Change Your Mind

Author: Janet (SkyGirl5)

Genre: S/V, AU

Summary: Sydney and Michael are immeidatly attracted to one another. The only problem is: Michael desparately wants a family and he's not getting any younger. Sydney, on the other hand, doesn't want anythign to do with marriage and definitely doesn't want any children. Will he be able to change her mind before it's too late? [28]

Disclaimer: Sydney, Vaughn, etc are properties of JJ Abrams and ABC.

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Chapters 1-10 // Chapters 11 - 20 // Chapters 21-28 + Epilogue

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Chapter 1

“It was a beautiful ceremony, wasn’t it?” Wendy sighed into her champagne glass before taking a sip. The table full of bridesmaids in their peach colored taffeta gowns with matching peach ribbons holding their hair nodded or “Mmhmm”ed in agreement. Six of them in all had been recruited by the bride Jamie Wesley, now Jamie Thorpe, to be in her wedding. All knew her in some way shape or form: two were colleagues from work, one was a sister, one a neighbor and the other two were merely friends she’d collected along the way. The six women, though, had not known each other hardly at all until the reception dinner two days earlier.

“I cannot believe you don’t want this,” Beth said to Sydney, who was sitting across the table from her. The two women worked with Jamie at the law offices of Thorpe, Sloane and Bristow, so they were the closest of all the bridesmaids, prior relationship-wise anyway.

At Beth’s comment, Sydney turned her eyes slowly away from the staring table of women and down to her lap. Beth’s comment, while not untrue, brought up the taboo subject she was not keen on discussing, at least, not in the company of strangers and especially not at a wedding. “What is she talking about?” Jamie’s sister Karen asked, her eyes darting between Sydney and Beth.

“Sydney doesn’t want to get married – ever,” Beth said as though it was the most scandalous thing in the world. It seemed the rest of the table shared her sentiments since they all gasped loudly and began whispering to each other at once. “I know, I know. Terrible, isn’t it?”

“It’s not terrible,” Sydney defended her opinion. “I just… I don’t see the point,” she sighed. She glanced out towards the nearby dance floor where the bride was sharing a dance with her new husband. They nuzzled each other’s faces and whispered to each other before sharing a soft laugh. As Sydney watched this, she felt the strong urge to gag.

It was not as though she did not believe in love (the jury was still out on that topic) or the sanctity of marriage at all. Marriage was wonderful for some people, just not her. Obviously it was working just fine and dandy for Jamie and Andrew Thorpe, both successful lawyers, both religious church goers, both nauseatingly in love with each other to the point where they would randomly make out in the law office where they all worked, which was something else that gave Sydney the urge to gag.

“How can you not see the point?!” Wendy demanded. “It’s spending your life with someone!”

“Who will inevitably break your heart,” Sydney informed her. “Do you know the divorce rate these days? Fifty percent. Half of all marriages are doomed to fail – in the first five years, too.”

“Aren’t you a divorce lawyer?” Emily, another bridesmaid, asked with a raised eyebrow. Sydney shrugged and nodded. “No wonder you’re so cynical. You’re surrounded by bickering couples day and night.”

“I’m not cynical, just realistic. I don’t want to get married because I don’t want to get divorced. It’s as simple as that,” Sydney explained.

“It gets worse!” Beth chimed in. “She doesn’t want kids either.” At this seemingly ghastly (at least by Beth’s tone) suggestion, the women at the table gasped once more and looked at Sydney wide-eyed in shock.

“What planet are you from?!?” Karen demanded.

Sydney gulped down the rest of her champagne before sighing at the shocked faces surrounding her. “I’m not from another planet, I just don’t want kids and a family, okay? So sue me! It’s not like I hate kids or anything. I have twin nieces who I love to pieces!” Sydney told them.

“That is true,” Beth defended her friend. “She has pictures of them all over her office.”

“See,” Sydney gestured towards her. “I just don’t want kids or a family of my own. That is not a crime.”

“Whatever,” Emily sighed. “I just don’t understand how you can’t want them.”

“That’s because you have two already, don’t you?” Karen asked with a laugh.

“Uh, three,” Emily laughed, gesturing towards her round belly. “I can’t help it; I just want more and more and more… although, I think we should stop after three – we’re running out of room in the house!”

“Tell that to Dave,” Karen giggled along with the rest of the table. All except Sydney, that was; she was still slightly miffed at being called an alien just because of her lack of desire to settle down with two point five children, a golden retriever and a husband in a house with a white picket fence. That life was perfectly fine for those who wanted it, like her sister, but not for her. It was not as though she was the only person in the world that felt that way either; lots of people chose not to have children and families.

Having no children or no husband to speak of did not make her life unfulfilling either. She did not need those things to fill up the empty nooks and crannies of her life. She was perfectly content working a sixty-hour week, especially since it earned her that promotion she had been wanting for the previous six months. She dated too, so it was not as though her life was completely devoid of male companionship. She was happy and that was all that mattered. As long as she was happy, she didn’t need someone to come along and sweep her off her feet.



Chapter 2

“To Sydney,” Toby said as he raised his glass of sparkling apple juice, “the best boss ever.” The other dozen occupants of Sydney’s office raised their glasses in unison and repeated Toby’s sentiments.

“Oh stop,” Sydney blushed as she waved her hand at him. “Toby, you are too much,” she told her administrative assistant, who had thrown this mid-day celebration in her honor.

“I only speak the truth,” Toby said, “and the truth is we’re really gonna miss you around here when you move to nowhere’s-ville.”

“I’m not moving to nowhere’s-ville; I’m just moving a state away,” Sydney told him.

“Yeah, to be a big ol’ lawyer and forget about the little people that helped you along the way,” Toby said with a melodramatic sigh.

“Please,” Sydney rolled her eyes. “Like I could ever forget about you. Seriously, every time I walk into an office and there isn’t gossip running rampant I’ll sigh and think to myself, ‘God, I’m so glad Toby isn’t here; life is so much simpler,’” she said to him, though she was obviously teasing.

“You know me too well,” Toby winked at her. Sydney laughed before finishing off her glass of apple juice. She then headed around to the other side of her desk to finish the necessary packing.

For almost ten years, Sydney had been employed by the Thorpe, Sloane and Bristow law firm. She began working there as a filing assistant during the summers while still in undergraduate school. Then, the summer between undergraduate and law school, she was an intern there. She continued her work as an intern until graduating law school, when she was offered a permanent position. Nepotism played a key role in that position. Of course she was qualified for the job she received, but the fact that her father was a partner in the firm did help her to cement her position there. Then again, she was almost shocked their biological relation had not been a deterrent to her chances at getting the job given the less than favorable relationship between father and daughter in recent years.

