A/N: Again, thank you so much for all the reviews!
The moment ended awkwardly with neither of them knowing how to react; Angela remembered the first time she'd accepted a proposal. There had been kisses, a bubbly feeling and of course a celebration. None of these things took place now. Tony, too, seemed lost. He constantly ran his fingers through his hair. Angela thought he looked cute, but didn't dare voice her thoughts.
"We should do it- I mean we should get married as soon as possible." Tony mumbled, but the silence in the room made it sound like shouting.
"I guess." Tony didn't listen to Angela's reply. Or maybe he just chose not to react.
"We're here and we should just… you know?" He turned to her and it was five minutes ago when she'd seen so much compassion and determination in his eyes.
"I don't know what you mean." She admitted truthfully.
"Marie and I eloped. Didn't take very long." Angela gasped.
"We're not that far from Las Vegas." Tony went on looking at her. His eyes looked sad, Angela thought. She wasn't sure what her own reflected, but she was sure there were tears in them. Their friendship lay raw and vulnerable between them. One wrong step, she feared, and it would be trampled down.
"Tony, whatever happens I want us to stay friends." Angela blurted. Tony's eyes grew wide and a grin spread on his face; one of his infectious ones.
"Hey, nothing is going to happen to our friendship, all right?" She nodded hesitantly, hoping she could adopt his positive outlook on things.
"We have to tell mother and the kids and-" Angela stopped. So far this wasn't about anyone else; they were doing this to keep Jonathan where he belonged, but he, like the rest of their family, seemed more of a theoretical figure. Now he became real. What would their family think – and say? Each and every following step would have repercussions for their children and their family as a whole.
"We can do that later."
"Later?"
"After we're married."
"You want to do this without mother and the kids?"
"Well, it's not like it's the real thing," despite the truth behind them, the words stung, "and we can always have a party or something later. Let's go."
"What? Tony, wait. This is all going way too fast." Angela's head was spinning. Whenever she thought she just got a grasp at what was happening, something threw her off. None of this felt real. Or made sense.
"We have to be fast," he pointed at the papers Michael had dropped off, "the sooner we're married the better."
"We can't just go up to Las Vegas and get married." Tony grinned at her, albeit a bit sadly.
"Believe me, we're not the first to do just that. Now let's go. Wouldn't want to miss the last flight."
Angela followed as if in trance. Tony had given the hotel clerk instructions to find Mona and send her back to their room. If he were unable to find her he was supposed to have someone be on hold in case one of the children woke up and wondered why they were alone. Angela had been reluctant to leave them alone, even though she knew how unlikely it was that one of them would wake up and look for them. They didn't talk on the way to the airport or on the plane. To bystanders they could have been strangers.
It was close to midnight when they finally arrived. Tony took Angela's hand; how he knew where they had to go, she didn't question. His hand around hers felt warm and determined.
"Hello, we'd like to get married." Tony put on a smile, the receptionist couldn't be bothered.
"Fill these out and we need identification." Could it be that easy to get married? Angela wondered as they sat down with the papers. Tony mumbled something unintelligible as he filled out the forms.
"Tony, I'm not sure this is really the right way to go." He turned to her then, pen still poised over the paper.
"I thought we've gone through this. Hey, you were ready to ask me to marry you first," his grin felt good; it eased the heavy atmosphere.
"I know, Tony. But this – this is a big deal."
"It sure is. Look at all these questions!"
"That's not what I mean."
"I know. Look, this isn't ideal. But what's the alternative, you know? I'm not planning on going anywhere anyway, so why not make it official?"
"But we're not…" Angela trailed off. There was no way to end this sentence and be truthful. Because what did they truly feel for each other? She didn't know and it wasn't the right moment to delve into it; as ironic as that was, given that they were about to get married.
"We're family." Tony answered instead, using the words he'd said before. Angela no longer trusted her voice and so she nodded. Tony went back to filling out the forms and Angela did the same. With each passing questions she tried to come up with a different solution. She couldn't think of one. And her heart beat too loudly to think anyway. She was about to get married! To her housekeeper…and her best friend.
"Done." He exclaimed happily and a moment later Angela handed him her papers as well. Tony dropped them off with the receptionist who told him they were up next. It was a slow day, she explained.
"Ready?" He asked as they heard a little bell. Angela wanted to say 'no', but she nodded. Tony led her to the small, cheap looking altar. He exchanged a few words with the priest and Angela tried to follow his words, but she felt like she was stuck under water.
Angela repeated the right words and listened to Tony do the same. None of it felt real; this was a dream, this wasn't her doing this. She was merely watching as a bystander.
"You may kiss the bride." They were both hesitant. This wasn't their first kiss, but this time they were both sober. Angela couldn't help the desire that shot through her. Blushing she realized she wanted to kiss him. If only to feel something else for a change. Neither remembered, or wanted to admit, who had initiated their first kiss that night when they'd both been drunk and daring. This time where was no question; Tony leaned forward and with one hand on her back he gently pushed her towards him. His mouth descended on hers slowly, yet determined. The pressure was just right; his tongue came out to tease her for a fleeting moment, before he broke the kiss all together. Angela opened her eyes never having realized that they'd closed in the first place. She gasped, surprised how much she'd enjoyed this kiss.
"That's done," Tony said and burst her little bubble, "let's go back before someone misses us." He finished more softly.
On the plane back Angela played with the small golden band they'd bought – the cheapest available. The ring didn't even fit her right.
"I'm gonna get you a better one." Tony promised her. The ring didn't matter, she thought. All that mattered were the papers. The papers that claimed that she was now Mrs. Micelli. The thought made her feel tingly – and sad.
"Hey, it's gonna be fine." Tony must have seen the worry written all over her face.
"Tony, we have to tell mother and the kids."
"So?"
"So? We just made a decision that has major consequences for their lives and we didn't even tell them. What if the judge will see it the same way? People will talk; they'll wonder where all of this is coming from suddenly. Tony, what if we just made a big mistake? What if-" she didn't manage to finish, because Tony leaned over and quickly covered her mouth with his. It was quick and sweet, far from passionate; it ended as surprisingly as it had started.
"What – why did you do that?"
"I just wanted to see if it worked. It's gonna be fine, Angela. Trust me."
Angela sighed knowing she didn't have any other choice. Tony took her hand and it was warm and comforting. It was a start.
TBC
