Would I Lie to You

On Thursday, Miranda woke up with a jolt. She was sweating everywhere. Something felt off. Something was off. She didn't know what. She went to check on Tuck. He was asleep in his room. She stood in the hallway and listened to her house. Everything was still and quiet, like it was supposed to be. But the nagging feeling was ever-present.

Maybe it was the dinner that was happening this weekend, on Saturday night. It was two days away and nothing was ready and although she was excited about it, it was stressing her out. She wanted everything to go well with it and she was fairly sure that it would, but she was anxious. If it went wrong, everyone would blame her or they would direct their anger at The Chief. That would definitely upset him and he might go back to drinking. No, this dinner had to go well. And the pressure was overwhelming her a little.

The real root of her anxiety was probably that she was nervous about talking to Grey about Pierce. She sighed; then nodded to herself. Yeah, that's what it was. She'd put it off for so long and now that it was Thursday, she had to approach her former resident. Miranda didn't know how talking to Meredith would go; but, along with Callie, she, reluctantly, approached Meredith in the attending lounge while she was alone. Together, they guilted her into going to the dinner. "Mer, she's your sister," Callie told her while putting her hands on her hips. The DNA tests came back and it turned out, as everyone assumed, that Ellis was her mother and Richard is her father." Miranda remembered thinking: Surprise, surprise, when she saw the message on her phone. Meredith made a noise and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, Grey. Okay, look. I know this is a bombshell. A huge bombshell. But, so much good can come out of it," Miranda said.

Meredith shook her head. "No?" Callie asked.

Meredith eyes appeared red. She nodded. Callie looked at Miranda and they shrugged their shoulders simultaneously. "My mother was a very secretive person. I never once, not once, knew about a sister or even thought to think about a sister. I was an only child." Miranda and Callie nodded. "I had a sister once. Twice if you count Cristina. I don't need another sister—" Miranda started to interrupt. "Because the one I had was pretty good and the one who's away from me is the best." She stopped talking and Miranda held her breath. "But I am curious." Miranda and Callie pumped their fists in victory. "I'm not promising to be bright and shiny for Pierce, but I will try not to bring my dark and twisties."

"That's all we're asking," Miranda said with a smile. Callie nodded. Miranda was being paged and left to check out the situation. Along with her residents, they repaired a woman's bowels. Miranda allowed Shane to do the procedure, hopefully leaving the patient with minimal scarring.

Miranda made her way to the locker room. She hadn't seen Ben all day and they'd been missing each other with calls and messages for the last couple of days. She pulled down her stool and sat on it, taking a deep breath. It was almost time to get Tuck and she was exhausted. "Dr. Bailey!" A voice said cutting through her breathing. Please don't let it be another surgery, she thought. She loved surgery, but she was also looking forward to going home and getting off of her feet. She'd just been on-call the night before. And it was a hellish and long night. "Dr. Bailey?" The voice said again. It occurred to Miranda that she didn't quite recognize the voice. The voice rounded the corner, calling her name one more time: "Dr. Bailey. I found you."

"Um, you did, Cameron. Can I help you?" Miranda asked the intern. Callie rushed around the corner as well.

"Miranda, is everything okay?" Miranda shrugged and they turned their attention to Samantha, who was blushing at the sight of Callie. Miranda looked at her best friend with a raised eyebrow, signaling that Samantha was the intern who had the crush. Callie nodded and said: "Speak. Is everything alright?"

"Yes, well, no…" Samantha sputtered. Miranda stood up. Her mind went to Tuck. This was the feeling that she'd been having. Something was wrong.

"Well, is it or isn't it?" Miranda asked raising her voice with each syllable.

"Mrs. Powell in 2113… we just finished repairing her bowels, her sutures blew."

"Oh, damn. Okay. Let's go," Miranda said throwing on her coat on. They made their way to the room. Shane was in the room, directing everyone. "Ross! Quiet!" Miranda joined in, working her magic. They were finished, for the second time and Miranda left Shane there to stay overnight and watch Ms. Powell's progress.

Back in the locker room, she did a few jumping jacks to wake her up before—Oh, God! She thought. Tuck. She was supposed to pick him up and she'd forgotten to call someone to do it. Miranda rushed out of the room, speeding by everyone. She got into her car and before she could pull out of her spot, she heard her phone ring. It had to be the school. "Yes, I'm on my way. I know I'm really late and please charge me but—"

"Baby?"

"Hello?" She said looking at the name on the screen. It was Ben.

"Miranda?"