Whatever the reason was, she did not care; all that mattered was that she got the job. She continued to work hard during her career, becoming one of the best divorce attorneys in the Trenton, New Jersey area. That status was what gave her the opportunity to move to the new firm branch her company was opening in Pennsylvania. She was going to be the highest ranked lawyer in that office and, instead of doing the grunt work, she would be reviewing other’s cases, which meant for the first time in her career she would not be wrangling bickering, soon to be ex-spouses into their neutral corners. For that, she was grateful.

Another benefit to her new job was that she would be moving closer to her sister and family. Ever since she had graduated from college, Sydney had never lived less than five hours from her younger sister, Nadia. While they were in their twenties that seemed alright; connecting by phone and email was good enough for the most part. However, when Nadia got married and had her daughters, Sydney missed being able to see them. Suddenly receiving pictures demonstrating how they had grown by leaps and bounds since the last time she saw them was just was not enough. She tried to get away, but it was difficult with her busy work schedule. Moving closer, though, would give her the quality time she craved to be the best Aunt Sydney she could be.

“Sydney?” The even tone of her father jolted Sydney from her packing haze and she looked up at him, surprised he was there. “I was just… wondering how the packing was coming along…,” he said. He did not bother to walk into the room; rather, he hovered in the doorway. Things between he and Sydney were already awkward and forced enough, they did not need to be any closer to each other than was necessary.

“Oh, it’s fine,” she sighed, brushing some hair out of her face as she gestured towards the boxes surrounding her. “Should be done in another hour or so.”

“Good, very good. What about your belongings? Do you have all the arrangements finalized for that?” he asked.

“Yes…,” Sydney said slowly. She was moving in two days so she was utterly shocked as to why her father was asking such a question. The answer, of course, was a resounding yes. Being the organized person she was, it could not have been anything different. “I can’t get into my apartment until September first, so I’ll stay with Nadia for a week. Which should be…slightly insane,” she laughed, “but it’s only a week, so I’ll make due.”

Her father nodded. “How are the girls?”

“Oh they’re good; getting big. I haven’t really seen them since July, but I’m sure they’re even bigger now,” she told him. Sadly, her father was even busier than she, which meant he saw his twin granddaughters very infrequently. In fact, his last visit had been on their third birthday, six months earlier.

“That’s good, very good,” her father said. They stood there in a tense silence for a minute before he took a step backwards out of the door. “Well, I should be going…give me a call when you get settled and say hello to Nadia and everyone for me.”

“Will do,” Sydney told him with a nod. Her father nodded back before leaving her office. Sydney immediately sighed, feeling the tension lifted from her. Then, she shook her head, trying to clear the awkwardness her father’s presence brought, before turning back to her packing.

In all of her life, her father had never been the world’s best father; miles from it, in fact. He was always busy working, yet still managed to attend most of her piano recitals. Of course, that was when she was ten-years-old. As she grew older, they drifted further and further apart, having nothing in common, which was ironic, given their joint profession. After her parent’s divorce and his father’s remarriage to a woman she hated…well, things obviously did not get any better.

“Finished Sydney?” Toby asked at four-thirty that afternoon.

Sydney quickly scribbled a label on the final box of her office belongings before sticking the cap back on her black marker and looking up at him with a smile, “Yep.”

“Good, good, I’ll make sure all these get on the truck then. We’re sure gonna miss you around her,” he said, walking over to give her a hug.

“I know; I’m gonna miss you too,” Sydney sighed, hugging him back. Toby was definitely the only assistant she could stand to have and had practically been heartbroken when he made the decision not to move with her to the new office.

“Don’t forget to call and tell us how the view is from Pennsylvania, okay?” he asked.

“Definitely,” she smiled.



Chapter 3

Sydney had to admit that one of her favorite places in the world was her sister’s two-story suburban home. It was the quintessential dream house with the white siding, red shutters, white picket fence and golden retriever. Except, instead of a white picket fence in the front yard, it was a brown fence in the back and instead of a golden retriever it was a fat black Labrador named Alan, but it was close enough. It was the exact house Nadia had always dreamed of when she was playing with her Barbie and Ken dolls, forcing them to walk down the aisle and start their fake plastic lives together. Sydney loved it, and just because she did not want something like that for herself, did not mean she could not appreciate the quaint serenity that existed in it, at least, when the twins were sleeping.

In addition to the traditional atmosphere one felt from simply looking at Nadia’s perfectly maintained home with the flower gardens surrounding it, was the warmth it radiated. Nadia and her husband, Eric, were not by any means the perfect couple. They had been through marriage counseling sessions twice and still attended support group meetings for parents of twins (a.k.a. people ready to blow their brains out, as Sydney put it). Still, no matter how much they fought or expressed their desires to drop everything and run screaming from their twin terrors, they loved each other enough to hold it all together. Their house was generally a wreck, but a lived-in wreck, with dolls scattered across the floors, pink Barbie jeeps in the driveway and crayon marks on the wall that Nadia just couldn’t scrub away. To Sydney, despite its imperfections, it was perfect, maybe not for a full time life commitment of living there, but for a weekend visit, it was just what she needed.

When Sydney pulled her BMW up in front of Nadia’s house, she flopped back against the headrest and sighed with relief. The normally five hour drive took her over six due to traffic, which made her so sick of sitting in her car, staring at a pair of red taillights in front of her, she was just about ready to scream. Stretching her back and legs as she exited the vehicle, Sydney grabbed her overnight bag from the passenger seat beside her before locking her car with a chirp of the car’s security system. She then slung the bag over her aching shoulders and began to walk up the brick front walkway, all the while cursing her smart decision to save money and pack her apartment in a U-Haul all by herself (with the exception of the furniture, of course). ‘Smart’ being a relative term, that was.

“Hello, hello,” Sydney called when she walked into the Weiss family home. She was immediately met by three-year-old Jenny, the older of the twins by ten minutes and larger of the two, who plowed into her leg.

“Aunt Thydney!” she said, her lisp coming through in her inability to pronounce the ‘S’ in her aunt’s first name.

“Hey Jenny, Sweetie. I’ll talk to you in a second but Aunt Sydney really has to pee,” she said, trying to unlatch the little girl from her leg while making her way to the first floor bathroom. She knew better than to leave her suitcase outside or risk four little hands making their way through all of her perfectly folded belongings, so she slipped inside the bathroom and dropped the bag at her feet.

“Syd?” Nadia called out as her heels clicked down the hall. For the first two years of her daughter’s life Nadia was a stay at home mother. Around their second birthday, though, Nadia proclaimed that if she had to stay at home with them all by herself with nothing else to do for one more year, she was going to shoot herself. At that point, she took a part-time job as a bank teller just so she could get out of the house three days a week and have social interaction with those able to form full sentences.

“Out in a sec!” Sydney called. She did a quick fix of her hair before grabbing her bag from the floor and emerging into the hallway.

