A Helping Hand

“Oh. Sam says his parents hug each other without clothes on. Do you do that too?” she asked curiously.
hahahahhahahahhahahahahahahhhahahahahaha

i prefer to think there is no 'hugging' at all involving my parents
 
Chapter 38
For the next few months, things went perfectly. Of course, the changes in the daily lives of Sydney, Michael and Grace had not been too dramatic, but the little changes made everything all that more perfect.

Sydney and Michael shared a bed nightly and, most thankfully, Grace had not appeared in their room unannounced again. Both enjoyed the intimate closeness bed sharing brought them and only had a few bed sharing related tiffs, which was very good for both. One such tiff was due to the fact that Michael refused to move his clothing and other assorted belongings into Sydney’s bedroom. In his mind, this still technically meant they were living apart (even if it was just by that tiny technicality), which was better for Grace, or so he believed. Sydney found this logic ridiculous, but she knew his stubbornness all too well to argue with it.

Michael’s culinary school classes began at the end of May and he was shocked to find how very school-like they were. Originally, he just thought he would be going to class, cooking a dish, and then going home. This, however, could not have been further from the truth. Of course this was part of his education there, but his classes also involved lectures, text books and exams with culinary terms. This was a bit of a shock for him since he had been out of school for over twelve years, but he managed to get back into the swing of things rather quickly.

Despite the original frustration of studying for tests once more, Michael quickly grew to love his culinary classes. They were expanding his knowledge on a subject he already loved, and, in his mind, no wrong could come from that. However, he quickly realized he had a lot to learn, especially when his first creation earned him a rather painful ‘D’. Despite this less than stellar grade, Michael’s sprits weren’t lessened; it only made him want to work harder to succeed the next time around.

With the onset of summer came the end of school for Grace. This, of course, caused a tiny problem in their household; without Grace spending her days at school, she needed someplace else to go. Luckily, her school was organized with a handful of other schools that provided day camps for working parents just like Michael and Sydney. Though she was unsure of the idea of camp at first, Grace quickly grew to love her time there, especially since many of her friends from first grade were there too.


By the middle of the summer, Michael was one hundred percent positive that Sydney was the woman he was meant to spend his life with. True, their class and cultural backgrounds were worlds apart, but he no longer saw that as an issue between them. He completely accepted the fact that in their marriage, Sydney would be the main bread winner, so to speak. And, obviously, Sydney had no problem with their differences in financial status, which further reaffirmed that he should not either. He was definitely ready for marriage and for Sydney to be the woman he married.

In his life a little more than eight years earlier, he had proposed to another woman: Marie, Grace’s mother. Of course, this proposal was the result of Marie informing him that she was pregnant with a pregnancy that was not planned. Had it not happened, Michael could not honestly say he saw himself marrying Marie otherwise. However, it did happen and he was fully prepared to do the right thing at the time, even if it ended in divorce later on. With Sydney, though, he saw no such gloomy future plans. He only saw them growing together with their family until they were old and grey.

With the decision to propose to Sydney, or anyone for that matter, came the need for the proper words to say and the proper ring to bestow upon the loved individual. However, in Michael’s case, the latter could never be. All his money was tied up in his schooling and, even if he could have scraped together a few hundred dollars to buy something, he knew it would appear absurd when compared to the other gems Sydney already owned and wore. Since he had nothing physical (at least not in the way of jewelry) to give her, he needed to come up with the absolute perfect words to say and, after a few days of thinking, he finally thought up the perfect thing.

Before proposing to Sydney, Michael needed to get the approval of Grace. Of course, he far from thought she would be opposed to their union, but it was simply something he had to do. The only problem was that Grace, being only an almost-eight-year-old child, was not the best secret-keeper in the world, meaning he had to wait until almost the last minute to discuss it with her. Luckily, the incentive that she was actually going to be used in his proposal helped to keep her mouth shut until the big event arrived.


