Fandom: Professor Layton

Characters/Pairings: slight Angela/Henry, Angela/Randall

Words: 343

Summary: There are days, Angela thinks, where she could see herself being married to Henry.

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There are days, Angela thinks, where she could see herself being married to Henry. Not just as a placeholder the way they are now, but really married, the way she once imagined with Randall.

Henry is kind and generous, with the same warmth and passion for archeology. But Henry is also careful and considerate, making sure she never worries. He never goes off by himself, and has the decency to inform her of his plans weeks in advance. He checks and double checks, going over every detail to ensure that everything goes well. He asks for her opinion, because she's just as much a part of this as he is. He throws her no surprises, gives her no reason not to think things won't work out.

Everything Randall might consider "boring", Angela considers a blessing.

She's tired of feeling anxious, of wondering when he'll come back, if he'll come back. She's tired of losing people. What's the point in finding some treasure if there's no one around to share it with? What's the point in going on an adventure if you can't even return to tell about it?

Angela needs at least that much, needs someone who can promise her he'll stay by her side, needs someone who can actually come home every night and not just in her dreams.

But what we need and what we want are almost always two different things altogether.

While her time with Henry so far has been wonderful, and she could learn to love him in that way someday, everything always seems to go back to Randall. This house, this place, even Henry himself—they're all built around the hope of his return. Everything she sees, everything she hears—everything reminds her of him, makes her heart ache for what life was like when everyone was happy.

And despite what she may say or think about that, deep down she knows, whenever she clutches her pendant in her hand, she's just as much a reason of why it lives on in their little city of miracles.