“Hey Sis, how was your drive?” Nadia asked, pulling her elder sibling into an immediate hug.

“Ugh, long,” Sydney groaned before kissing Nadia’s cheek and ending their greeting. “Freakin’ traffic, I – ooof!” she grunted when something, or rather, someone plowed into her backside. “Hello Penny,” Sydney laughed, reaching behind her to ruffle the jet black tresses of her other niece. Penelope, fondly known as Penny, had black hair like her mother and father, whereas Jennifer’s was lighter brown. Penny also had dark brown eyes and an olive complexion, whereas her sister was fairer completed with blue eyes. Needless to say, the twins were fraternal, not identical.

“Hi Syd,” Penny said. She walked around in front of Sydney and gestured for Sydney to crouch down to her level. Sydney did as she asked, and, once she was kneeling down on the ground, Penny kissed her cheek before rushing away. Sydney laughed softly at this as she stood back up. This was Penny’s traditional greeting, though no one was quite sure why; they hadn’t taught her to do that, she simply did it on her own.

“Jesus, what are all you women doing?! I’m freakin’ starving over here!”

Sydney laughed as the voice of her brother-in-law filtered down the hallway from the kitchen. She left her bag by the stairs before following her sister towards the back of the house. There, she greeted Eric with a large hug, which was the only type of hug Eric could give considering his generous stature. “Got all your crap packed up and moved?” he asked, when they pulled out of their embrace.

“Finally, yes,” Sydney sighed, folding her arms over her chest. “If I see another box, I’m just gonna keel over from lack of the will to go on.”

“Aw Honey, you still gotta unpack,” Nadia reminded her with a pat on the shoulder.

“Don’t remind me,” Sydney grumbled. “But that’s not nearly as bad.”

“Mmm, tell that to Mr. ‘I’ll get to those boxes when I’m good and ready even if we have been in this house for four years’,” Nadia said with a pointed look at her husband. He let his expression fall as he dropped into his seat, muttering while Sydney laughed. “Just sit down Syd, dinner is almost ready.”

“Thanks,” Sydney sighed as she slid into the seat beside Eric, brushing away a rogue Barbie doll that had been left behind by one of the girls.

“GIRLS!” Nadia shouted at a shockingly high pitch that caused Sydney to cover her ears with a wince. “Get in here now! We’re eating!”

“You’re going to enjoy your week here, really,” Eric said, sarcasm evident in his voice. Sydney couldn’t help but laugh slightly; she definitely was going to enjoy it, even if that meant locking herself in the guest room.



Chapter 4

Since the office she was moving into was not quite ready yet, Sydney had three days off, with practically nothing to do. This meant she was stuck with babysitting duty. Throughout the twin’s life, Sydney babysat them occasionally, but never more than a few hours at a time. She was slightly wary about the concept of spending over nine hours completely alone with them, with no one to turn to if things got out of hand, but, then again, she was a very successful lawyer, who had dealt with dozens of cases. She could handle two three-year-olds… right?

Sadly, but not shockingly, she had been wrong. The morning went perfectly. They colored together and watched some cartoons before Sydney made them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with carrot sticks for their lunch. Then, she put them down for their nap. After the nap, things began to go downhill. Jenny began sprinting around the house at full tilt, kicking a ball with her along the way and knocking over a lamp. Luckily the lamp did not break, but when Sydney scolded her for kicking the ball in the house (something she was not allowed to do) Jenny started crying and threw herself down on the floor in a tantrum. While Sydney was dealing with that crisis, Penny decided to get out her paint set, spilling some on the carpet in the process, which Sydney had to clean up. By four o’clock, Sydney was ready to tear her hair out and she had a whole hour left before Nadia arrived home from work.

When Nadia did arrive home, her daughters went rushing to her and Sydney collapsed in a kitchen chair, slamming her forehead down onto the sticky kitchen table. “Rough day?” Nadia asked, amusement evident in her voice. Sydney let out a long, lamenting moan. “Been there honey,” Nadia laughed.

Sydney sighed as she sat up and looked over at her sister, who was pulling her hair back in a ponytail so she could finish the dinner Sydney started to prepare. “It’s really that last hour that kills you,” Sydney told her. Nadia nodded knowingly before asking if there were any catastrophes that happened during the day that she should know about. “Just a little paint on the carpet; I got it up though,” Sydney told her.

“Wonderful,” Nadia sighed with an eye roll.

The two sisters chatted for a few more minutes before they were interrupted by the garage door bursting open as Eric arrived home. “Hello all,” he beamed.

“Daddy!” the twins shouted before running over and latching themselves onto one of their father’s legs. This was a daily occurrence in his household, so it didn’t faze Eric at all. He merely walked over to the kitchen counter, loosening his tie on the way, dragging the two girls with him. He kissed his wife hello before grabbing a water bottle from the refrigerator and asking Sydney, “How was your day?”

“Long,” Sydney grunted. “I never thought I’d actually miss adults fighting over something petty…”

“Don’t know how you stand it, Syd,” Eric shook his head. “I could not be a divorce lawyer; I’d shoot myself.”

“Well, I don’t have to be one anymore,” Sydney told him.

“Thank goodness,” Nadia added, half under her breath. Sydney gave her a questioning look. “Well, it’s just… all that bitterness and hatred is seeping into your personality.”

“It is not,” Sydney defended quickly. Nadia and Eric exchanged looks, but said nothing. “It isn’t! I’m not bitter! I’m… happy and I don’t hate anyone – I’m nothin’ but love,” she told them.

“Not in your day to day life, Syd,” Nadia told her. “In your dating life.” Sydney scoffed at this. “It’s true,” Nadia told her. “When was the last time you had a boyfriend?”

“I just broke up with my boyfriend two weeks ago,” Sydney told her.

“And how long did you date him?” Nadia raised an eyebrow at her.

“Like a month or something…,” Sydney said quietly.

“Ah HA! See – not a boyfriend. You have to be dating someone more than a month for them to be a boyfriend,” Nadia told her. Sydney shrugged with a flippant hand motion. “You need to find a serious boyfriend.”

“Uh, no, I don’t,” Sydney told her. “Not getting married remember – therefore not in need of serious boyfriend.”

“I told you Nad, Syd still wants to sew her wild oats; she’s like a bachelor,” Eric said.

“I’m not a bachelor,” Sydney defended.

“You’re like whatever the girl equivalent is – chick-bachelor,” Eric clarified as his wife rolled her eyes.

“Am not,” Sydney said.

“He does have a point, Syd,” Nadia pointed out. “But it’s fine… whatever. So if you’re not going to be doing divorces, what are you going to be doing?” Nadia asked, changing the tense subject so they didn’t fight about it for the ten zillionth time.

“Just reviewing cases and stuff – overseeing,” Sydney told her.