"Hey, Ben, I can't talk right now. I'm so late getting Tuck. And I need to go."

"Baby, calm down."

"I'm calm," Miranda said frantically.

"I picked up Tuck already."

"You did what now?" She asked. "H—how?"

"Um, I'm ignoring that question because I know that you know that I picked him up in my car, but I got a call from Callie saying you had an emergency surgery and that I should pick up Tuck if I could." Ben spoke quickly. Miranda was starting to calm down. "So, I did. I texted you a bunch of times. And Callie said that she would get in touch with you as well."

"Well, she didn't."

"I'm sorry."

"It's… not your fault," she admitted. They were silent. "Where are you guys?"

"At my apartment."

"You know Tuck has a key, right?" She asked the question, putting her head back on the headrest and closing her eyes. Her son was safe and that was the most important thing.

"Yeah, I know, but… uh, I also had to pick up Jazmin from practice, so the three of us are here. We just had a little snack and I, uh, made some dinner." Miranda smiled and nodded. God, he was great. "You should come over."

"I suppose I have to. My son is there."

"Yes, he is." Ben chuckled and Miranda did the same. "So, I'll see you in a bit?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm on my way," she told him. Miranda opened her eyes, turned on some music and made her way to Ben's house.

Pulling into the garage, she saw Jazmin and Tuck playing near the elevator. Neither one was wearing any shoes. Miranda shook her head and parked. She got out of the car and walked towards them. Tuck bounded over to her and gave her a hug. Jazmin waved. "Hi, Dr. Bailey," the girl said. She no longer had box braids. Her hair had been straightened and was laying flat against her back.

"Jazmin. How are you? How's your mom?"

The girl nodded. "She's fine."

"And you?" Tucker's eyes darted between Jazmin and his mother.

"Oh," Jazmin said with a giggle. "I'm good."

The three of them got on the elevator. "And your teams?"

"My school team is not really good. Our last game is next week. We're not going to the playoffs this year. Benji said that's okay because we're still young." Miranda nodded. "My AAU team has a tournament in two weeks. I'd like it if you could come." Miranda smiled, that last part sounded rehearsed.

"I'd love to. If I'm not working, I will do my best to be there."

"Cool."

They walked into Ben's apartment. Usually it was immaculate, but one quick look around told Miranda that Jazmin and Tuck in the same place for several hours was a recipe for clutter. "Ben?" Miranda called out.

"I'm in here," he answered from the back of his apartment.

"Mommy! Look at what Ben got me!" Tuck said running towards her with something in his hand. He waved it around. "Look!"

"I'm trying to, William," she responded taking the item from him. It was the brand-new NBA video game that Tuck had been begging her for. And she hadn't gotten it for him because she didn't want to reward him for fighting in school and because she couldn't find it anywhere. Miranda gritted her teeth and smiled.

"This is great, Tuck," she said. "This is just… great. I hope that you thanked him." Tuck nodded. "Well, I won't interrupt you guys. Keep playing." Her son walked away. While she walked to the back of the apartment, Tuck and Jazmin sat down in front of the TV and continued the paused video game, munching on snacks. "Ben?" She said again.

"Yeah?"

"Where is 'here'?" She asked sarcastically walking into his room and not seeing him.

"Back here."

"Ha-ha. You're clever," Miranda said finding him inside of his closet. She sat on his bed.

He came out of the closet and walked to her. "Hey, baby," he said kissing her cheek.

"Hey yourself." Her voice was icy. And Ben could sense it.

"Uh-oh. What's wrong?" Miranda cleared her throat, ignoring his question. "Miranda? Is something wrong?" Silence. "What did I do?" He asked with a nervous laugh.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong."

"What is it?"

She couldn't hold it in any longer. "You bought my son a very expensive video game without consulting me first."

"I know."

"I know you know." Miranda was annoyed. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I wanted to, Miranda. I didn't think—"

"Exactly. You didn't think!" She whispered-shouted.

Ben put his arm around his waist in an attempt to calm her down. "Miranda…"

She moved away from him. "Ben, if I wanted him to have that game, I would have bought it for him myself."

"I… I know. But it's something I wanted to get for him. It was just a gift. Kind of like a—a thank you."

She raised her eyebrow and stared at her boyfriend. "Thank you? For what?"

"For… look, I talked to him already. I told him why. So, ask him, okay?" Ben said kissing her softly on the lips, ignoring the fact that she didn't kiss him back. "Okay? Don't stress out over it."