It was a Saturday afternoon when Sydney returned from walking Santa that Michael sat her down on the couch and pulled Grace into his lap before beginning his well-practiced words. “Sydney I know it hasn’t been quite a year since we’ve met and only a few months since we’ve been officially together, but that doesn’t matter. In the past nine months you’ve taken me from the darkest, worst time in my life to the absolute best just by being in my life. You helped me – Grace and I – without us ever asking for help. In fact, you continued to help even when I begged you not to,” he said with a soft laugh. “You took us into your home, into your heart with no questions asked, and that alone will make me love you forever.

“I know I don’t have much to offer by way of physical things. I can’t give you a big house, or fancy jewels…in fact, the only fancy thing I can give you is a really good dessert,” he laughed once more, “but I can give you all the love I’ve got. We both can so…will you marry us?” he asked, putting his arm around Grace’s waist.

“Say yes!” Grace chimed in immediately.

Sydney laughed softly at this too as she brushed away the single tear that was burning a line down her cheek. She was so touched by the things he had said, she could hardly form words. Luckily, she only had to form one. “Yes, yes of course,” she sniffed before pulling them both into a hug. She kissed each their cheeks in turn before nuzzling her face into Michael’s neck and clinging to him tightly.

“Oh I love you both so much,” Sydney said, kissing them each one more time.

“I love you too…but can I go play with Santa now?” Grace asked.

“Of course, go ahead,” Sydney laughed softly. Grace hopped down from Michael’s lap and rushed into the kitchen, leaving the newly engaged duo free to kiss each other without risking scarring her.

“Oh and just so you know, really good deserts are so much better than fancy jewels,” Sydney informed Michael with a smile.

“Good to know,” he laughed before pulling her into a passionate kiss. When they broke a few minutes later, Sydney locked her arms around Michael’s waist and hugged him tightly, never feeling happier to be in his arms. “So, um,” Michael began rather nervously. “I can’t give you a ring bu-”

“Oh Michael, I don’t care about that,” she said, sitting up straight and looking him into the eye. “A ring means nothing when compared to you being my husband.”

Michael smiled softly. “Well, I’m glad to hear you say that, but I still wanted to give you a little something,” he paused to reach down and grab the item he’d tucked under the coffee table a few minutes earlier. When he pulled out the rectangular brown box, he slid it onto her lap with a smile.

“What’s this?” she asked with confusion.

“Probably the only thing I have that’s valuable. It’s all my top secret recipes that I’ve modified to perfection…okay, so maybe they’re not top secret – but I wouldn’t share them with just anyone,” he winked.

Sydney smiled down at the box in her lap. So it wasn’t a thousand dollar diamond ring, but it meant a lot to Michael, which meant it was invaluable to her. “Thank you,” she said sincerely.

After sharing another kiss, Sydney settled back into Michael’s arms, wanting nothing more than to be close to him at that moment. They sat there contentedly, Michael stroking Sydney’s arm lightly, for a few minutes before Sydney finally brought up a subject that crossed into her mind frequently over the previous months, including right then. “Hey Michael…do you ever wonder what would have happened to you and Grace if my driver hadn’t almost run into you that day?”

Michael sighed heavily; he had indeed wondered that same thought various nights when he was laying in the guest bedroom instead of a cold, filthy cot in a homeless shelter. “I don’t even want to think about it. Honestly, I don’t think we’d be here… I don’t know what would have happened to us but… I just can’t think about it,” he said, shaking his head slightly.

Sydney completely understood. She feared that the worst might have happened to him and Grace; worse than she could have ever possibly comprehended. But there was no use dwelling on it; they were all going to be just fine, together.

After another few moments of silence Michael said, “Oh there’s one more thing – I almost forgot. I’ve talked with Grace and, if you want, she’ll start calling you ‘Mom.’”

With this touching gesture, another solid lump formed in Sydney’s throat and she leaned forward to give Michael a long kiss. “I’d love that,” she said softly to him. Of course, those three words could never be enough to represent the emotions she felt; that gift to her was better than all the diamonds in the entire world.