“Oh, that sounds nice. Must be real nice not to have Dad hovering over you, right?” Nadia laughed.

“Tell me about it,” Sydney said in a very serious tone. “With any luck I won’t have to see him or Bambi ever again,” Sydney said with a slight bitter snap towards her father’s new wife, whose real name was Marie, but Sydney preferred less than favorable nicknames for her, behind her back, of course.

“Dad’s retiring soon, isn’t he?” Nadia asked, knowing her father’s sixty-fifth birthday was the next year. “You think you’ll get to be a partner?”

“Eh, I dunno… dunno if I even really want to be one. It’s a lot of work and responsibility,” Sydney sighed.

“Says the workaholic,” Eric laughed.

“I’m not a workaholic,” Sydney defended. Again, Nadia and Eric exchanged silent looks. “I’m not! I mean, I already work over fifty hours a week… if I became a partner I’d work like eighty and I’d lose what little social life I have.”

“I thought being a partner meant you got to take more time off to go golfing and stuff, never doing any actual work,” Eric said.

“Only in the movies, Eric,” Sydney sighed.



Chapter 5

Another two days at home with the twins put Sydney on the very cusp of her mental sanity. Her feelings of utter boredom and frustration during those very long days only seemed to reaffirm her decision not to have children. Being the cool aunt who visited and babysat occasionally was good enough for her.

Finally, and thankfully, her first day at her new office began. Of course, she hardly did anything that day except shaking the hands of her new employees and unpacking all of her boxes full of office supplies, but it felt good just to be out in the workforce again after three days with twin three-year-olds. She didn’t get much done those first few days at her new office, but she was very thankful when September first arrived, meaning she’d be able to move into her new apartment. Luckily, September first fell on a Friday that year, so she was able to move some of her things in after work and enlisted Nadia and Eric’s help to unpack the rest of her stuff the following day.

By Saturday at lunch all her things were moved in. Nadia and Eric left to put the girls down for their nap, leaving Sydney behind to organize all the belongings that were spread out all over her apartment. After two hours of doing this, she needed a break, so she decided to go and investigate how she’d retrieve her mail. In her old building, there was a mailroom on the first floor off the main entrance. However, since she lived in a complex of apartment buildings, there was a whole separate building housing the office and mailboxes for the tenants.

Sydney found the building and her mailbox number easily. The problem, however, came when she tried to use her key to unlock the box. She put the key in the lock and tried to turn it, but it refused to turn. She pulled the key out and tried it again, but it hardly turned a quarter turn that time. “What the freakin’ hell,” she muttered under her breath after her third and fourth attempts were unsuccessful.

“Here, let me help you,” said a male voice from behind her. The man approached her and took the key from her open palm. “You gotta turn this little handle and jimmy it while turning the key in the lock; it takes a bit of practice,” he explained to her while he performed the actions he was speaking about. Just as he did this, the mailbox popped open. It was empty, of course, but Sydney was glad she at least knew how to retrieve her mail.

“Thank you so much,” Sydney smiled. For the first time she looked over at the taller man beside her and did a double take. She recognized him from somewhere, but…where?

“No problem,” the man said, looking at her and doing a double take as well. “Are you new here?”

“Just moved in… I’m Sydney Bristow by the way. I don’t mean to sound paranoid but I’m sure I know you from somewhere...,” she said with a slight laugh. The man smiled and her heart fluttered. In an instant she remembered who he was.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m Michael Vaughn, I was-”

“Eric’s best man,” Sydney finished with a laugh.

“That’s me,” he smiled. “It’s nice to see you again Sydney. You’re… not from around here, are you?” he asked, trying to remember back to the wedding five years earlier. He had not spoken more than a few sentences to Sydney at the time, but he had found out a little about her from asking Eric, who, as usual, was not overly knowledgeable.

“I was born here, but I’ve lived in Trenton for the past few years. I was just transferred back here. The law firm I work for opened a branch office here, so…,” she let her voice drift off with a shrug.

“Cool, that’s cool,” Michael smiled. “So where are you living?”

“Building C, apartment five.”

“I’m in building D, apartment two,” he told her. “You should stop over sometime for some welcome to the neighborhood coffee or lunch or something.”

Sydney smiled at him. “I might just do that.”

“Okay,” he smiled back. “Well, I hate to run but I gotta,” he gestured towards the door. “Good luck with your unpacking; I’ll see you around, Sydney.”

“See you,” she called after him as she went. Then, with a slight laugh she shut her mailbox and headed back towards her apartment, marveling at the coincidence of moving into the same apartment complex as Michael Vaughn. Though she knew little about him, she did know that his smile made her heart flutter, which was certainly a good starting point. She vaguely recalled from their brief conversations and what Eric told her over the years that he was a teacher of some sort and had been Eric’s roommate in college. Eric and Michael had been very close, but had drifted apart in recent years, as is the case when people get married and have families.

At the wedding five years earlier, the last time Sydney had seen Michael, she was too preoccupied with keeping her parents in their separate and designated corners of the reception to take notice of anything or anyone. She did not even get to enjoy the specially made wedding cake that, according to those who ate it, was divine, so obviously, she was unable to socialize with Michael Vaughn. However, she did plan on taking him up on his invitation for coffee or lunch or something, as he had s eloquently put it. After all, he was a single guy. He had to be single, or he would not have asked her out on that date. He was also a very good looking single guy, which Sydney was shocked to find so soon in the small town to which she moved. Of course, the town was not that small, but compared to a city like Trenton, it seemed small.

Sydney smiled even more broadly as she unlocked her apartment and headed up the stairs, wondering how long, exactly, would be appropriate to wait before paying Michael a visit in D2.



Chapter 6

After spending all of Saturday unpacking, Sydney spent a well-earned night of relaxation on the couch watching old TV movies with a tub of Ben & Jerry’s beside her. On Sunday, she continued her unpacking, but found her thoughts drifting back to Michael. She fought the urge to go over to his apartment, thinking that going over a mere twenty-four hours after receiving the invitation would put her in that call as soon as I get home from the date category, a.k.a. screaming desperation. Then again, she was desperate to find a date in her new town and she certainly was not willing to let Michael Vaughn, a seemingly perfect single guy, get away. Besides, she had been invited.

At one that afternoon, she finally mustered up the courage to walk across the courtyard to Michael’s building. She found the doorbell beside the doorway with the 2 over it and pressed it firmly. Tapping her foot against the bricks at her feet, she looked across the courtyard trying to seem as casual as possible, when really she was dying of nerves, hoping he wouldn’t laugh at her for showing up too soon. “Sydney,” Michael said when he opened his door.

“Hi,” she began. “I was, uh, well you, uh, mentioned coffee and I was just, uh, wondering if you want to, uh, get some,” she said, then looked away and cringed at the fact that she had a law degree and yet managed to sound like the most inarticulate person in existence.