"Yeah," she said halfheartedly. "But I will be talking to him."

"Good." He moved closer to her and kissed her neck. "Real good." She turned to him and kissed his cheek.

"I've missed you," she told him softly, taking a glance at the door.

"I've missed you," he responded. Ben leaned in and kissed her passionately. Miranda put a hand on his chest and Ben deepened the kiss. When they pulled away, they stared at each other, smiling. Electricity surged through their bodies and they went in for another kiss just as Jazmin knocked on the door.

"Excuse me," the teenager said politely. Ben nodded and Miranda blushed. "Um, Benji, LT wants to know if it's time to eat." Miranda shrugged.

"Does LT want to know if it's time to eat or you?" Ben interjected. The girl smiled sheepishly. "We're coming." The girl nodded and left. "So… where were we?" Ben raised his eyebrows.

"Right here," she told him moving in for a kiss. It was short and full of heat. When they pulled away, she smiled. "Thanks for picking Tuck up today." He told her it was no problem. "What's for dinner?"

"Oh. Well," he said kissing her on the cheek. "I'm making lasagna." He looked into her eyes. "I really like you, Miranda."

She looked into his eyes. "Ben. I really, really like... lasagna," she said. Miranda started to get off of the bed and Ben pulled her back down. She giggled as he kissed her again.

"You're trying to play me?" He asked tickling her.

She shook her head. "I like you, Ben. Honestly."

"Okay." They kissed. "Let's go."

Making their way to the front of the apartment, they saw that Jazmin and Tuck were huddled around the oven. "It smells so good," Tuck said holding his stomach.

"It should be finished," Ben said pointing to the table.

"Tuck, grab the utensils. Jazmin, get the plates," Miranda said to them. The non-cooks sat down and waited as Ben brought over the piping hot dish. The four of them started to eat and didn't stop until there was only one corner of lasagna left.

"That was so good, Benji," Jazmin said sitting back in her chair.

"I agree, Ben Warren. That was pretty good." Miranda looked at him and smiled. He winked at her.

"Benji, can we get frozen yogurt?" Jazmin asked her uncle.

"Absolutely not… it's time for me to get you home." She pouted for a second and then started to giggle.

"You know, I can drop Jazmin off," Miranda said.

"You're sure?" Ben asked.

"It's not a problem, really. But we should get going," she responded.

He nodded. He looked at his niece: "Go and get your stuff." Jazmin and Tuck got up from the table and gathered their things. Ben moved around the table and sat himself next to Miranda. He picked up her hands. He smiled seductively while kissing her hands, biting a few of her fingers lightly. Miranda blushed and jerked her head towards the young people. "What?"

"Not in front of the kids," she told him.

"Oh. Right. Because they don't know we're dating," he said putting her hands gently back on the table.

"Of course they do," she countered. "I just… I don't know. I guess I don't want to expose them to our intimacy." Ben just nodded. He reached across the table to get his glass and ended up knocking over Jazmin's half-full glass of juice.

"Damn it!" He said harshly under his breath.

"What's the problem?" She asked.

"Nothing," he said trying to clean up the mess. She stood up to help. "Don't bother."

"Okay. Clearly, you're pissed. So what is it?"

"You're sure you want to talk in front of the kids?" He asked sarcastically.

"Alright. Jazmin, Tuck… let's go," Miranda said clapping her hands. Ben was by the kitchen sink. Jazmin gave him a hug and Tuck gave him a high-five. Miranda gave them the keys and they walked out of the apartment and raced to the car. "I'm assuming that there's a problem." She talked to him from across the room.

"Nope," Ben said popping the 'p'. He started to wash the dishes. She nodded.

She walked to him and hugged his back, wrapping her arms around his body. She put her head on his back. She could smell his cologne, the one that drove her insane. "I'll call you later. Maybe… something."

"No kiss?" He asked and her heart skipped a beat.

"I didn't think—"

"Even if I'm a little agitated with you, I still want to kiss you." He turned around and smiled at her. She adored that smile. It made her feel a little better. "I always want to kiss you."

"So you are agitated? What did I do?" A smile spread across her lips.

"I'll tell you about it later."

"You'll tell me now."

"If we talk now, those kids will attempt to drive themselves home," Ben said chuckling.

"That's not funny," she told him trying to wipe the smile off of her face, failing miserably. "I did that as a kid."

"Ha! What? Now you have to tell me about that," Ben said putting his wet hands on her shoulders.

"I'll tell you about it later," she said using his phrase. She kissed him and left.

