This chapter got longer then I originally intended it to but I quite like it. I hope you all do too :)
Mary finished serving dinner and took their plates over to the dinning room table, lighting some candles and putting on some soft music as Ben finished drying off and dressing in a pair of faded blue jeans and a white buttoned down shirt, all of the buttons except the top two were buttoned up. As he smelled Mary's cooking, he felt his stomach growl with hunger, and he started down the stairs and into the kitchen, smiling as he saw the effort his wife went to. "This looks beautiful Mare", he said as he walked over to her and kissed her lips softly, Mary smiling into the kiss as she lost herself in her husband's sweet smelling cologne. "Thank you my handsome husband", she giggled softly, her happiness shining through. "Dinner is ready", she added as she put the garlic bread on the table.
Ben walked over to the fridge and grabbed a beer out, looking over towards his wife, "What would you like to drink babe?", he asked her as she sat at the table, "Just a glass of milk will be fine thanks honey". She was glad she wasn't a big drinker as Ben didn't even bat an eyelid at her answer, he just grabbed a tall glass out of the cupboard and the milk out of the fridge and poured her a glass, setting the milk back in the fridge, closing the door and then bringing their drinks over to the table, siting down across from her on the bench seat as he passed her drink to her. She took a sip and smiled, wiping the milk from her mouth, "Thanks babe". He smiled back and took her hands, "Your welcome.. You ready to say grace?".
She nodded and they both bowed their heads saying grace softly, "Thank you, Lord, for this food which is set before us. May we use it to nourish our bodies, and thee to nourish our souls. Make us ever more mindful of the needs of others, and the needs of our planet. Through Christ Our Lord, Amen". Ben repeated Amen after Mary and then he brought their joined hands up to his mouth and pressed his lips gently on the back of her hand, loving how Mary smiled at him and then let their hands to so they could eat. They sat and ate mostly in comfortable silence, but also sharing in telling each other about their day, Mary was itching to tell him about their news but was wanting to wait till after dinner and the dishes were finished when they could both really settle down, relax and enjoy themselves. As they both ate, they both remembered the first time that Ben had dinner with the Camden family, thinking that they never would have made it to where they are now.
*flash back*
Mary was speaking to her father in the backyard as she played some basketball about Wilson when all of a sudden she heard a voice behind her "Hello Mary", Ben said walking up to her and Eric. Mary turned her head and her face lit up with a smile, calling his name, "Ben", dropping the basketball and running into his arms while her father looked on curiously. He smiled wide as he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight while she slung her arms around his neck and giggled happily.
They sat on the couch in the living room, gazing into each other's eyes, Mary's hand fidgeting on her lap as she spoke finally, "It's really nice to see you". Ben kept his gaze on her's as he smiled, nodding and answering back, "It's really nice to see you too". As they continued to stare at each other, Eric walked in and knocked, "Are you staying for dinner Ben?". Ben never looked away from Mary as he responded, "Yes". Mary looked almost shy all of a sudden when Eric spoke again moving his hands around still looking a little perplexed, "Mary, did your mother tell you dinner is almost ready, in case you need to clean up or anything?" Mary, still looking at Ben answered with one word, "Yes". Ben then chimed in with "Thanks".
Eric, still looking a little nervous then walked into the living room and sat down on a chair opposite Ben and Mary, placing his arms on his knees as his fingers clasped together as he smiled nervously asking, "So where you from Ben?", Ben's eyes still not leaving Mary's as he answered, Mary slightly biting her lower lip, "Buffalo, Sir". Eric pursed his lips and asked, "And what brings you to our fair city?". Ben finally turned his head around to look at Eric, his hands placed in his lap and then sat forward as he explained, "Oh, Umm.. I came to pick up a rescue dog for our unit". He gestured with his hands as he confined, "The dog was trained near here and I volunteered to come out at my own expense". Eric nodded and tilted his head, "Oh".
Before Eric could get another word in, Ben turned back towards Mary and asked, "So, Um, you and Wilson...?". Mary shook her head, looking into his eyes, "We broke up, We're not getting married". "Do you still talk to him?", was Ben's next question and Mary once again shook her head before answering, "No, that's over", she continued in her soft voice, "I think we both knew it was just never gonna work out". Eric looked at Mary, very interested in hearing her side of the conversation as Ben asked another question, "So did you guys decide to remain friends?". She shook her head again, her hands still firmly in her lap, "No, it was pretty much a clean break", she said smiling wide at him. Eric slowly nodded his head as he took all this in, feeling frustrated remembering their earlier conversation.