“Sure,” Michael said with a slight laugh. “I’d love to. Just let me put on shoes and some normal pants,” he laughed, gesturing towards his long basketball shorts and sock clad feet. “Come on in.”

“Thanks,” Sydney smiled as she ducked inside his apartment. She was immediately met with the overwhelming scent of fake lemon, like that from cleaning supplies. She was confused for a moment before she spotted a bottle of cleaning fluid on the floor along with a Swiffer mop. Apparently, Sydney had interrupted Michael in the middle of washing his kitchen floor. “Oh, you’re busy,” she cringed slightly when she noticed the vacuum was out as well.

“Nah, it’s cool. I need a cleaning break anyway. Back in a sec,” Michael told her before disappearing into a room Sydney presumed to be his bedroom and shutting the door behind him. While he was gone, Sydney took that opportunity to explore his apartment, at least visually; she didn’t want to seem rude and parade herself all around his space, so she stayed close to the door and observed what she could from there.

In the corner of his apartment beside the door, two hockey sticks were propped up against the wall and a large duffle bag that Sydney guessed contained other hockey equipment, sat below them. On top of the hockey bag sat a basketball. Using those items as clues combined with the baseball Sydney spotted on a shelf across the room that appeared to have an autograph on it; Sydney deduced that Michael was a sports fan. This was perfectly fine with her; she enjoyed sports as well.

His apartment was contrasting in his levels of cleanliness. Part of it seemed to be completely neat an organized, while the rest was a disaster. Sydney forgave this, though, knowing she had interrupted his cleaning process. She couldn’t stand dating anyone with slob-like habits, but considering that Michael was voluntarily cleaning his kitchen floor, she guessed he wasn’t one of those people.

“Just one more second,” Michael said when he emerged from his bedroom wearing jeans, carrying shoes in his hands.

Sydney took a few steps forward and almost gasped at the strange drawings she saw on his refrigerator. “That’s interesting artwork you’ve got there,” she laughed slightly, gesturing towards it.

“What? Oh…,” he laughed, seeing what she was pointing towards. “Yeah my kids made it.”

Sydney’s heart sank deep into the pit of her stomach as she gulped, “You have children?” So much for a potential boyfriend.

“What? No, oh no! I’m sorry, by kids I mean students; I’m a teacher,” he explained.

“Ohhhhh,” Sydney sighed with understanding and relief. “What grade do you teach?”

“Kindergarten,” he said as he crammed his shoe on his left foot. “Used to teach first but I started teaching kindergarten just this school year… so like three days ago,” he laughed.

“Wow, how’s that goin’ for ya?” Sydney asked, knowing five minutes as the teacher in a kindergarten classroom would kill her.

“Really well, actually. I did my student teaching with kindergartners so I knew what to expect,” he told her with a smile. Then, he led the way out of his apartment, locking the door behind the. They then began the ten minute trek to the coffee shop across the street from their apartment complex, chatting on the way.

“That’s kinda amazing… I mean, I’ve never met a male kindergarten teacher before,” Sydney clarified her amazement.

“Oh…yeah, I was the only guy in all of my college classes – which wasn’t all that bad,” he added with a wink that made her laugh softly. “I just love that age though between four and seven. They’re just learning everything; it’s amazing.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean; my nieces are just about at that age and they’re like little learning vacuums,” Sydney said with a laugh.

Michael nodded. “Penny and Jenny, right?” Sydney nodded, confirming his question. Michael laughed and shook his head slightly.

“I know the names are a bit… rhymie,” Sydney cringed slightly. When she first heard the names Penelope and Jennifer for her nieces, she hadn’t made the Penny and Jenny connection to them. However, when she did, she thought her sister to be insane and unnecessarily cruel.

“Was your sister aware that the nicknames rhymed that way?” Michael asked.

“Sadly,” Sydney sighed, “she was. Eric blames the drugs they gave her though, because she was less amused when they all wore off, but by then the damage was already done.”

“Too bad,” Michael laughed. “I joked to Eric once that they should have a son and name him Braden or Brian or something so their kids would be P, B and J.”

Sydney laughed loudly at this. “Oh my god, they so have to do that!”

“Because that wouldn’t be cruel at all,” Michael said, obviously joking.

“No, not cruel. It’s not like anyone will ever call them by their first initials only; it’s just an amusing thing that people might eventually realize,” Sydney told him.

“Very, very true,” Michael smiled at her.



Chapter 7

“So, you’re a lawyer, right?” Michael asked as they were waiting in line for their coffee. Sydney nodded in confirmation. “What kind of lawyer exactly? Criminal?”

“No, no, no, no definitely not,” Sydney told him quickly. “I’d hate that. I’m a divorce attorney.”

Michael couldn’t help but laugh at this. “Yeah, that sounds like a much better job.”

Sydney shrugged. “Better than dealing with rapists and killers.”

“True,” he conceded. “What made ya pick that?”

“Dunno,” Sydney shrugged. “I just did. I do other stuff too – like wills and pre-nups and stuff like that, but mostly divorce. Well, I used to do that anyway. My new job is just overseeing a whole office full of other lawyers doing wills and divorces and stuff, so I won’t handle very many cases myself.”

“I see,” Michael nodded. “Sounds like you enjoy it though,” he said in a tone that made it seem like the words ‘…I can’t imagine why’ should have been tacked onto it.

“It’s not like I enjoy watching people’s marriages end,” Sydney defended. “It’s just… you know, someone’s gotta do it,” she shrugged

“Right,” Michael sighed. “So… that must take up a lot of your time, right? Your job, I mean.”

“Yeah, it does,” Sydney sighed. “On average I work about fifty five hours a week, year round.”

“Yikes,” Michael said, wide-eyed. “That’s kinda incomprehensible for a guy who teaches kids the alphabet for a living and gets the summers off.”

Sydney laughed. “You do more than teach the alphabet.”

“You’re right, I color too,” he smiled. Again, Sydney laughed. “So, how’s your new apartment?”

“Oh it’s… cluttered,” she laughed. “No, actually it’s really nice. I guess I should be getting back though. I need to go shopping; I have no food,” she said with a pathetic shrug.

“Oh, well then, don’t let me hold you up,” Michael said to her. “Speaking of food – did you, uh, maybe wanna have dinner sometime then? You know, once you’re settled in your job and stuff.”

“Absolutely,” Sydney smiled at him. “You can call me…,” she paused to dig through her purse for a pen. She retrieved that and a scrap of paper from the depths of her large over the shoulder bag before scribbling down her number and handing it to him. “That’s my cell and I might not answer, but just leave a voicemail and I’ll get back to ya.”

“Okay,” he smiled at her. “I’ll call you then… see you,” he gave a slight wave before heading off in the direction of his apartment.

