Part Thirty-one

Sydney just looks at Ben. It takes her a moment to realize that he has Grace's diaper bag and Sydney's purse slung over his shoulders, Grace's playpen in one hand, and a foil-covered plate in the other. "Where's Michael?" she asks.

"Oh-- ah-- he went to get Emily and Grace, and Grace woke up and started crying, then Emily woke up and started crying, so he's trying to calm them down," Ben said, leaning the playpen against the side of the car and resting the plate on the roof.

"I should go help him," Sydney says, moving to start back toward the house.

"No, he's doing fine. Why don't you just stay here and cool down," Ben suggests.

Sydney smirks. "You just don't want me to go in there and start round two with Kerri."

"There's no reason for you to go back inside," Ben says calmly. "You probably want all of this stuff in the trunk, huh?"

"Sure," Sydney says, taking a deep breath. "Except my purse. And-- what's that?" she asks, nodding at the plate.

"I wrapped up some pasta, I figured you must be hungry. There should be enough there for Emily, too."

Sydney can't help but feel a little touched by the gesture. "That was very sweet. Thanks."

"Not a problem." Unlike Sydney, Ben remembered to get the car keys from Michael, and he unlocks the trunk of the car and begins loading the baby supplies. "I can go back in and get some ice for your face, if you want."

"Please," Sydney scoffs. "She surprised me, more than anything. Don't think for a minute that I couldn't mop the floor with that little--" she stops short, remembering who she's talking to.

"But you didn't, huh?" Ben responds, slamming the car door shut. "You let her slap you and then walked away, so you could look like the bigger person?"

Sydney bristles. "Give me a break. There was absolutely no reason to let things escalate further than they did. I'm pregnant, for God's sake."

"Look, I'm sorry," Ben says, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "It's none of my business." He hands her the car keys. "I'm going to go check on Kerri. It was nice meeting you."

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call that meeting nice." Sydney almost giggles at the ridiculousness of the situation. "Hey, Ben, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Ben says, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"I know it's none of my business," she says. "But why did you and Kerri break up in college?"

Ben sighs, running a hand back through his hair. "I applied to film school in New York without really thinking about what it would mean for us. I'd lived in California all my life, and I just wanted to get away, see something new."

"Understandable," Sydney agrees.

"Then when I was accepted, Kerri said maybe she could come with me, and that maybe we should think about getting engaged." Ben shrugs. "I thought I loved her. I did love her. But I was twenty-one years old. And as soon as she said it, I knew that I had to go by myself, take some time to decide what I wanted."

"Also understandable," Sydney notes.

"Yeah," Ben sighs. "Ker even said she understood, but I know that she was really hurt by my decision. And then like a month after I moved she called and told me she met some other guy."

"Eric," Sydney realizes.

"Eric," Ben confirms. "They got married less than a year later, right after they graduated. I wondered for years whether I'd made a huge mistake by leaving. I mean, I loved my wife, and I wouldn't trade my daughter for anything. But my wife's been gone for a lot of years, and I've had a long time to think about it, and I decided that Kerri was the one." A small smile crosses his face. "Is the one."

Sydney smiles, a little sadly. "I really hope it works out for you."

"Me, too," Ben confesses. "I'm afraid I rushed things a little by proposing. I mean, I've been thinking about this, about her, for years, but she's just started to think about me again."

"Well, you might want to give her a little time and space," Sydney agrees. "But for the record, I don't think she ever stopped thinking about you."

Ben smiles. He opens his mouth to speak again, but it is then that Michael comes out of the house, carrying Grace in her baby seat while Emily rides piggy back and Jack hurries along at his side.

"My hero," Sydney sighs, rushing forward to kiss him. "Can we get out of here?"

"Please," he says, smiling as he hands her Grace. "All right, Em. The ride stops here," he says, crouching down so she can climb off.

"Does Daddy make a good horsie?" Sydney asks fondly, smoothing her daughter's hair back from her face.

"Yep," Emily says happily.

"Hey, man. Thanks for helping with the stuff," Michael tells Ben. "And for dinner."

"Not a problem," Ben says good-naturedly. "See you guys. Have a safe trip back to New York."

"Thanks."

He goes back to the house, and Sydney and Michael go about the business of getting the kids loaded into the car. They remember to retrieve her purse and the food from the roof, then they start off.

"Ben said Em and Grace made a fuss when they woke up?" Sydney asks, voice low.

"Oh. No big deal," Michael says with a shrug. "Grace just needed to get back to sleep, and Em just needed a little attention."

