself from Vaughn's grasp. Pushing a kiss into his forehead and getting up from the bed she made her way quietly down the hall.

Checking on the kids she found that Danny had tossed and turned until his pillow was lying on the floor and his blanket was hanging from the edge of the bed - along with a leg and an arm. Smiling as he drooled into his pillow, she rearranged his bed and slid him back under the blanket. Peeking at her watch and knowing the twins would need fed in about an hour, she decided to sneak down to the kitchen for a cup of tea.

Flipping on the lamp at the bottom of the stairs, she wandered into the kitchen and jumped at the sight of a tattered and red-eyed Amelie seated in the windowsill of the breakfast nook. The elder woman jumped when the light turned on as Sydney let out a small squeak.

Completely caught off guard on both ends, Amelie and Sydney could only stare at one another before reacting.

"I...came down for some tea, I'm sorry-?" Sydney squeaked, Michael's mother sending her a small smile and pointing into the kitchen.

"I've got chamomile on the stove, help…help yourself."

Finding a cup and pouring the tea, she found the honey and sugar sitting on the long counter. Making her concoction and taking a seat at the table, there was uncomfortable silence between the two. Mixed with an occasional sip of the burning hot liquid, Sydney finally spoke.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" Amelie asked, turning to regard the young woman from her previous bout of staring into the darkness of the backyard.

"I'm sorry for…for everything. For bringing the past with me…for starting a fight between you and Michael; for - for what my mother did." Sydney's voice quavered as she leaned in closer to her beverage, taking another sip, unable to meet Mrs. Vaughn's eyes.

"Why didn't you two tell me before?"

"We…we were wrong in keeping this from you for such a long time. But, just know that it wasn't easy for him either."

Amelie shook her head, looking back out the window. "It wasn't your decision to make for me, Sydney. Or, Michael. I should have been told the truth. I - I'm not mad about what…happened between William and…"

"My mother," Sydney finished, knowing the sentence was hard to complete for the middle aged woman.

"Yes…your mother. How…how can you live with what she did to my husband?"

Truth was, Sydney didn't want to answer her. She'd had plenty of long meetings with Barnett and Michael when her insecurities would come up over and over again. Especially when Irina was in custody and she was forced to be a double agent, deal with a traitorous mother, as well as keep a budding relationship with Vaughn under wraps. But it all boiled down to one thing:

"Because she's my mother." Facing her mother-in-law for the first time since she'd sat down, Amelie quickly turned away. "If I could right all of her wrongs, I would; don't blame this on Vaughn. He…I badgered him into keeping the truth from you and your family because I was selfish. I figured that…you wouldn't want to have anything to do with me if you knew. It's not every day that a situation like ours comes along, but I guess we've taken it in stride."

"I just don't understand at all. Michael shouldn't ever be able to forgive that woman for what she did to us,"

"Oh, he hasn't. But the fact that she saved my life, as well as the children's has made up for a bit of what she put you all through."

"I don't know how you can forgive her this easily either," Amelie's voice softened as she relinquished her spot on the windowsill and moved to sit beside the torn young woman.

"I've killed people, Amelie. Intentionally - knowing that I was going to kill them. It was them or me, you know?"

"I'm not sure what you're getting at, Sydney."

"How am I not like my mother? I mean...those men could have had families just like yours. How...how do I know that I didn't run them like my mother ruined so many?"

They shared a quiet pause, both taking a sip of tea as an excuse to gather their thoughts.

"William Vaughn was never a nameless face to me. I had a series of first edition books handed down to me by my father. He'd given them to mom when they were still married from a little shop in Prague. Long story short, I found a series of KGB orders hidden in the pages of the books. When I handed them over to Vaughn, he had them analyzed and found the names of the CIA operatives and the orders to kill them."

"She just…left them with your father?"

Sydney shook her head, "she faked her death when I was six - yet another long story in my life. After finding the codes Michael wanted to take everything we'd found to our superiors because we believed the killer to be my father."

Amelie gasped, her hand moving to her chest as the other rested on Sydney's wrist. "I - I begged him not to. 'Just let me talk to him', I pleaded. If what we thought was true, I was going to lose the only parent I had. Not that he'd been much of a parent, but the thought still just...stuck with me."

"That was when Vaughn told me that his father's name was one of twelve in the books, and I - I honestly didn't know what to think. I still don't. But…Michael and I didn't know until that meeting that my mother hadn't been anything other than an English teacher at U.C.L.A. Learning in a single hour that my mother was responsible for the death of twelve agents, was K.G.B. – a sworn enemy to my own government – was a lot to take in."

"I can imagine."

Sydney continued telling Amelie bits and pieces of the past few years after learning her mother had been alive – how she'd come to the CIA as a walk-in, pieces about the Anderson's and their former home finishing with Irina ushering a very pregnant Sydney and Danny to safety. The woman was stunned to say the least, and Sydney preferred to leave her that way.

"I don't mean to tell you how to…reconcile with Michael, but I do know that he loves and values your confidence and respect. I told you all of this so you could try and work past, well – the past. I've tried for so long to ignore my mother, but Vaughn's helped me see the other side of the tunnel. Let him do the same for you, please? If you're planning on being angry at anyone, let it be me. It's my family. Don't take this out on, Michael."

Setting a comforting hand to her mother-in-law's willowy wrist, Sydney rose and excused herself for the night. She watched as Amelie poured herself another cup of tea and reoccupied her spot in the nook's window. Turning and making her way back up the steps she nearly ran into Michael as he sat with his head in his hands and tears in his eyes.

"You okay?" she asked tentatively, frowning with realization that he'd probably heard most, if not everything she'd said to his mother.

"You didn't have to do that, Sydney; I could've taken care of it."

"I know…but I felt that it was partially my story to tell, as well as yours. I left a lot of things open-ended, so you'll get a chance to fill in the blanks. You're not angry, are you?"

"Opposite, actually. I'm very proud of you." Rising with a smile, he pressed his lips against her forehead before taking her hands and leading her back up the steps and into their bedroom. "Let's sleep…it's been a very long day."

Laughing in agreement, she and Michael curled up underneath the blankets, and like magnets found themselves tangled together in a mass of limbs.

"Thanks, Syd,"

"Welcome, baby. Tomorrow will be better," she promised, tucking her head underneath his chin and letting her thoughts, memories, worries, and mind drift away.

…