~*~

After parting from Michael, Sydney went to shop for the first time at the suburban chain grocery store by her house. It was certainly a different experience than shopping in the city. Here, mothers wrangled their three children who cried and threw tantrums when they couldn’t buy the sugar-filled cereal item they desired. She fought her way through the hoards of people to search for the items she wanted, some of which she couldn’t find at all. Finally, exhausted, she gave up and went back to her apartment with the things she could find.

That evening she’d promised to go to dinner at Nadia’s since, apparently, Jenny and Penny were missing her terribly, even though it had barely been forty-eight hours since she’d seen them last. When she arrived, Nadia’s house was chaotic as usual. Jenny was sitting in the middle of the foyer floor crying her eyes out, so Sydney scooped her up and carried her back to the kitchen, where her sister looked like a frazzled mess. “Today is not a good day,” Nadia told her with a grunt.

“Obviously,” Sydney laughed. She then kissed Jenny’s forehead softly before setting her down on the ground. “Need any help?”

“No, I’m fine,” Nadia sighed. “How’d your unpacking go?”

“Very good. Everything’s unpacked and organized and I got a date,” Sydney smiled.

“Boy, you didn’t waste any time there, Syd,” Eric laughed as he wiped Jenny’s nose and tried to calm her tears.

“You have a date?! How did you get a date?! You were unpacking! Did some guy pop out of one of your boxes or something?” Nadia asked in shock.

“No,” Sydney laughed. “I met him while I was trying to open my mailbox. Actually, you know him – it’s Michael Vaughn,” she said while glancing over to Eric.

“What?” Eric asked quietly.

“Michael Vaughn, remember him? He was best man at your wedding,” Sydney reminded him.

“No, I know who he is, I just… well, you can’t go out with him,” Eric told her.

“Why not!?” Nadia and Sydney asked in unison.

“Because Mike wants to get married and have kids,” Eric said simply.

“Eric, it’s a date, not a lifetime commitment,” Sydney sighed, flopping down into a kitchen chair. Immediately, Penny climbed up into her lap.

“Yeah, but,” Eric groaned. “Michael loves kids.”

“Yeah, I got that from the fact that he’s a kindergarten teacher,” Sydney told him. “Eric, seriously, it’s just a date. What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is that we’re thirty-two, nearing the end of prime marrying and baby having age. And I know Mike’s been burned before with women not wanting to have children, which is you,” Eric told her.

“Eric, I’m not secretive about the fact that I don’t want marriage or children. I’ll make that loud and clear within the first few dates, okay? Michael can then decide for himself if he wants to break up with me, alright?” Sydney asked.

“Fine, fine,” Eric sighed. “I’m just warning you… or perhaps suggesting to you that maybe marriage and babies wouldn’t be so bad.”

“Nice try, Eric,” Sydney said with a pointed look.

Eric shrugged. “I just want you to be as happy as we are,” he told her.

“Right,” Nadia agreed. With that, Jenny burst into tears once more and Sydney couldn’t help but laugh.



Chapter 8

Come Monday morning, Sydney was back in the full swing of things, regarding her work and at home schedule, that was. She was no longer unpacking things for her office, but instead greeting new clients and working with the lawyers underneath her to ensure that those clients were comfortable with their company. On Monday alone she worked fourteen hours before returning home, utterly exhausted. Michael called her cell phone on Tuesday. She listened to the message during her ten minute long lunch break and returned his call, expressing her desire to go out to dinner, but apologizing and stating that there was no way she could possibly get away until the weekend. Michael returned her return call later that evening stating that he would be perfectly happy with making her dinner that Saturday night; Sydney subsequently agreed to these plans.

She had to admit that she was very excited at the prospect of having dinner with Michael. Her dating life was… interesting, to say the least. She found that her firm no marriage stance helped her in some ways, but harmed her in other ways. For example, she never really threw any type of commitment implying words into her relationships that would send slightly skittish men screaming in the opposite direction. That was a plus. A negative, however, was that her bachelorette for life persona (as Eric pointed out to her) tended to attract the wrong type of guys. The problem was she expected high standards of the men she dated, like those of marrying quality, except she had no intentions of marrying them. The men who were of that quality tended to want marriage as well, so once they realized she was quite serious about not wanting to get married, they were likely to bolt.

No matter how many people asked her or how many times they asked, she could never answer the question about what exactly she was looking for. Was she looking for a life long committed partner, who would be like a husband, except they would never marry? Or, was she looking for no one in particular to spend her life with, just a series of boyfriends, some lasting a few years, others lasting not quite as long until she became old and grey? Or, was she looking for no relationship at all, just a series of one night stands and few month dating cycles until things became too serious? The only thing she knew for certain was she didn’t want the last of the three options.

No matter what her long-term plans were, dinner with Michael was definitely something she was looking forward too. She was looking forward to finding out more about him and his life and spending some quality time with male companionship. More than anything, though, she was looking forward to an evening conversation that involved absolutely nothing relating to law.

On Saturday night, Sydney went to Michael’s apartment, armed with a bottle of wine. She’d debated her wardrobe for half the day, knowing that Michael’s apartment was certainly a more relaxed atmosphere than a candlelit restaurant, but not quiet casual enough to show up in jeans and a sweatshirt. In the end, she decided on khakis, which could be dressy enough when necessary, yet casual and, most importantly, comfortable at the same time.

“Hey, come on in,” Michael greeted her with a smile. Sydney smiled back and handed him her bottle of wine before stepping into his apartment. “Oh thanks,” he said, taking the bottle. “So, how was your week?”

“Very, very long,” she sighed in an exhausted tone. “The next new person I have to meet I may just shoot.”

“Uh oh,” Michael laughed. “I’m glad you already know me.”

“MM yeah, how ‘bout you? How are the kindergartners?” she asked.

“Good, good. This week was insect week so we all had our little bug jars and went out onto the playground to see if we could find any bugs… of course half the kids came back with worms,” he sighed.

Sydney laughed slightly. “Not quite what you were expecting.”

“No, not exactly.”

“So, you come up with all those lessons and activities yourself, right?” she asked. He shrugged and nodded. “Wow… I doubt I could do that if my life depended on it.”

“Well, I can’t take all the credit. I get ideas from magazines and websites and stuff. Plus, the teacher I student taught under was excellent so she really helped me out. It’s fun though,” he smiled. He then encouraged her to take a seat at his kitchen table as he began moving their meal from the stove to the table.

“You cook, too? Wow, are you sure you’re not hiding a superman suit under those clothes of yours?” Sydney asked him.

“Actually, my preferred alter-ego is Batman, but my suit’s at the drycleaners,” he winked. She laughed. “No, I’m not that much of a chef. I mean, I can heat up a mean bowl of soup from a can, but if you’re talking about full meals from scratch, I’m limited to about five that my mother forced me to learn before she’d let me out of the house.”

