Part Ten

Sydney has a smile on her face the next morning as she begins to stir. What an amazing night. She and Michael spent most of the night wrapped up in a blanket in front of the fireplace, talking and making love. They definitely need to take those nights alone more often.

She opens her eyes, frowning to find that he is no longer in bed beside her. "Please, Michael, don't tell me you went in to the office without waking me," she murmurs. It's Saturday, but Michael usually tries to get a few hours of work in.

Not today, or at least, not yet. He appears in the doorway clad in an undershirt and boxer shorts, carrying a plate heaped with scrambled eggs.

"My hero," she sighs. "I'm famished."

"I thought you might be," he says with a devilish grin. He settles in bed beside her, scooping up a forkful of eggs and feeding her a bite.

"Delicious," she says with a smile. She moves to take the fork and feed him, but she stops short at the sound of the ringing phone. "Don't answer it."

"Syd, it might be Amanda calling about the kids," he says, rolling over to pick up the receiver. "Hello?…Hi, Amanda, how are you?"

Sydney groans, falling back on the bed.

"Oh, okay…Sure, that's fine…Okay…Okay, see you then. Thanks again for keeping them overnight…Okay, bye."

"What?" Sydney moans as he hangs up the phone.

"She's supposed to meet a friend to go shopping. She's dropping them back off here in half an hour."

"Noooo," Sydney whines.

Michael laughs. "Come on, Syd. Don't you miss them even a little bit?"

"Of course I do." Then, "When are we going away for the weekend, again?"

Michael smiles. "How does Valentine's Day sound?"

"Oh, Mike, that'd be incredible," Sydney breathes. "Less than a month from now. Where should we go?"

"Well, Jake's always talking about this great cabin he has in Vermont," Michael says. "I was thinking maybe I could talk him into letting us borrow it. I think it's in a little resort town, we could go skiing."

"Or not," Sydney says, planting a kiss on his neck.

He smiles. "Or not." He stands, handing her the plate and moving to the window to look outside. "Syd, it snowed!"

"Did it?" she asks bemusedly. The winter weather is Michael's favorite part of living on the east coast; she's less of a fan.

"I'll bet the pond's frozen over," he says, eyes lighting up like a little boy's. "Oooh, Syd, we can bundle up the kids, go play some hockey."

"Mike, you know Grace is too little to be out in the cold, bundled or not."

"Oh." She bites her lip to keep from smiling at the way his face falls; he looks like a kid whose mommy just told him he can't play outside.

"You can still take Jack and Emily, though."

"Really?" The most adorable grin breaks out on Michael's face; God, she loves this man. "You wouldn't mind?"

"No, baby. Go have fun."

"You're the best." He returns to the bed to give her an exuberant kiss. "I should write Amanda a check. Have you seen my wallet?"

Sydney smirked. "If it was in your pants pocket last night, darling, then I imagine its on the living room floor with the rest of your clothes."

"Shit."

Sydney smiles. "I suppose I should go straighten up down there before Amanda gets here."

"No, stay, I'll do it," he says, leaning over to kiss her again. "Enjoy your breakfast."

"You spoil me."

"You deserve it." He kisses her one last time before pulling on a pair of jeans and heading out the door, and she smiles, leaving the plate of eggs on the bed as she gets up to find some clothes to throw on. She put on her nightgown for the trip upstairs last night, but somehow she found her way out of it again. Funny how that happened.

She has just made her way into an old long-sleeved t-shirt of Michael's and a pair of pajama pants when the phone rings again. "Marguerite," she murmurs. Had she said she'd call her mother-in-law back, or was Marguerite going to call her?

"Hello?"

"Sydney, hi. It's Kerri."

"Kerri." Sydney feels awful for her friend, and she hates that bastard Eric Weiss for what he did to her, but she can't help feeling a bit frosty about the things Kerri had said the day before. "Hi."

"Sydney, I'm sorry about yesterday," Kerri says in a rush. "I shouldn't have taken my problems out on you, you didn't deserve that."

Sydney sighs, running a hand back through her hair. "I know you're going through a rough time."

"I am, but that's no excuse," Kerri says. "Listen, I don't fly out till three. Will you have lunch with me? I don't think I have time to come out to your house, but maybe we could meet somewhere."

Sydney sighs again. "I don't know, Kerri, I should probably--"

"Please, Sydney." Kerri's voice is desperate, as if she is on the verge of tears. "I meant it yesterday when I said that Francie is the only one of Eric's and my friends that'll talk to me. I-- I really need this."

Sydney can't help but feel a little resentful at being made to feel guilty for something that's not her fault, but she does want to be there for her friend. "Michael's doing something with Jack and Em today, but I'll have to bring Grace with me."

"Fine, that's fine," Kerri says, voice flooded with relief. "Can you meet me around noon? Maybe at that-- that little café next door to the store I saw you at yesterday?"

"Sure, I know the place," Sydney says. "Noon, then."

"Noon. Great, Syd. See you then."

Sydney hangs up the phone just as Michael enters, carrying Gracie on his hip. "Look who missed her mommy."

"Aw." Sydney can't help but smile at the sight of her youngest daughter, still clad in the tiny pink pajamas Sydney had left for her the night before. "Come here, sweetie," she says, reaching out to take her from Michael. "What did Amanda have to say? Did everything go okay? When did Grace eat last?"

"Everything went fine, Jack and Aaron had a great time playing together, Emily spent the whole night playing with Amanda's old Barbies, and Grace had a bottle an hour ago," Michael reports. "And I gave Amanda the largest tip of all time, she said to call back any time we need a night alone."

"We might have to take her up on that," Sydney says with a smile. "Where are Jack and Em?"

"They're waiting by the door, I told them not to take their coats off," Michael says, rushing toward the closet. "Do you know where my hockey pants are?"

"Michael," Sydney groans. "You can't give the two of them time to catch their breath? Have you even showered yet?"

"You know if they come in and sit down in front of the TV we won't get going for another hour, Syd," Michael says. "Hey, who was on the phone?"

"Kerri," Sydney sighs. "Gracie and I are going to go meet her for lunch."

"What, you really want to do that?" Michael asks, losing his jeans and pulling on a pair of hockey pants.

"I don't know. It'll be good to talk to her again, I guess," Sydney says, smoothing her little girl's hair away from her face. "I know you're in a hurry, but could you please please go tell Jack and Em they can take their coats off and stick around and watch Grace while I take a shower?"

"Oh, fine." Michael looks vaguely upset, then brightens. "Hey, you know what we should do tonight, we should take the kids out for pizza. That'd be fun, right?"

"Sure." Sydney gives her husband a kiss, then hands him their daughter. "I'm going to get ready. Go talk to Jack and Em before they bake, okay?"

"Okay." Michael starts for the door, then pauses on his way out. "Syd, last night was…"

She closes her eyes, remembering the way he had looked at her in her black nightie, the way he had lay her down on the blanket in front of the fireplace as if she were something very precious. "I love you, Michael."

"Love you, Syd."