After dropping Jazmin off, she and a sleeping Tuck made their way to their house. She recognized Tucker's car in her driveway and his shadowy figure sitting at the top of the stairs. She got out of the car, leaving Tuck still asleep. Another brooding man. Just her luck. "Tucker Jones." He waved slowly. "How can I help you?"

"Jaida kicked me out," he said with a deep chuckle.

"What?" She asked sitting next to him.

"Yeah. We were in the store and she said that she saw me flirting with the cash register."

"Well, you don't have the best track record," Miranda said looking at her car.

"You're on my side, remember?"

"Oh, right. Of course." They were quiet. "Well, were you flirting?"

"I don't know. Nothing that should warrant being kicked out of my house." Tucker rubbed his face.

"Did you tell her that?"

"We argued all damn day, Miranda. Do you think it might be hormones or something?"

"Yeah. Sure, or you're an insufferable flirt," they laughed loudly. "And don't tell Jaida that you think her hormones are taking over." He made a face. "You didn't?! No wonder you're sitting on my steps looking for refuge." Tucker nodded. "If you would have said that to me while I was pregnant, I'm fairly certain I would have stabbed you." They laughed again. He leaned over and nudged her a little, sending her spiraling into a whirlwind of memories. Memories. Miranda remembered being with Tucker. Although it seemed like light years ago, she missed their camaraderie. And sometimes talking and hanging out with Tucker felt just like it did when they were in college and he would come to her college campus and they would just be together. Everything was easier then.

Tucker's voice brought her back to the present: "Is my son in there?" She nodded. "Can I crash here tonight?"

"Just for tonight, Tucker." He was smiling at her, but she was serious. "I'm serious."

"I got you, Mandy." Tucker brought their son into the house.

"Where's your key?"

"I didn't grab anything… couldn't grab anything. She was so upset and crying. I just left—like she asked."

Miranda nodded. "You can take the couch or the guest room. As a matter of fact, take the room. Are you still having back problems?"

"Yeah, well, only when I don't stretch every morning."

"Do you stretch in the morning?" She asked already knowing the answer. He didn't answer. Well, surprise, surprise. Those damn doctors don't know a damn thing."

"I'll start." Miranda shrugged. "Thanks for letting me crash, Miranda," Tucker said hugging her. He rubbed her back and kissed her cheek. Miranda looked at him and squinted her eyes. He moved forward in an attempt to kiss her lips. She turned her head and it landed on her other cheek.

"Um, so… uh, take the guest room. And I'll see you in the morning," she told him quickly.

"Miranda—" She cut him off by putting up her hand and she walked away shaking her head.

After getting ready for bed, she turned off the light, climbed into bed and called Ben. She decided that she wouldn't tell him about Tucker, she didn't want him to worry, didn't want the friendship between her boyfriend and her ex-husband to be damaged by Tucker's foolishness. The phone rang several times. She almost hung up, but he answered just as she took the phone away from her ear. "No, I wasn't asleep before you ask," he said with a laugh.

"I wasn't going to ask you that," she said with a laugh of her own. She turned on her back, tracing circles around her bellybutton. "So, if you weren't sleeping, what were you doing?"

"Cleaning up the mess your son and my niece left." She laughed again. They began to chat about their week, after failing to catch up with each other in previous days. She neglected to tell him about her waking up sweating and the stress that the dinner was putting on her. They skimmed that topic. "What are we having for dinner?"

"We can't go wrong with baked chicken, mashed potatoes and a vegetable, right? A little dessert?" She asked.

"Mmhmm. And corn. I like corn." For some reason that cracked both of them up.

There was a knock on her door. "C'mon in, Tuck," she said and looked up to see her ex-husband. "Er."

"Tucker?" Ben repeated.

"Yeah. Tucker is here."

"In your bedroom?"

"Well. Yeah, he is now. Jaida put him out," Miranda said trying to skirt the impending conversation.

"Oh?" Miranda confirmed. "Let me guess… he had another transgression?" Miranda chuckled nervously. "Tell him I said 'hi'."

"Tucker, Ben says 'hi'."

"Hey, Ben. Mandy. Can I talk to you for a minute, please?"

"Tell him you're on the phone with your boyfriend."

Miranda blushed. "He knows that already," she said while staring at the shamefaced Tucker.

"We have some things to talk about, too," Ben told her.

"I know." The three of them were silent. "Baby, let me… uh, put you on mute for a little bit."

Ben sighed dramatically. "Okay."