Ben was in the dinning room siting opposite Robbie and Matt, Robbie asking, "So you're the guy she got caught kissing?". He answered, You know about that?" Robbie replied, moving his right arm up in the air as his left hand held a coffee mug, "We all know about that", Matt sitting just eyeing the guy off. "No kidding, this is a close family", Ben said, adding "And a small community". He held his hands up, "Should I be here?". Both Robbie and Matt shrugged their shoulder, Matt slightly smirking. "Were you both friends with Wilson?", Ben asked, and they both shook their heads indicating no. He then asked, "But you both know Wilson?". Once again both men said nothing but nodded their heads this time, "He seemed like a nice enough guy to me".
Both Robbie and Matt nodded their heads, amused as Ben continued, "It's not like I set out to break them up". They both shook their heads and flung their arms out making weird faces, "It just happened", Ben said as he again made hand gestures, both Robbie and Matt doing the same thing once again. Ben shook his head and confessed, "I dunno.. I guess I have just been attracted to Mary since the day I met her". Both Robbie and Matt uttered the same thing at the same time, "Good luck". Ben chuckled and asked them, "Why do you say that?". Matt explained, "Well, Camden women are very", he said moving his hands around, "Well uhh fickle", bringing his hands together, clasping them together as his father did earlier. "Fickle", Robbie repeated as he sat forward in his seat.
The three men talked a little more amongst themselves and then Matt turned to and said "You know, enough about us, what about you and your women?", he asked smiling widely. Ben looked at him and answered, "I dated the same woman all through high school and college, then she got am assignment with the BBC and moved to London", both men looking interested and Robbie asked, "Then what happened". "Then after a year went by and we drifted apart, I met Mary". Ben concluded.
At that moment, Mary walked into the dinning room and Ben looked over at her with a big grin on his face, Mary standing there also with a similar look as Robbie and Matt both said again, "Good luck". Ben and Mary both looked at them with confused expressions on their faces, wondering exactly what they both meant by that comment.
After dinner, Mary and Ben decided to go for a drive, Mary was in the kitchen looking for her keys when Ruthie walked in after having met Ben, "I can't" find my keys anywhere", she said as she stood up from her crouching position. "Then my guess would be Lucy is driving your car", Ruthie said shrugging a little, "But she didn't ask to drive my car", Mary said as she stood there in the kitchen. "She's out picking up guys, It's hard to pick up guys when you're in an electric car or a minivan", Ruthie's reply was. Mary sighed and then said, "Fine, we'll go out in Ben's car". Ruthie asked Mary, "Word of advice", Mary gestured for her to continue, "Move back to New York, follow him whenever he goes if he takes you to the end of the earth. Forget about Wilson, forget you ever met him, forget you ever got engaged".
As she said that, Ben came walking into the kitchen but neither of them noticed, "Forget you never gave his ring back, forget that he moved away without telling you where he was going" Ben was now listening intently to every word Ruthie said, "And forget about finding him". At Ruthie's last words, Mary's eyes slowly traveled up realizing Ben was standing there and Ruthie's eyes followed Mary's gaze and she looked back at Mary, "Uhh Ohh", she said softly. Ben spoke up, "Maybe we shouldn't be in a car when we talk". He then looked towards the backyard and said, "Back porch okay?". Mary nodded and sighed, looking at Ruthie before she headed outside, Ben following her putting his jacket on.
He walked out of the door and down the porch steps, his hands in his pockets as he turned to face Mary who's head was looking at the ground, "Look at me", he said as she slowly turned around and looked up at him, feeling nervous at what he was going to say to her. Ben then held out his arm and reached over to her, pulling a black piece of strong from around her neck, revealing a ring which was hidden under her shirt, he pulled his hand away, letting it hit his leg and nodded, "I thought so, I noticed it at dinner". Mary was holding the ring in her hand as she said, "Let me explain", Ben shook his head, "I'm not much on explanations". Mary continued anyway, "Ben, I was with Wilson on and off for years". Ben explained, speaking softly, "The only thing I take more seriously then my job is my life, and I came here to see if there was a chance that you could ever be a part of my life".
