Chapter 122: "It's the Cheesiest"

"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant." – Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it." – Flannery O'Connor

"You cannot change the truth, but the truth can change you." – Unknown

"Truth and tears clear the way to a deep and lasting friendship. True friendship is never serene." – Mariede Svign

"Though we have two eyes, we are supplied with but one tongue. Draw your own moral." – Alphonse Karr

"He who sedulously attends, pointedly asks, calmly speaks, coolly answers, and ceases when he has no more to say, is in possession of some of the best requisites of man." – Lavater


Sydney and Amélie sat silently, neither knowing what to say. It wasn't uncomfortable, but neither had the words.

Finally, Amélie broke the silence. She said in a quiet voice, "Sydney…I want to ask you something…and I want you to be totally honest with me…"

Sydney looked over at her with a scared look, "Ok," she said softly.

Amélie turned to look her in the eye, "I know what's going to happen tomorrow, and I'm going to stay…and Michael has asked me a few things, and I want to be sure that I told him the truth, because I don't lie to my son."

Sydney just continued to look at her, "Ok," she said again.

"I believe from what he's asked me…that he thinks he may be hurting you…not him directly, but all of this…is it?"

Sydney sighed, "Amélie, this is really getting old…I mean he asks me like every day…or at least after every session he has with Barnett, and I tell him every time, just like I'm going to tell you…I am fine…and he's not harming me in any way."

Amélie continued, "Do you get angry and not tell him or get frustrated?"

Sydney smiled, "No, again…No. I get angry sometimes, but not at him…I get frustrated sometimes, but only because he's getting hurt or because he's set back again. It's never him…does that make sense?"

"Yes."

"What did he ask you?"

"Just what I asked you now – he thought that because I don't live here that I would have a more objective point of view."

"What did you tell him?"

"That I've never seen you angry or frustrated, nor anyone else in this house…"

"Well – that's the truth Amélie."

"Good, then I didn't lie to my son…" Amélie smiled at Sydney then, "Please excuse my candor, but I had to know."

"I understand…you're a great mother…"

"I've tried my best Sydney, and Michael is a wonderful man, so I think I did my job well…but thank you for saying that…I've made my share of mistakes too, we all do…" Amélie said with a smile.

Sydney chuckled, "I'm sure you made about a million less than my parents did…"

Amélie smiled sadly, "Did you have a bad childhood Sydney?"

Sydney thought a moment, "I guess I didn't really think so at the time…I mean…I thought my mother was dead, and my father was absent a lot…I had a lot of good nannies…"

"Nannies aren't parents…" Amélie remarked.

"No…I have good memories, memories of us as a family, afterwards…well…it was hard. I learned to deal with a lot at a very young age…I guess that's why Vaughn and I fit so well…"

Amélie smiled, "I would imagine that's one of the reasons…what happened when you found out your mother was alive?"

"I don't think I've really fully come to terms with it…and I'm not sure Vaughn's dealt with it either. We don't talk about it much, I suppose someday we should…I just…she's very hard to read…to believe anything she says…my dad though…ever since this happened to Vaughn, he's like a different person…a real dad…"

Amélie smiled widely, "I'm so happy to hear that Sydney…it's about time…"

Sydney smiled, "Thank you…I'm happy too…it's nice…"

They slipped back into a comfortable silence for a few minute until Sydney looked over at the clock, "Will and Francie will be home soon…you know what we should do?"

"What?" Amélie asked.

"We should make dinner – what was Vaughn's favorite when he was little?"

"Hmm…well he liked a lot of things, he wasn't overly picky…he loved ketchup…on everything…"

Sydney started to giggle, "EVERYTHING! I mean everything – I'm surprised he just doesn't drink it straight from the bottle!"

"I think he did that a few times when he was younger…" Amélie said, "But, it has to be…"

They both said it at once, "HEINZ!"

Sydney started to giggle harder, "Oh, that's so funny…"

They both spent a few minutes giggling about the topic before Sydney asked again, "So what should we make?"

"I don't know – something he can put ketchup on – which of course, is…everything!"

They laughed again for a few minutes.

Sydney asked, "Ok, name some things he liked when he was little."

"Ok, he liked what usual kids like – pizza, burgers, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, peanut butter and jelly…"

Sydney giggled.

Amélie looked to her, "What?"

"Well those are all REALLY easy to make…"

"Well – he was little…he branched out eventually…"

"Wouldn't it be funny if we made like macaroni and cheese and served it to Will and Francie?" Sydney said bursting out in giggles.

Amélie shared the laughter, "I'm sure they'd appreciate it…Francie being a famous cook and everything…"

"How about spaghetti?" Sydney suggested, "He doesn't put ketchup on it – but it has tomato sauce – so he should be good…"

Amélie smiled, "That sounds wonderful, do you have French bread? Michael always loved when I told him the garlic bread was French."

"I think we do," Sydney said getting up, "Let's go see."

The two bounded off to the kitchen and dug out all the items they'd need to make the dinner. Sydney started the noodles and the tomato sauce while Amélie worked on the garlic bread. Sydney was lost in thought as she stirred the noodles, thinking about Vaughn and his mother and how nice it was to have Amélie around to talk to. She wished that her own mother would have been such a great person.

Amélie seemed to notice that she'd lost Sydney, "Sydney? What are you thinking about?"

Sydney smiled at the woman's perceptiveness; "Oh…I was just thinking about you and Vaughn…and my own mother…how much she lacked in the mothering department."

"Was she a good mother when you were very young?" Amélie asked.

"I don't remember that much about her, but yeah…she was very warm…but that's not the person she really was…she was a great actress…"

"How so?"