“Smart woman,” Sydney smiled.

“Oh yeah, my mom’s the best. Slightly insane at times, but overall really great,” he told her.

“You’re close to her then?” Sydney asked. Michael nodded. “Do you have any other family you’re close to?”

“Nope, just her. My dad passed away when I was in high school, I never had any siblings, my dad was an only child and my mother had one brother who died before I was born, so my family get-togethers are very small,” he told her.

“Wow, that is small,” Sydney commented as she began eating some of the chicken and vegetables on the plate in front of her. “Wow, this is awesome.”

He thanked her before asking, “Do you have any close family, besides the Weiss clan, of course?”

“Nah, not really. I mean, I have my mom, but Nadia was always closer to her than I was. And of course there’s my father and evil step mother…”

“Evil? Like Cinderella evil - lock you in a tower? Or Snow White evil - try to kill you with a poison apple? Or…?” Michael asked.

Sydney laughed at his fairytale comparisons, thinking how strange they were until she remembered his early childhood related occupation. “Not exactly. She’s not evil in that sense at all. I just can’t resist putting the cliché evil in front of step-mother. I mean, I don’t like the woman, but I doubt she has any malevolent characteristics.”

“Gotcha,” Michael nodded.

“Other than that it’s just Nadia, Eric and the munchkins,” Sydney smiled.

For the rest of dinner, Sydney and Michael chatted together about various topics just scratching the surface of the true history behind each of them. Once dinner was over, they moved to Michael’s couch were Sydney couldn’t help but explore the eclectic photo album on his coffee table, which seemed more like a scrap book. “It’s just some memories from my past ten years of teaching,” he told her. “Class photos and such.”

Sydney nodded as she leafed through some of the books pages. Each new year was designated by a traditional class photo with about two dozen five- and six-year-olds clustered together, some kneeling in front of other standing, while Michael stood off to the side. Along with those pictures were some drawings and pictures from class events, most recognizably Halloween and Valentine’s Day. “They’re so cute,” Sydney said, pointing towards two girls wearing matching heart sweaters obviously for Valentine’s Day.

“I know,” Michael sighed, looking at the picture as well. “It’s so hard every year at the end of the year. I just love them all so much by then. Well, most of them anyway. There are still those one or two that you just wanna…”

“Spank?” Sydney offered.

“Sorta,” Michael laughed. “It’s not all their fault though. Sometimes their parents are just… awful. It’s still hard to watch ‘em go though.”

“I bet you’re their favorite teacher,” Sydney smiled at him.

“Maybe, but that wouldn’t really be fair since they would have only had one teacher before me,” he laughed.

“Eh,” Sydney shrugged with a smile.

After leafing through Michael’s photo album for a few more minutes, Sydney announced that it was getting rather late and she needed to be getting home. Michael, being the gentlemen, said he’d walk her back to her apartment across the courtyard. Once they reached her door, she paused and fumbled with her keys for a moment. “I had a really great time, Michael,” she told him.

“Yeah,” he said softly, “me too.” Then, he leaned in closer to her. She leaned the rest of the way towards him and gave him a gentle kiss.

“’night,” she said before sticking her keys in the door lock.

“’night,” he repeated.



Chapter 9

On Sunday, the day after their dinner, Michael called Sydney and invited her to an afternoon baseball game he had tickets to. Sydney agreed to go even though it was a bit more short notice than she would have preferred and the two of them had a fantastic time. For the few weeks after that, Sydney and Michael spent time together on both Saturday and Sunday, as well as eating dinner together twice during the work week. In that time, they were very glad to find that they both seemed to be fitting each other’s expectations in a potential girlfriend or boyfriend.

Unfortunately, in that time, Sydney failed to inform Michael about her strict no marriage or children policy. She knew it couldn’t wait any longer, though, especially since Eric reminded her of it constantly (or so it seemed). Sydney knew Eric was just looking out for his friend, but she was getting slightly annoyed by his almost rude at times reminders. She knew she had to tell him though, and she was forcing herself to do so on their one month anniversary dinner. The only difficulty was, bringing it up subtly, not just blurting it out. Thankfully, Michael took care of this difficulty for her.

They’d been chatting about something that happened at kindergarten the day before, during a lesson on pets when, stupidly, Michael thought it’d be a good idea to bring a pet in. Of course, disaster ensued when the little creature escaped its cage and things really went downhill from there. Apparently, though, one little girl found the animal and took care of it very gently before giving it back to Michael. “I swear, she’s just the cutest little thing. I want a daughter just like her,” Michael said.

“Yeah,” Sydney sighed. Then, using that as a stepping stone, Sydney took a deep breath and said, “Yeah, but I never really wanted children….”

“You’re kidding?” Michael asked in pure shock with his eyes wide.

“No, I never did. I mean, don’t get me wrong; I love kids. I love Penny and Jenny; I’d do anything for them but… I dunno, I just don’t want kids of my own,” she sighed into her wine glass before taking a long sip.

“Not even if your husband really wanted them?” Michael asked, his shock turning to disbelief.

“Well, see, that’s the other thing,” she cringed slightly. “I don’t want to get married either.”

Michael nearly choked on his water. “You don’t want to get married?! Why not?”

“I don’t know… a bunch of different reasons, two of which being how it didn’t really work out for my parents and obviously I’m a divorce lawyer. And… I dunno, it’s just not something I have as part of my life goals,” she said with a slight shrug.

“So… it’s not something you’re one hundred percent opposed to then?” Michael asked.

“Well…,” Sydney hesitated for a moment before continuing, “I’m pretty dead set. It’d take a heck of a lot to change my mind.”

“I see,” Michael said shortly. “And… why are you telling me this?”

“I’m not trying to break up with you or anything; I’m just trying to be honest. I really, really like you Michael, and I hope we can continue seeing each other, but…but if you feel like you want to break this off I’ll understand why,” Sydney told him.

Her words rang with the wisdom of experience and it was obvious to Michael that, not only was this not the first time she had told this to a boyfriend, but if he chose to walk away, he would obviously not be the first who had done so. He sat there for a moment, thinking over what she had told him, struggling due to his confliction. On one hand, he would have never even considered breaking things off with her prior to the conversation they had just had. He loved spending time with her and was enjoying getting to know her better. However, on the other hand, he did have a deep desire for children and marriage and did not want to waste his time dating just anybody, especially given his ever-increasing age. In the end, though, he decided to give her a little bit more of a chance. After all, there was a possibility, albeit slim, she would change her mind.

“No,” he said finally, “I don’t want to break things off. I enjoy spending time with you and I really like you, too.”

Sydney smiled at him, reached across the table and squeezed his hand gently. “I’m glad to hear that,” she said. He smiled back at her as he squeezed her hand in return.