Mary looked at him sadly as he said to her, "You're really beautiful, you know that?" She looked down as he continued, "I haven't been able to get your face out of my mind, but now I think I can, so I guess it's a good thing I came here", Ben said as he looked at Mary with a sad expression on his face. "It's not like I knew you had any serious interest in me", Mary said trying to justify herself, "I thought I was just a girl that you made out with, One of the many girls that you made out with, I don't know". Ben sighed sadly with a sad smile on his face, shrugging his shoulders, "I'm not that kind of guy". Mary looked at him determined to change his mind, "Now that I know that, can't you give me another chance?". Ben shook his head and said, "No, I'm sorry, I... As beautiful as you are, I can't". Mary felt the tears starting to well in her eyes as she looked at him as he said his goodbyes to her, "Goodbye Mary", before walking off, leaving Mary to contemplate what she had just thrown away, turning to look at him once more before he walked out of her life for what she thought was for good.
*end flashback*
As they were cleaning up after dinner, Mary was still lost in her thoughts when Ben came up behind her and kissed her neck gently, wrapping his arms around her, "Penny for your thoughts". She smiled and turned around in his arms, looking at him, "I was just thinking about the first time you came to see me in Glen Oak when I was foolishly still wearing Wilson's ring around my neck and how when you left, I felt this huge hole in my heart and I never thought I would see you again", she whispered, her eyes filling with sad tears at the thought. "Hey baby", he said as he rubbed his hand in circles around her back, trying to comfort her, "Look where we are now, we are finally together, married and happy", he said as he pulled back to look into her eyes, "I'm so glad you came to find me in Buffalo".
"Me too", she whispered as she stood up slightly on her tip toes and brushed her lips against his, and smiled warmly as he began slowly leading her in a dance when the song 'In the still of the night' by the five satins came on, leaning her head on his shoulder, sighing happily as she enjoyed the moment. It felt like the right time to tell him, so without moving a muscle, she whispered In his ear, "Ben, There has been something I have been meaning to tell you", she said as she moved her head to look into his eyes. He moved his fingers along her cheek bone and brushed away a few stray hairs, nodding her for to continue. She managed to pull the test out of her pocket and brought it up to show him, "You're gonna be a Daddy".
Ben looked at the positive test and then at Mary, his eyes wide with excitement as his heart raced processing the news, "Really?.." Ben asked, his voice shaking slightly as he spoke. He had been thinking about having a child of his own ever since his niece Savannah was born 7 years ago, to have a family of his own was his biggest dream and now it was all coming true. Mary smiled wide and nodded at his question, Ben picked her up and spun her around in his arms happily before setting her down again, looking into her eyes as he placed his hands on her cheek and kissed her lips softly, brushing his thumbs over her cheeks, pulling away with a big grin on his face, "This is incredible baby, Wow", He said chuckling as he continued, "I love you so much Mary Kinkirk", He whispered as he leant in to kiss her lips once more.
Mary giggled with joy as her stomach filled with excited butterflies as her husband spun her around, She had been almost certain this would be his reaction, but it was such a relief to finally tell him and know he was happy with the news that they were going to have a baby. "I love you too Ben Kinkirk", She said back as their lips met and she kissed him back lovingly. He smiled as he pulled away and reached into the cupboard to grab two coffee mugs and made them each a hot chocolate. Ever since Ben and Mary had gotten back together, it was a custom for them to celebrate happy occasions with a mug their favourite hot drink which was hot chocolate.
Once he finished making them, he handed one over to Mary who smiled, her heart melting that Ben remembered their wacky little tradition and held her mug up, looking at Ben as he did the same and their glasses clinked together as they both said at the same time, "To us". Mary took a sip of her hot drink and smiled, nodding her approval. "Mmmm.. yummy". She took Ben's hand, turning off the kitchen light and led her husband into the living room where they sat drinking their hot chocolate, Mary leaning her back into Ben's shoulder as they talked about the pregnancy and how she came to do a pregnancy test, both feeling happy and content as Ben let his hands wrap protectively around Mary's stomach, vowing to himself to always be there to protect his wife and unborn baby.
I hope you all enjoy this chapter.. As I mentioned at the start, this chapter was a little longer then previous ones and yes.. For the flash back of when Ben came to see Mary in Glen Oak, I re-watched the episode and took all the dialogue from that, so hope you enjoy reminiscing. :)