Epilogue
Disclaimer: I do have a story in the works that is solely my property, but this isn't it.
A/N: *SOBS* This is the last chapter! This has been my favorite story so far, and now I can understand why some real authors write tons of books with the same characters!
One more thing: BudgetBuddy, I know you mean well, but some of your reviews sound almost mocking! Lol. "Aw how cute…" That's okay; at least you review, right? Enjoy!
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Two days after leaving her home and her husband, Sydney still wasn't ready to go back to her daily life. Her father, Michael told her, hadn't liked the idea of her being left alone any more than Michael had, so he helped Michael arrange for time off. Lorrie had convinced Sydney she'd be okay, and probably better off, going back to school, and Sydney had decided that she'd interrupted Jaime's schedule enough and taken him to day-care.
Michael had been wonderful for her. Sometimes, she felt the conviction that she'd never have been able to handle it all without him there. He never seemed to want anything from her in return. Or, he didn't want her to know he wanted anything. She liked the latter option better, she mused as she grabbed a soda from Michael's considerably under stocked fridge.
Sydney could see him sitting on the couch with his laptop in the living room, since only a counter separated the living room from the miniscule kitchen in his small apartment. She almost laughed as she remembered exactly how small it had seemed when faced with the task of sleeping three extra people. Because she'd flat out refused to take his room just slightly more extensively than he'd insisted she take it, she was sleeping on the couch, Lorrie was sleeping on the floor, and Jaime was sleeping in his playpen that was pushed as far into the corner as it would go to allow some movement in the room.
Hiding a grin, Sydney joined Michael on the couch.
"What's up?" she asked as he frowned.
"Huh? Oh, I just can't locate a file I need for this report. There are supposed to be all these blocks to keep people from moving files around, so you'd think you could find an important file when you needed it, but those are always the files that mysteriously relocate," he muttered, making it clear that he hadn't missed the humor of what he'd said by grinning.
"Sounds like the school. Administrative controls coming out our ears, but those kids still manage to delete vital programs," Sydney laughed.
Michael laughed too, thinking of the damage a not-too-computer-savvy friend of his had done his first week as an agent. He'd managed to crash the entire CIA network for more than two hours, and the computer experts still had never figured out how he'd done it.
A thoughtful silence fell, and Michael was vaguely surprised when Sydney sighed, thinking back to his analysis of those sighs.
"What?" he asked, setting his computer down and turning slightly to face her.
She looked up like she didn't realize she had sighed out loud. Then she shifted to an apologetic grin.
"I was just thinking I'm not doing real well moving past all this," she said with feigned nonchalance.
Michael closed his hand over hers before he even realized he'd moved. "Syd, it's a lot to get past. You'll find your own way of doing that." He wondered if she was as aware of the electric feel of the room as he was. He didn't have to wonder long.
Clearing her throat, she mumbled, "Are you sure that was a good move?" Her face was fast becoming flushed.
His reaction was mainly to blush, too. "Probably…not." He couldn't stop a grin, even though he felt pretty silly.
She moved closer to him, and he put his arm around her and held her close.
"Syd…" he said slowly, moving his hand up and down her shoulder unconsciously. "This is…" He trailed off nervously.
"This is…right," Sydney mumbled, closing her eyes and savoring the sheer nearness of him.
Suddenly Michael pulled back and held her at arms length.
"Syd, a bad decision can last forever," he warned before he passed the point of no return.
She smiled sweetly, dismissing his warning.
"And sometimes, Michael, good decisions last forever, too."
Slowly, his smile broadened to match hers; not the crooked, almost mischievous grin Sydney loved, but an honest-to-God smile.
They stared into each other's eyes for long minutes, each sure of what they felt and searching the other for the same intensity.
A fleeting thought of the divorce papers she'd signed only hours before crossed her mind before Michael whispered her name in a final question of consent.
"This is right," she said softly.
He grinned, shot to his feet, and scooped her up in his arms. She squealed in delight and surprise and clasped her arms around his neck. She grinned up at him, and he grinned down at her.
His grin was definitely full of mischief this time.
Before all rational thought was lost to her, Sydney decided that many of the major decisions she'd made in her life had been wrong. It was nice to finally understand what it was like to make a decision that was inarguably, undoubtedly, unquestionably, right. Nice just didn't do it justice, but that was all she had just then.
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I have one final question for you all. Does it sound like I worked the title into this, or that I got the title from this? I think it sound like the complete opposite of what I actually did, and I'd just like to know. Thanks!