Chapter Eight: Resolved

She took the ring out and examined it slowly. It was a beautiful ring, and she couldn't have picked a better one herself. She looked at the box again. On the bottom, a small sticker read, Jules' Jewelers: Engagement and wedding rings especially made for the one you love. Sydney felt numb to her toes. Was this for her? She gave a short laugh. Of course it was. She turned the ring around in her palm and slid it over her ring finger. It fit perfectly. How did he know? She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to force away the words she had threw to him just an hour ago. They wouldn't go away; everything she said kept replaying repeatedly in her head. "What other secrets are you hiding? Huh? You married? Got a wife and kids in France? Have you been playing me this whole time? ... Let go of me. I'm leaving. We're over." Hot tears threatened to spill beneath her closed eyelids. She had been yelling at him while all along he had been planning to propose. Granted, he probably should have told her about the Danny connection before, but he probably would have told her the entire thing before he was actually going to propose… right? Why hadn't she said anything after Michael's story? He probably thought she was still mad. He probably thought she was serious about them being over. Sydney's eyes opened wide. What if he really thought that? She slid the ring off her finger and stuck it back in the box. She grabbed her purse, jacket, keys, and ran out the door.

-

Michael stood in his kitchen, frowning. What had happened to the engagement ring he was going to give Sydney? He was positive that he had left it on the table. Except… it wasn't there. Did it really matter that much? Sydney would never marry him now. She was probably still mad about him not telling her the story of his connection to Danny earlier. Well, maybe not mad as much as upset. What was it she had said? He tried to think. She hadn't really said anything to him after the story. He had hightailed it out of there before she could snap out of her shell-shocked mood. Maybe that hadn't been the smartest decision either. He winced, remembering the words she had said prior to his story. "I don't want to hear it, Mike. You lied to me… I'm not a charity case. I don't need you to "take care" of me… Let go of me. I'm leaving. We're over." So where did they stand? Were they really over? Michael shook his head. He wouldn't be able to take that. He had to find the ring and convince Sydney he loved her. She couldn't be entirely mad at him, after all, she had taken his jacket when he offered it. His jacket… Michael cursed softly under his breath. That's where the ring was. In the pocket. He hoped Sydney didn't find it. Sighing, he rubbed his temples and tried to think about what he should do. Call her? No. then she'd notice something was up. He decided the best thing to do was just to wait. If she hadn't found it yet, she probably wouldn't unless she purposely rummaged through his jacket. If she had found the ring, waiting a few days to contact her wouldn't make much of a difference. In fact, she might even come to him.

-

Out of habit, Sydney nearly drove to Michael's place before remembering that Bridgette's family no longer lived there. She shook her head and told herself to snap out of it. Turning the car around, she picked up her cell and called Bridgette to make sure they were home.

"Hey Syd!" Bridgette's cheerful voice picked up in the second ring.

"Hey. How'd you know it was me?"

"I'm psychic… hah. We got caller ID."

"Oh. That's neat." Sydney didn't feel as cheerful as Bridgette.

"Everything okay? You sound a little bummed. How's Michael? When's the wedding going to be?" Bridgette laughed.

Sydney was taken aback. "W-Wedding? How'd you know?"

"Wait, I'm right? There's really going to be a wedding? When were you two engaged? I was kidding but Syd—"

"No, no, no. There's no wedding. We're not engaged. At least, not yet. But I'm not sure if it'll ever happen now…" Sydney sighed. This was just too complicated. Normally, she would've turned to Francie for advice, but she and Will were in Las Vegas. Another reason Sydney turned to Bridgette was because Michael was her brother.

"What? What do you mean, it might not happen? Of course it will, Syd. I've seen Mike. You make him happier that I've ever seen him. He loves you so much. And don't deny this, but he makes you very happy too. And you love him. Did you two get into a fight?" Bridgette frowned. Sydney and Michael were meant to be. No matter what happen. As sappy as it sounded, it was true.

By that time, Sydney was Bridgette's house. She turned off her engine and locked the doors as she started walking toward the front door. "It's kind of a long story. I guess you could say we got into a fight. It's complicated." She rang the doorbell.

"Well, I've got time. Wait, hang on, I have to get the door." Bridgette pulled the door open to find Sydney standing there, cell phone in hand, smiling a small smile. Bridgette burst into laughter even though she knew Sydney had a long story to tell. "You're funny, Syd. Come in."

Both of them hung up their phones as Sydney stepped into the house. "Yeah. I wish I could appreciate my own humor right now, though." She glanced around at the house. It hadn't changed much from the last time she had been there. "Where's Olivia and Josh?"

"Oh, they went out to see a movie. So… you want to tell me what all this is about?" She raised an eyebrow at Sydney, "Or do I have to pry it out of you like I did before. You know, that whole thing about letting Mike go… Syd?"

Sydney snapped her attention back to Bridgette, as she fingered the velvet box that contained her would-be-engagement ring in her pocket. "Oh. Sorry." She sighed, "It's complicated."

"So start talking! I've go time. You want some tea? Let's sit." Bridgette walked toward the kitchen, handed Sydney a cup of tea, and directed her to the sofa.

Sydney shrugged. Where to start? The beginning. "Okay…"

By the time Sydney reached the part about Cassandra's death, Bridgette was tearing up. "Oh, Cass, I remember her. She was so sweet and she used to come over all the time. Syd, I had no idea Daniel was your Danny. I'm so sorry. Oh, poor Mikey, I never knew what exactly had happened that day. He was kind of in withdrawal for a while, and we never talked about it after that."