Sydney glances into the backseat, where Emily sits talking a mile a minute to Jack, making him laugh.

"Did she tell you what happened?" Sydney asks quietly. Michael shakes his head no, and Sydney tells him what Nick told their daughter.

"That's awful." Michael looks absolutely horrified. "You talked to her?"

"Yes." Sydney smiles. "And then I had to tell her how the baby got in my tummy to cheer her up."

Michael laughs. "What did you tell her?"

Sydney wishes she could snuggle closer to him, but of course their seatbelts and the car's bucket seats conspire against them. She settles for placing a hand on his thigh. "That you and I love each other so much that one day that love made a baby."

"Nice," Michael says with a smile. "Better than what I would have told her."

"I'm sure you would have done fine," Sydney comforts him.

They drive with only the sounds of the children in the backseat breaking the silence for a moment before Michael asks, "What did Kerri say when you told her?"

Sydney grimaces. She should have known she'd have had to tell him about their argument sooner or later. "She thought it was awful, of course. Then I went on about it for maybe longer than I should have, and she said if this was the worst thing that had ever happened to Emily, we were lucky. Her childrens' father really did leave."

"I feel bad for those kids," Michael says quietly. "I think Eric's doing his best to spend time with him, but I know it's not the same. They don't seem the same."

"No, they don't," Sydney agrees. "I think Matt and Alex are a little better at going with the flow, but Nick's taking it really hard. Kerri should think about getting him some counseling." She makes a face. "And checking herself into a mental institution."

"What happened, Syd? She slapped you, didn't she? Did she hurt you?" Michael takes one hand from the steering wheel to touch her cheek tenderly.

"She didn't hurt me," Sydney assures him. "But things got ugly, Michael. She sees my concern for her as pity, she resents me for, as she put it, perfecting the lifestyle she lived for a lot more years than me. I said some things I shouldn't have," she confesses. "About her never loving Eric, about her being as petty and vindictive as her eight-year-old child. That's when she slapped me."

"A bold move, considering she must know that you could mop the floor with her."

Sydney smiles. Her smile fades, though, as she realizes, "A cowardly move, considering she knows that I'm pregnant and would never risk things devolving into a no holds barred, kicking and punching extravaganza." They drive along in silence for a moment before Sydney says, "And I know I shouldn't have said what I did about her never loving Eric, but I really think she married Eric just to hurt Ben. Maybe not consciously, but that's still what she did. Maybe Eric knew," she realizes. "Maybe Eric knew she didn't love him, and that's one of the things that led him to cheat."

"That doesn't make it okay," Michael points out.

"I know," Sydney says quietly. "But sometimes, I mean, when somebody hurts you--"

"--You want to hurt them back," Michael finishes. "I know. I think their divorce was a bit more complicated then we made it out to be."

"I think divorce always is," Sydney agrees. "We don't know, we don't think about it, because we're living in this perfect little bubble--"

"It's not exactly perfect," Michael points out.

"It's pretty great, though."

Michael smiles. "Yeah," he says softly. "It's pretty great." He pulls over to the side of the street, and he leans over to kiss her.

"Why are we stopping?" Emily chirps. "Oh, are we going to McDonald's? Can we go to McDonald's?" she asks, pointing at the golden arches rising in the distance.

"You must be hungry," Sydney says, smiling at her daughter. "Sure, we can drive through and get you something."

Michael looks at her in amazement. "Sydney Vaughn, willingly feeding her daughter grease? And, in all probability, red meat?"

"Anything she wants," Sydney responds, settling back against her seat. "The poor little darling's been through a lot tonight."

"So has her mommy," Michael says, brushing hair back from her face in concern. "Which reminds me, I have a surprise for you back at the hotel."

Sydney's eyes light up. "A surprise?" She frowns. "But, Michael, I promised you earlier that I'd give you a proper thank you tonight," she says, leaning over to kiss him lightly.

"You'll get your chance." Michael kisses her once more, then turns to look at the kids in the backseat. "McDonald's, then?"

"Yeah!" Emily cries.

"Did you get enough to eat, Jack?" Michael asks his son. "Do you want an ice cream cone or something?"

Jack's eyes light up. "I want a Coke."

"You got it." Michael kisses his wife one more time before pulling away from the curb. "Love you, Syd."

"I love you, too," she says, smiling contentedly. "Oh, and Mike?"

"Hmm?"

Her smile widens. "I'm excited about getting our place in Jamaica."

His eyes light up like a little boy's. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

As far as she is concerned, any place she and her family can keep their perfect little bubble intact is okay with her.