"Angela!" Rachel squealed excitedly as she ran up the cement sidewalk in front of the Matthews house. Her long red hair trailed behind her in the wind, its ends barely escaping the floppy white had sitting upon her head. "I am so excited to see you. I can't believe it's been so long. It's been too long!"

Angela nodded just as the woman sprinted into her open arms. Hugging her tightly, the two jumped up and down, bubbling with excitement. Cory watched from the doorway, leaning against the jamb while enjoying the joyful reunion. Finally, after a few minutes, Angela pulled away and grinned up at her former roommate. "It's so great to see you. I didn't know how much I missed you until just this second."

"I'm just glad to have a little female company," the redhead laughed. "Besides, now the guys won't make fun of me when I order fruity drinks at dinner. Jack always makes fun of my pink and turquoise cocktails."

"Angela likes whiskey," Cory teased as he appeared beside them. Angela reached over and bumped him playfully. He chuckled heartily before kissing Rachel on the cheek. "How was Texas?"

"It was great to see my family," she smiled. "But I missed Jack. I was kinda scared about leaving him alone with Eric in New York. I mean, you know what happened last time I was gone. I'm still trying to get the smoke stains out of the carpet and drapes."

"Smoke stains?" Angela asked.

"Eric caught my living room on fire. He thought it would be a good idea to see how quickly a Kleenex would burn if you drop it in a candle. Apparently, it goes up in flames pretty quickly. The fire department was surprised to see that there wasn't much damage considering the bottle of vodka he dropped when it happened. He told me it scared him. I banned him from the apartment for a few months. If Jack wanted to play with him, he had to go over to Eric's."

Leaning back against Cory comfortably, Angela's entire body shook with laughter. "It sounds like some things never change," she commented. "Speaking of Eric, where is he? And where's Jack?"

"They're next door dropping off our luggage. I couldn't wait another minute to see you, so I just came over here right away. They'll be over in a minute."

"In the mean time, why don't we go inside? I can pour you ladies a glass of wine while you catch up?" Cory invited. "I need to confirm our reservations."

Angela looked up at him expectantly. "Sometimes I'm still shocked at how grown-up you are. I keep forgetting that you're not the same guy I knew in college."

Pulling her toward the door by the hand, he glanced back at her over his shoulder. "No, I'm certainly not. And I'm glad to say that you're not the same girl."

Rachel and Angela collapsed onto the sofa while Cory retreated to the kitchen to make the phone call and fetch their wine. As soon as he was out of earshot, Rachel grabbed Angela's hands excitedly and grinned at her. "What is going on with you and Cory? I definitely sensed some chemistry when we were outside. Spill, girl!"

Self-consciously running her fingers through her long hair, Angela looked down at her white sandals and pretty pedicure. "We've gotten pretty close rather quickly," she admitted. "If it wasn't for him, I'd still be caught up in my makeshift relationship with Shawn. He was honest with me when it was really hard, and he's held my hand through every second since. I've opened up to him about things I hadn't told anyone. He's quickly become probably the most important person in my life."

"Wow, so has anything romantic happened?"

"Well, we did kiss," she blushed. "It got pretty intense, but we both agreed that now probably wasn't the best time to jump into anything. There is definitely something between us, but I can't risk losing him right now. We talked about it earlier, and we both know that we want something to happen. I just want to make sure that when it does, it's about the fact that I want to be with Cory and not to get back at Shawn."

"That's probably pretty smart," Rachel commended her. "I'm sorry about what Shawn did."

"I just can't believe I didn't know."

"Don't feel bad. Cory lived here with them every day for the past several months, and he didn't see it," Rachel pointed out. "None of us did. Jack, Eric and I were all just as shocked as you guys were. It's really tore both of them up, especially Jack. He's been put in such a bad situation. He feels loyal toward Shawn, but he knows that his brother messed up royally. The two of them have basically elected not to talk about it. It's not fair to put them in the middle of anything."

"How about you, Rach? This can't be easy for you either."

She shrugged. "It's not, but what can I do? Jack loves his brother, and I love Jack. I could never ask him to understand why I disapprove of what Shawn did. I hate what he did to you both, but he is still going to be in my life. I have to find a way to coexist with him for my boyfriend's sake."

"Sorry it took me so long," Cory apologized as he slipped into the room, balancing a tray in his arms. Handing a goblet full of cabernet to Rachel and then Angela, the redhead noted how long his fingers landed on their friend's. "We have reservations at eight at Gino's. I felt like Italian, I hope you don't mine."

"You know I love Italian," Angela smiled as she took a long sip of red wine. Reaching over, she toasted Rachel briefly. "Where are the guys?"

"I'll go next door and get them," he offered. "I'll be right back."

"He's still so sweet," Rachel retorted appreciatively as the door swung behind Cory. "I cannot believe anyone would pass up the chance to be with him. He might not be as hot as Shawn, but he is definitely more dependable. What was Topanga thinking?"