Sydney smiled a little. "Mikey? I don't think he would be too happy about you calling him that."

"Oh yeah, when he was little, our older relatives always called him that. He eventually grew out of it. I'm the only one who still calls him that once in a while. Is that the whole thing?"

"What? Oh, no. There's more."

As Sydney explained about the jacket and her being in shock at the time, Bridgette laughed, "That's Mike. Always the gentleman."

"I found something in the pocket. It's… it's… a ring."

Bridgette gasped as Sydney pulled the small black box out of her pocket and opened it. "An engagement ring? Sydney, it's so beautiful! He was going to propose!"

Sydney sniffed and smiled, "Yeah, I guess he was. It fits, too." She took the ring out and slid it onto her ring finger for the second time that day. "The thing is, I don't know if things are still the same or not."

"Sydney, he was going to propose. He wants to marry you, and spend the rest of his life with you. One little fight is not going to change that. Your love is still there. Go talk to him, Syd. It's the only way to straighten things out and get this show on the road. I want to help plan the wedding." Bridgette wagged a finger at Sydney, "You better go now. You look so forlorn already, I don't know what would happen if you guys stayed apart any longer."

"Okay… but wait. I came here to ask you a question. I need your help with something."

-

By the time Sydney left Bridgette's house and headed over to Michael's, she was feeling much better. She just hoped that she could make things right between herself and Michael. If he didn't want to marry her anymore, then… Sydney shook her head. She refused to think like that. Pulling into his driveway, she took a deep breath and climbed out of her car, remembering to grab his jacket.

Here goes nothing.

Michael pulled open the door about 2 seconds after Sydney rang the bell. His eyes widened at the sight of her. "Sydney! Um, hi. Come in."

Sydney stepped in his house and walked toward the living room. "We need to talk. Oh wait, here's your jacket back." She handed to him and watched, amusedly, as he dug into the pockets, undoubtedly for the ring. She nearly laughed. "Are you looking for this?" She raised her eyebrows and held up the box containing her (well it would be, technically) engagement ring.

Michael shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Yeah… kinda… Sydney…" The look on his face told her that he desperately wanted to be anywhere but where he was at the moment.

"Look, we're going to talk about this too, but first, there are a few things I have to say." He nodded, motioning for her to continue. "First off, I'm really sorry I yelled at you. I didn't mean it. I was just upset that you didn't tell me the complete truth, but I realize how hard it must have been for you too. I love you so much, Michael and I didn't mean it when I said we were over. I didn't mean half the things I said. I would've said something after your story, but I was kind of in shock and well, you sort of ran off."

Michael sighed, "Oh, Syd, I know you didn't mean to say all those things. I wish I could've told you the truth earlier on. I was just scared that you wouldn't want to be with me because of what had happened. I had been a real jerk back then, and it makes me sick that I can't change it. I love you and I didn't want to lose you."

"It's all past, Mike. You can't change it. But you can learn from it and I know you have. Which leads me to the ring. Were you really planning on proposing to me?"

He smiled wistfully. "Yeah, I was. That's why I went to see my dad and Danny. I wanted to tie up some loose ends before starting something new."

"Well, if we decide to get married, you are going to take me to France right? To meet your mom? She's going to want to help. Especially since I have tickets here. She waved a piece of paper.

"Tickets? What?" He glanced at the paper. It stated that two tickets, under her name and his, to Normandy, France would be mailed soon. "What? How?"

"Bridgette helped me. We bought them online. Of course, I'm not too sure about the wedding."

"Oh. Syd, I understand if you think we need some time apart or if you think we're not ready. We can still go to France, though. My mom would love you."

"It's not that. I think we are ready. I think that this fight has only made us stronger, Mike. It's just…"

"Just what?" Michael's brow wrinkled in concern.

Sydney face took on a playful expression. "Oh, I don't know, maybe… just maybe, it has something to do with the fact that my boyfriend hasn't actually proposed to me. I mean… I found my ring, but I always wanted someone to propose to me, you know?"

Michael looked relieved. His eyes lit up. "Oh, that's why. Well, we're going to have to do something about that. Wait a second though. Close your eyes." Sydney closed her eyes and waited for Michael to finish whatever he was doing. She heard some music coming through the speakers.

Spend all your time waiting
For that second chance
For a break that would make it okay
There's always one reason
To feel not good enough
And it's hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
Oh beautiful release
Memory seeps from my veins
Let me be empty
And weightless and maybe
I'll find some peace tonight

Sydney smiled. It was their song. She remembered the day after Michael had first come back from France; they had danced to in Sydney's living room to this song, in front of the fire. They had also shared their first kiss.

In the arms of an angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear

She heard Michael walking toward her. "Okay Syd, you can open your eyes now." Sydney gasped as she took in the scene. Michael had dimmed the lights and lit a few candles. It gave the entire room a romantic feel.

You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You're in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort there

He noticed her expression and grinned his trademark grin. He knelt down on one knee and held out the box. "Sydney Bristow, will you marry me?"

It's easier to believe in this sweet madness oh
This glorious sadness that brings me to my knees

Sydney pulled him to his feet, "Of course I will." Michael slid the ring onto her finger and drew her toward him. He kissed her slowly, sweetly, until Sydney felt her knees practically turn to jello. They pulled apart and leaned toward each other, foreheads touching.

"C'mon. Let's dance." Michael pulled her into his arms and let her rest her head on his shoulder.

Sydney smiled and closed her eyes. "We're engaged," she whispered into his ear. Neither of them could be happier.

In the arms of an angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You're in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort there
You're in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here