"Well…I don't know how much you know about my mother…other than the obvious…"

"Why don't you tell me…"

"It's a really complicated story, but she insists that she is on our side, and that she loved us…but she's so good at lying, it's too difficult to believe her. I want to…I want to believe her…I want to believe that it was just some…I don't know…wrong turn, a bad twist of fate that placed her in such an odd position, and that she really wasn't acting. There is so much that I don't know, that I probably won't ever know, and there are so many missing pieces, it's just…I don't know…" Sydney concluded with a sigh.

"She's your mother, and you love her, if for no other reason, and that's troubling," Amélie stated.

Sydney smiled again, "Yes…I love her, and I want to…but I don't all the same. A part of me wants to forgive, to move on…and the other can't forgive her for abandoning me, for destroying my father, for hurting you and Vaughn, and all the other families of those agents that she killed…"

Sydney stirred the sauce some more as Amélie thought. She finally said, "I don't think you have to figure it out. I think it can be both Sydney…emotions are strange, and you can feel two completely opposite ones at the same time…"

Sydney smiled at Amélie, "You truly are amazing…" she watched as a smile reached Amélie's eyes before she added, "Just like your son…"

Amélie's smile widened even more as she checked on the bread in the oven.

They spent a few minutes in amiable silence, both bustling around the kitchen, getting things ready.

"I should go check on Vaughn," Sydney said as she turned down the heat on the boiling pots.

"I'll watch them," Amélie informed her as she walked off to the bedroom.

Sydney entered the bedroom quietly, smiling when she found Vaughn still asleep on the bed.

She sat down next to him and watched him sleep for a few minutes before reaching out her hand and tracing the outline of his face.

She leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. He responded slowly, eventually deepening the kiss and opening his eyes to look at her.

"Hi," he said smiling.

"Hi," she replied, "How are you feeling?"

"Tired…sore…the usual…"

She smiled sadly, "I'm sorry honey…I know it's hard for you…"

"No, you don't have to apologize…"

"Well, I still feel bad Vaughn," Sydney admitted.

"Don't…you do more than enough to keep me happy…" he said with a grin.

She returned it and leaned down again to kiss him. As the kiss deepened once again, Sydney pulled back, "Vaughn…your mom…she's making dinner…"

"Well good, then she's occupied," he said devilishly.

"You're so bad…you're going to totally ruin her image of you as the perfect son."

He chuckled, "Can't do that…we'll have to wait until later then."

"Count on it," Sydney assured.

"What is mom making?"

"We had a nice long talk about what you used to eat when you were little…"

"Oh God!" Vaughn exclaimed, "Please…no…"

Sydney started laughing, "You were so adorable…but…we decided on spaghetti, because we didn't think Francie and Will would find it as humorous as we did to serve macaroni and cheese…"

Vaughn chuckled, "Well, that was a favorite of mine…"

"Your mom's making you garlic bread…" Sydney said.

"French bread?" Vaughn asked excitedly, eyes lighting up.

Sydney smiled widely, "Yes, honey…French bread…"

If she had to describe his face at that moment, the word she would have used would have been 'glee.' He looked positively satisfied.

Will was the first to get home; he bounded through the door, with a bag in his hand.

He went to the freezer and placed some boxes in it and then set the bag on the counter before he realized that Amélie was standing there.

"Oh! Hi Amélie!"

"Hello Will."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm good…how are you?"

"I can't complain…"

"What are you making?"

"Spaghetti and Michael's favorite garlic bread…"

"Oh, that sounds good," Will said hungrily, "I'm so hungry…"

"Well, it won't be too long…what did you buy?" Amélie asked.

Will moved closer and brought his voice down to a whisper, "Well…I'm not so sure Sydney will like what I bought, so I was gonna kinda sneak it in…but you caught me now…"

"Well what is it?" Amélie asked.

"Um…I kinda bought…junk…and Sydney doesn't like that…cause she wants Mike to eat 'healthily,' so she told me one day…"

"I see…" Amélie said with a smirk, "So you're trying to give him junk on the side?"

"Well…if it's here…then it can't go to waste…" Will said with a sly and sneaky grin.

Amélie giggled at Will's gesture, trying to sneak her son junk food, "So what did you get?"

Will's smile widened, as his eyes got big, "I got ice cream sandwiches, Popsicles, cupcakes, and sundae cones…and I might have gotten a few sundae cups too…chocolate…and strawberry…nothing much…some chips…"

Amélie started to laugh, "Sydney may kill you…"

"Nah, I'll live…"

Sydney sauntered out and heard that last part of Amélie and Will's conversation, "Why am I going to kill you Will?"

Will jumped, "Shit...Sydney…um…no reason…" he said looking at Amélie as though they hadn't discussed a thing.

"What did you do?" Sydney asked, looking like a mother about to scold her child.

"Nothing!"

"Will?" Sydney said in a warning tone.

He caved, "Fine! I bought dessert…I bought all sorts of junk for us to eat – for me and Vaughn…and ya know what – screw the healthy stuff – cause that's boring. Mike needs to have a little fun with his food."

Sydney smirked, if Will only knew how much fun they had with food.

Will noticed the smirk and made the mistake of inquiring, "Why are you smiling? Aren't you mad at me?"

Sydney was about to tell Will exactly why she was smirking, but then realized that Vaughn's mother was standing right next to them, "Nothing…he can have some – but I'm going to regulate…" Sydney told Will.

"YES!" he said, "I'm gonna go tell Mike," Will remarked as he practically ran off to the bedroom.

Amélie smiled at Sydney, "Boys…"

Sydney smiled back, "Don't I know it…"