Epilogue
“Moooooom! Billy threw up everywhere!” eleven-year-old Grace groaned with disgust as she walked into her parent’s bedroom. She, of course, was referring to her younger brother, William (fondly known as Billy), who was three months old.

“What?! Oh no!” Sydney groaned. She quickly grabbed her robe and tied it around her fancy gown, so that when she picked up her son he would not ruin something very expensive. Then, she rushed from the room.

That particular evening, she and her husband were preparing to attend a fancy charity gala. Of course, they had attended many such events (much to Michael’s displeasure) over their four year marriage, but this one was particularly stressful since it meant Sydney would be leaving her precious child for the first time since his birth. She had left him before, but only for a short while – a half an hour at most – and, even in those times, he stayed with his father. That night, however, both Sydney and Michael would be going out, leaving Billy in the care of a babysitter. Albeit, this babysitter was a very qualified one (it was Sydney’s own mother), but still, she worried.

“Billy, honey, what are you doing spitting up when Mommy and Daddy have to leave?” she cooed at her child as she lifted him up from his crib. Once he was in her arms and gurgling she found that Grace’s announcement had been quite and exaggeration. Billy had only spit up a minimal amount onto himself, so minimal his clothes did not even need to be changed.

“Grace, this does not constitute as throwing up everywhere,” Sydney called out to her with a slightly annoyed groan.

“It does when I’m holdin’ him!” Grace insisted with a grimace. Sydney sighed and shook her head slightly. While Grace was practically ecstatic about having a little sibling when Michael and Sydney announced their pregnancy, this joy quickly wore off shortly after Billy’s birth. Apparently, Grace had a (in her words) low gross tolerance, which meant spit-ups and diaper changes sent her running with horror in the opposite direction.

“Your sister loves you, she really does,” Sydney assured her child before pressing a kiss onto his forehead. Of course, this left a lip-shaped lipstick mark that caused Sydney to laugh softly. She grabbed baby wipe from the nearby changing table and washed Billy’s head free of the lipstick.

“Syd,” Michael said in a warning tone as he appeared in the nursery doorway.

“I know; I have to go,” Sydney sighed, hugging her son tighter. “But you know…I could just stay.”

“Nope, you’re going. It’s going to be fine,” Michael assured her. He pulled Billy from his wife’s arms (though she was very reluctant to let go), pressed a kiss onto his head and then set him back down in his crib. Sydney whimpered slightly as Michael pulled her out of the room, but Michael gave her a reassuring hug. “It’s only a few hours,” he reminded her.

“But what if he forgets me!?” she asked tearfully.

“Not possible,” Michael said with a slight laugh. “C’mon. The sooner we go, the sooner we get back.”

“Oh, that’s true,” she said rather hopefully. “Plus it’ll be fun; I haven’t heard you critique desserts in a while,” she smiled at him.

“True,” he laughed softly. Upon graduating from culinary school, Michael received a job working as a pastry chef in a fancy hotel. He used this position to advance his talents until, finally, the previous year he was able to open a small bakery of his own. It wasn’t much, but since it had been his dream for so long, it meant the world to him.

“Alright, alright I’m ready,” Sydney sighed after a few more moments of primping in front of the mirror.

“Then let’s go beautiful,” Michael smiled at her. Then, he took her hand, kissed her cheek and led her down the stairs.


thanks for reading everyone!
i'm not sure what fic will be next
truthfully, i'm running out of ones to post! :thinking:
 
I'm glad Michael's life turned out so well. He got the bakery that he's always wanted, plus he got the education and job experience that helped him get his life's dream.

But what I'm really glad about is that Sydney's parents accepted Michael, right from the beginning. They, like Sydney, didn't care what Michael did. Only that he was a good man and a great father.

Janet, I could suggest one you could write. It's the third story you mentioned once in your King Michael/Queen Sydney epilogue.

