You're Exactly What She Needs
Chapter 5

Four year-old Benjy listened attentively from the backseat as his father explained the plan.

"Okay, buddy, I'm gonna go over our operation one more time and you're gonna say okay if you understand."

"Okay!" he kicked back and forth in his car seat.

"We're gonna go home and-"

"Okay!"

Schmidt rolled his eyes with a chuckle. This kid was so much like him it was scary.

"We're gonna go home and your mom and Syd are gonna be there. You're gonna go hug and cuddle with mommy and distract her, okay?"

"Okay!"

Their car pulled up to their apartment and Schmidt and Benjy walked into the front door where Cece and Sydney were in the living room, in perfect position.

"There are my two favorite boys!" Cece cooed, greeting her husband with a kiss and ruffling Benjy's hair, "How was baseball practice?"

"Good!"

Schmidt wrapped his arm around Cece and kissed his daughter's forehead as they listened to Benjy go on about baseball.

"Meanwhile, I'm gonna make you and I some mean peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a bottle for Syd while using as many utensils and plates as I possibly can."

"Okay!"

"Our boy was rocking shortstop, babe, let me tell you." Schmidt bragged, leaving the girls to open up the cabinets, "He needs some peanut butter and jelly to re-fuel."

Cece's eyes went wide, "Well I have no idea where you got that athleticism, Benjy, but I'm so proud of you sweetie."

Benjy's grinned proudly and climbed on the couch to join his mother and sister. Cece instinctively played with her son's hair and watched as he haphazardly played with Sydney.

The moment of zen was interrupted by Schmidt loudly clamoring around the kitchen.

"Babe are you hand-crafting plates or something in there? Just make them on a napkin."

"Forgive me, Cecelia, for wanting to prepare the perfect snack for our son who may have a future in professional baseball."

Cece rolled her eyes with a smile, too used to Schmidt's ways by now to argue.

"Then I'm gonna call you in, and you're gonna drag the girls in the kitchen and we're gonna eat and put the dishes next to the sink."

"Okay!"

"Schmidt clan!" Schmidt hollered, "Your food awaits!"

"Yay!" Benjy immediately split and ran to his dad and a plate full of PB&J. Cece followed a bit more carefully, carrying a eight-month old.

"I'll take that from you, my dear." Schmidt offered, holding his arms out for his daughter. Cece gladly handed Sydney over and kissed her husband's cheek, free to join Benjy and indulge on homemade sandwiches.

"Your mommy has no idea what's coming." Schmidt whispered into his little girl's ear as he bounced her in his arms.

"I'm gonna get an urgent call from work and run into my room on the phone and then she's gonna start washing the dishes because grandma is coming over to babysit tonight."

"Okay!"

Schmidt's phone started to vibrate in his pocket, and he immediately set Sydney down in her chair to check it.

"Shit."

"Schmidt!" Cece growled at him. He'd been a father for over four years, he didn't have this censorship thing down by now?"

"Sorry, sorry!" Schmidt murmured as he fumbled with his phone. On the inside he was giddy...his acting was just too good.

"It's the office." he pointed to his phone and his wife nodded. Schmidt retreated into his room to take the call.

Benjy finished up his sandwich and put the plate on the counter like the well-behaved four-year-old he was.

In that moment of silence, Cece tapped her fingers against the granite counter tops. Sydney was content with her bottle and Benjy was content literally just standing there staring at her. Damn, she had this mothering thing down.

Turning towards the sink, she rolled her eyes at the pile of dishes that had accumulated due to her husband's need for grandeur in making children's sandwiches. Normally she'd leave it for him to deal with, but her mother was coming over in a few hours to babysit the kids while her and Schmidt went out to dinner, so she wanted the house as clean as possible.

"And here's the genius in the plan, Benjy, your mom needs to take her rings off to do the dishes." Schmidt grinned, admiring his plan, "Anyway, anyway, now here's where you come in, bud."

"The fun part!" Benjy giggled.

"When mommy's not looking, you're gonna spill some milk on your sister to make it seem like she knocked her bottle over."

Cece haphazardly took off her wedding band and engagement ring to dive into the dishes. Just as she was about to set them in the dish next to the sink, she heard a yelp from her four-year old.

"Shit!"

Cece was going to kill her husband. "He can leave a pile of dishes and teach our son a new word in a matter of five minutes. Sometimes I feel like I have three crazy kids in this house," she whispered to herself.

"Benjy, sweetheart, we don't use that-" she turned around to see a much more grave situation. It seemed like every time she thought she had this mothering thing down….

Sydney sat there, frozen, in a muck of milk from her spilt bottle that was now dripping over the floor. Cece understood why her son swore because she certainly wanted to right now.

Schmidt briefly looked back at his son who was smiling mischievously and Schmidt went into dad-mode, "Listen to me Benjamin, this is a one-time thing. Your sister is your best friend and she's a perfect angel, got it?"

"Okay." Benjy said less enthusiastically.

"Right. So, anyway, then your mom is gonna run over to help Sydney and I'm gonna sneak back into the kitchen to steal her ring. Then I'm gonna leave to go to work and the plan is complete."

Cece ran over to help Sydney. "Sweetie, you spilled your bottle everywhere!"

Benjy looked over to see his father instantly tiptoe into the kitchen and steal Cece's ring. He pocketed the wedding band and casually re-emerged from his bedroom, winking at Benjy.

"What's going on?!" Schmidt said, putting his arm on his wife's back.

"Well if you'd like to know, in the 10 seconds you were gone, our son learned to swear, we accrued a pile of dishes, and now there is milk all over the floor and our daughter."

Schmidt knew she was pissed but he couldn't help but smile. She was the most beautiful, perfect woman in the world, especially now. They'd been married eight years and it amazed him how he fell more and more in love with her with the passing over every day.

"Hey, hey." he attempted to soothe her, "Don't worry about this, I got it."

"No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be all-"

"You don't have to apologize." he reasoned, "I'll help you out with your three crazy kids."

Cece was able to crack a grin, "Thank you."

"I love you." he whispered as he leaned in for a kiss.

Sweetly pecking his lips she smiled, "I love you, too."

The couple cleaned up their kid and their apartment quickly, "I have to run by the office really quick, okay, but I'll be back before your mother gets here."

"What a joy." she joked and Schmidt nodded in agreement with a smile as he departed,

"You said it, not me."

"Why are you stealing mommy's rings?" Benjy wondered.

"It's our eight year anniversary, and I want to do something special." his dad explained, "But you have to keep this secret between the Schmidt boys."

"Okay, daddy."

A/N: Just a little more Schmece + kids for you guys! This one's a two parter….next chapter will have Schmidt and Cece's anniversary dinner and the aftermath of Schmidt's master plan. Hope you enjoyed and please review!