"Okay," she repeated. Her finger slid across the 'mute' button. "What's up, Tucker?"

"This will be short. I know Ben is waiting." He took a step towards her bed. "I'm sorry, okay? I don't know where my head was. I'm just stressing a little…. a lot, actually. I really do apologize, okay. It won't happen again. Trying to, um, kiss you was a-a lapse in judgment…" Tucker continued to apologize profusely. During his speech, she glanced down at her phone and saw that she hadn't pushed the 'mute' button at all. Miranda closed her eyes and groaned loudly. "You're growling. Don't be mad at me."

"I'm not," she said holding up her phone. "Ben just heard everything you said."

"Yeah, I did," Ben said loud enough for Tucker to hear.

Miranda didn't know what to say. She hadn't planned on telling Ben about Tucker's faux-pas, but he'd found out anyway. Thanks, universe, she thought. Tucker gestured for the phone. She hesitated to give it to him, but he continued to wave frantically. She gave up the phone and he walked out into the hallway, leaving Miranda alone. Five minutes later, he came back with her phone. He handed it to her, waved goodbye and he left her alone again. "Hello?" She said.

"Hey, baby," he said.

"Yeah?"

"I'm not mad," he said simply.

"Good. There's nothing for you to be mad about."

"I know. That's why I'm not mad." She smiled. "But were you upset before you knew the whole story?"

"Yeah," he said drawing the word out. They were quiet.

"Why were you, uh… agitated with me before?" She asked remembering the word that he'd used.

He sighed. "It's a little childish—"

"Go on."

"We hadn't seen each other all week and then when I just want to show you a little passion, show you that you're desirable and you shut me down."

"I didn't shut you down. I just prefer, and I'm, I mean, I t-told you this, I don't want my son to see that that kind of sexuality."

"It's not sexual. I mean, it is, but it's not. It's sweet. He should see me hugging you and kissing you and holding you." Miranda started to answer, he continued. "Nothing below the waist, but I want to be able to show you love, Miranda."

Miranda sputtered. "I-I-I…" Her voice was small.

"I know you must have seen your parents show each other affection when you were younger." Miranda smiled. "Exactly."

"We're not married."

He was silent for a second. "No, we're not. But, still… it's good for him. For you. I want this to be effortless. If I want to kiss you, no matter where we are, I should be able to. And the same with you. If… if we just had a really successful and tough surgery and we're coming out of the OR, I want you to feel comfortable enough to kiss me. Like…" He searched for the right word.

"Without any hesitation?" She offered. She was starting to see that he had a point.

"Exactly, sweetheart. Right then and there."

Miranda smiled and stayed quiet. "I'm sorry. I'm thinking about it now and it was a little… inconsiderate."

"Apology accepted."

Miranda pulled the covers up to her neck and closed her eyes. She could hear Ben breathing fainting. She turned on her side. "What did Tucker say to you?"

"Umm… he said that he fucked up. And that he slipped up trying to kiss you and he didn't want me to beat him to a pulp."

"Anything else?" Miranda said with a laugh.

"He said that I was his best friend." Miranda started to object, but he continued: "Tucker also told me that I should take good care of you and Tuck and that he trusts me and as long as you're happy, he wouldn't have to beat me to a pulp."

"Heyyyy! I thought I was your best friend," Miranda said with a small yawn.

"Oh, no, no… he's my best friend."

"Oh," she said deflated.

"But you're my lady." The smile on Miranda's face could have lit up all of Seattle. Ben made her so happy. He could say the simplest thing and make her night even better.

"Wh-what else did you say?"

It was Ben's turn to yawn. "I, uh… I told him that I forgive him because I know you wouldn't have kissed him back." Ben's voice softened to an almost whisper. She had to concentrate to hear him. "And I told him that there's nothing that I wouldn't do to keep a smile on your face." Miranda's eyes popped open and she gasped. "I love you, Miranda Bailey." She'd heard him say her name so many times, but every time he said it, it felt like the first time anyone had ever said it.

"I love you," she responded. Miranda wished that they were in the same location, sharing the same space. They were quiet for a long time, each one thinking that the other was asleep. Her phone beeped signaling that her battery was dying. She told him this and they disconnected the call. Miranda got up and retrieved her charger. She plugged her phone in and watched the battery sign flash. She got back in bed and took a deep breath. She said a quick prayer. She hoped that her parents, all of them, would stay blessed. She wanted the dinner with her friends to go well, Tucker's life to get back on track, Tuck to stay good and healthy and for Ben to continue to be in her life. "Amen."