Chris
 
Hey!~!
i'm sorry i havent reviewed ur story for quite some time but i've benn busy with my sister's weeding!~!
i was a bridesmaid!~!
it was in queensland <Australia> twin waters resort on the sunshine coast!~!
ok i have MAJOUR reviewing to do so:
“Doesn’t Sydney look pretty Daddy?!” Grace asked when she saw Sydney descending the stairs.

Michael glanced up and, for the first time, saw Sydney in her gala attire. Her hair was softly curled and swept back from her face with a sparkling clip. Her makeup was perfect, just the right amount to make it clear she was wearing some, but not a heavy amount that made her appear borderline scary. Her cranberry gown hugged her body perfectly making her appear, at least in Michael’s opinion, unbelievably beautiful. “Yeah,” he managed to croak after nearly a full minute of silence, “she looks beautiful.”

“You’re not looking so bad yourself,” Sydney smiled and ran her hand down Michael’s new cranberry colored tie that matched her dress.
doesnt she always?~?color] :P

They rode the remainder of their journey in silence and, once they arrived at the hotel, Michael helped Sydney out of their car, trying to be as gentlemanly as possible.
is'nt he always the perfect gentleman?~?color] :P

Sydney was chatting with a man she introduced to him as Parker Hanes. On Parker’s arm was a very blonde, buxom woman who appeared to be half his age. As Sydney and Parker chatted, it was obvious he was employed in one of the buildings owned by her father. Most unfortunately, Parker worked in the same building as Michael, however Michael did not notice this until Parker said to him, “Say, you look familiar, have we met before?”
uh..oh Busted!~!

“I don think so,” Michael said quickly.

“Yes….I’m sure we have. Perhaps it was in the elevator…have you ever been to the Bristow’s building on seventh?” he asked.

“No,” Michael said, swallowing hard.

“He just has one of those faces,” Sydney laughed casually before pulling Michael away from Parker and onto the next group of wealthy, well dressed people.
saved yet again by SYDNEY!~! :P

ok i think thats enough repiling for the time i've been away!~! :P

ok just kidding!~!
Pheonix :P
 
holy felgercarb Jannet!~!
you better start comming up with ideas for fics cause u r one talented fan-fic writer!~!
serisoly u deserve an oscar!~!

:eek:scar:
fantastic job!~!
Pheonix :P
 
That was such a wonderful ending to a wonderful story! :smiley:

Thank you Janet for everything. :smiley:

Please don't tell me that you are running out of stories... this is what gets me into work in the morning is reading your updates! :smiley:
 
Thank you for this beautiful story..since you said that you were out of ideas may I suggest that you write a Sarkney story to give your mind a break from S/V? I would love to read a Sarkney fic from a good writer like you. :D
 
its over :eek: awwwww this story was the best! i loved Michael's proposal. it was so sweeet :love: and i loved the epilogue. i'm glad everything turned out so well for all of them!


i'll miss this story :(
 
awwww that ending was adorable! I love Michael's proposal! I love that he FINALLY owned his own restaurant! and I love love love Grace and her "low gross tolerance"! that was so cute! I absolutely loved it!
 
"running out of stories to post" in Janet speak means 12 more
in Sierra speak that would mean 1 more

aww that was adorable! ew babies are gross, i have to agree with Grace on that one
 
Please don't tell me that you are running out of stories... this is what gets me into work in the morning is reading your updates! :smiley:
i'm sorry! :hug:


Thank you for this beautiful story..since you said that you were out of ideas may I suggest that you write a Sarkney story to give your mind a break from S/V? I would love to read a Sarkney fic from a good writer like you. :D
oh god no i hate hate hate hate haaaaaaaate Sarkney. Sorry.


great ending!!
how can u run out of things to post you have so many great story ideas
well, trust me, i still have ideas. I'm just focusing on other things, plus working full time takes up a lot of my time.


"running out of stories to post" in Janet speak means 12 more
in Sierra speak that would mean 1 more
this is true :lol:
i do have enough to cary me through the rest of 2007, but i cant make any promises past that
 
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