For the rest of the meal, conversation between the two of them was more tense and forced than it had been before Sydney brought up the marriage and children subject. By the end of the meal, though, they were laughing at something amusing one of Michael’s students said about his new little brother.

Once they arrived back at their apartment complex, Michael walked Sydney to her door like he’d done after all their dates. There, they shared a simple kiss, per usual, but before Michael could walk away, Sydney held him firm with her hands in his. “Hey you, uh, wanna come inside?” she offered in a soft tone. When it came to taking a relationship to that next step with men, Sydney had a steadfast rule. A set of steadfast rules, actually. For starters, she never even considered it unless a month had passed since her first official date with that man. In addition, she and that man had to have at least six – preferably more – dates in that month time span to further his qualifications for the next level. Even if those criteria were met, though, Sydney had to see something in their relationship that made her want to continue, which, of course, was a very subjective criteria. She saw that thing in Michael, though, which was why she extended the invitation to him.

“Um,” Michael hesitated, but just for a moment before saying, “Yeah, I’d love to.” Sydney smiled at him in the dimly it courtyard before turning her back to him momentarily so she could open the door to her apartment.



Chapter 10

The next morning, Sydney awoke to the feeling of Michael sliding out of bed beside her, removing his arms from around her waist in the process. She lifted her head sleepily, yawning, and looked up at him, her eyes blinking rapidly to adjust since she was looking towards a window, that had tiny flecks of light filtering in around the edges of the blinds. “Hey,” he whispered to her when he saw her looking at him. “Sorry, I have to go; I’m having brunch with my mother.”

“Oh, that ‘sokay,” Sydney mumbled sleepily before flopping back down against the pillow below her.

After putting on his clothes and making sure had his wallet and keys, Michael kissed the back of Sydney’s head gently. This received a muffled grunt from her, muffled since her head was smashed into the pillow. He then laughed softly and said, “I’ll call you later,” before leaving.

Sydney slept for another hour before finally dragging herself out of bed. She picked up her clothes from the night before that were strewn around her bedroom floor and neatly placed them in the laundry and back in their box, in the case of her shoes. Then, she made her way to the shower, noting the smile across her face as she passed by her bathroom mirror.

Spending the first night with a new boyfriend was always an important step in the status of their relationship, at least, in Sydney’s mind. Aside from judging their physical compatibility, it was also a glimpse into that boyfriend’s sleeping habits, which were of utmost importance in Sydney’s opinion. After all, if she was going to be spending more and more nights with that boyfriend, she certainly could not do so if he snored so loudly that he woke the neighbors up, or if he was a sheet-hog, or had some other type of negative sleeping habit. Luckily, Michael had none of those habits. He didn’t snore, kick her during the night, or steal her covers. He was a great person to sleep beside which only furthered Sydney’s opinion the idea that they were going to have a great relationship.

~*~

After spending most of Sunday afternoon cleaning, grocery shopping and doing laundry, Sydney went over to her sister’s house for dinner. In Sydney’s first month of living in the same town as them, they had silently created the tradition of sharing Sunday night dinner together, in addition to sometimes getting together other times during the week.

“So how are things with Michael going?” Nadia asked her sister over their meal.

With a smile Sydney told her, “Very, very good.”

“Have you told him yet?” Eric asked in his usual almost disapproving tone.

“As a matter of fact, I have,” Sydney informed him. “And considering he came home with me last night I’d say he’s pretty okay with the whole situation.”

“Wait,” Eric said, pointing at her with his fork. “You told Mike you didn’t want kids or marriage and he went home with you afterwards?!” he asked to clarify. Sydney nodded and shrugged her shoulders. Eric muttered something under his breath before turning back to his plate.

“OH! You know what we should totally do?” Nadia asked with a grin. Sydney and Eric looked at her curiously. “We should totally have like a double date. You and Michael and Eric and I,” Nadia told her sister.

“Oh yea, that could be fun,” Sydney smiled.

“Let’s do it on Friday. Mom will take the girls and it’ll be fun,” Nadia said with an excited giggle.

“Yeah, fun,” Eric repeated dully. Then his wife shot him a glare and he remained tight-lipped for the rest of the evening.

~*~

After eating dinner with the Weiss’s, Sydney called Michael and informed him of Nadia’s dinner invitation. Of course, Michael agreed to go and their plans were set. He and Sydney drove separately to the Weiss house that Friday since they were coming directly from their respective places of work. Surprisingly, Sydney arrived first, but that was mostly because she was trying so hard not to be late she ended up being early. Apparently, their mother had become sick at the last minute and was unable to keep the twins, which meant they were still at home, running amuck as usual. She was still busy giving them hugs when Michael arrived and greeted his friend who he hadn’t seen in quite some time.

“Wow, look at you guys – you’re huge! Practically little ladies,” Michael said to the twins as he crouched down on his knees so he was floor level with them. Penny, they shyer of the two girls, stared at him for a moment before rushing to hide behind Sydney. Jenny, however, walked over to him, grabbed his index finger and pulled him along with her, wanting him to play. Sydney then encouraged Penny to go play with them before she went to help her sister in the kitchen.

“So, Mike, please tell me that kindergartners are easier to handle than three-year-olds,” Eric said with a slight whimper.

Michael laughed. “Not much, sorry Eric. But hey, at least you’ve only got two instead of a classroom full of them.”

“I’d shoot myself,” Eric said in a very serious tone.

“You’d get used to it,” Michael smiled. He played with the twins a few more minutes before walking over to Eric and asking quietly, “Hey, can I ask you something?” When Eric nodded encouragingly Michael continued. “Well… you know Syd pretty well, right?”

“Sorta…,” Eric said slowly, unsure of his friend’s point.

“Well, you know her better than I do, right?”

“True.”

“Okay, well…it’s just last week at dinner she mentioned something about not wanting marriage and kids and…well, I dunno,” Michael sighed, looking towards his feet. “It’s just the way she talks about Penny and Jenny, it surprises me that she really feels that way, so I guess I’m asking…is she really serious about that or is it just something she says or…?”

“You should break up with her,” Eric told him seriously.

“What?!” Michael gasped, though he tried to keep it as quiet as possible.

“You should break up with her,” Eric repeated.

“WHY?!”

“Because she’s serious man. She doesn’t want kids or marriage. She’s been like that ever since I’ve known her. I mean, I think she’s crazy, but she’s dead set against it, which is why you should break up with her,” Eric told him.

“I fail to see why I should break up with her because of that…,” Michael said with confusion.

“Because you want a wife and kids! She doesn’t! Hello!”

“Yeah, but,” Michael sighed as his eyes drifted towards the kitchen, where the sisters were laughing together. “I really like her and…she might change her mind, right?”

“Sure, maybe, yeah,” Eric sighed while wondering why, exactly, no one ever bothered to listen to him.

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Chapters 11 - 20