"What was I thinking?" Angela laughed humorlessly. "I was going to marry that jerk. Shawn can be so great, romantic and sweet. He has the tortured soul of a poet, something that definitely spoke to the martyr in me. And after not really having a family for so long, I liked the idea of having someone to take care of. With Cory, it feels like there is finally someone around to take care of me. It's nice for a change."

"By the way he looks at you, I'd say the feeling is quite mutual," Rachel revealed. "His eyes are locked on you every second he's in your presence. And I see the way you two keep touching each other, even when it's not necessary. That's how Jack and I were in the beginning. Maybe this is going to turn into something bigger than either of you ever anticipated."

"He needs to figure out what he wants with Topanga first. I know he keeps telling me that it's over, but I'm not so sure that it is. Until I can see it in his eyes, I don't want to let him all the way in. He already knows too much, and if we go all the way, I'm risking an awful lot."

"You're risking a lot if you don't go there, too," Rachel reminded her. "Eventually, he is going to break through that tough wall you've put around yourself, Ang. Cory has this way of getting underneath your skin. He cares about the people in his life with an unmatched fierceness. I think it's in the Matthews' blood because I see it in his entire family. He finds a place in your heart and he boroughs a little hole just for him. And it's shaped just like Cory, meaning that no one else will fill it."

"They are quite a family," Angela acknowledged. "Alan and Amy have been great about letting me stay here without asking all these questions. They've talked to Cory about it some, but even that has been kept to a minimal. They've even treated me like I'm part of the family. Morgan and Joshua are great, too."

"Living so far away from my own family, the Matthews have been so great to Jack and me. We've spent birthdays and Christmases with them. Amy even put up stockings for us last year, filled to the hilt with candy and little gifts. She opened up her house and made it feel like home."

"That's part of my mom's charm," Eric explained as he rushed into the room. The two women stood up and turned to face the rambunctious man. He pushed Rachel out of the way and picked up Angela in a bear hug. "Yeah, you still feel as good as I remember."

"Eric!" she giggled. "It's about time you showed up, we're starving in here."

"And that's the only reason you're happy to see us?" Jack asked with a wide smile as he slipped next to his girlfriend. Lacing his arm around her waist, he leaned forward and brushed a chaste kiss over Angela's cheek. "So glad to know that we were missed."

"Of course we missed you, honey," Rachel told him complacently. "Now, can we go? My stomach is rumbling, and you know how cranky I get when I'm hungry."

"Let's go, Cor!" Eric bellowed to his little brother, who was yet to join them. "Where is he?"

"He was going next door to get you two. You didn't see him?" Angela inquired worriedly.

Eric shook his head. "That's weird."

"I'll go look for him. You guys go ahead. Cory will be upset if we lose our reservations," Angela said. "We'll take a cab and be right behind you. He couldn't have gone far."

"Okay," Jack said as he led Rachel toward the door. "We came around front. He probably went the back way. We must have barely missed each other. See you there."

"Bye," Angela called over her shoulder as she jogged toward the kitchen. Grabbing her handbag and phone off the counter, she stepped into the backyard to look for Cory. Peering across to Mr. Feeny's, she noticed that the lights were off and that the house was dark. Walking toward the side of the house, she was surprised to see Cory bent over, clutching his head in his hands. His shoulders were shaking, but she couldn't hear anything. "Cory?"

"I'll be there in a minute," he gasped between breaths, not looking up. "Go on."

"I'm not leaving you," she insisted, hiking up her skirt as she knelt on the ground in front of him. Reaching up, she slowly pried his hands from his face. Tears streaked his flushed face, eyes swollen from crying. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"They should be here," he sobbed. "When I saw you two reunite out there, it reminded me that she was missing. And then, when I saw Eric and Jack heading for my house, I thought of how many times Shawn and I had hung out here."

"So you avoided them?"

"I don't want anyone to see me like this."

"But I can see you."

"You're not just anyone," he professed as he stood up. Wiping away the tears with the back of his hand, he became frustrated when the wetness smeared across his cheek. Reaching up, Angela brushed them gently with her fingertips. "Thanks."

"You're the one who told me that they weren't in our life anymore, Cor. There's nothing there for us, remember?" she replied. "Let's just go to dinner. Our friends are waiting for us there."

Cory agreed and allowed Angela to call them a cab. By the time they arrived at the quaint Italian joint, Cory felt much better. They were laughing as the bustled into the restaurant, hands locked in a friendly hold. Angela had spotted their friends at a back table just prior to entry, knocking on the window to tell them they'd be there in a minute. By the time they found their way to the waiting area, they were completely ignoring everyone around them. That was until Angela's eyes met a familiar gaze and Cory's settled on a pair he knew as well as his own.

"What are you doing here?" he asked coldly.

Angela glared at them. "Are you stalking us now?"

"We just wanted to eat dinner," Topanga said. "We had nowhere else to go."

"We're suddenly not welcome anywhere," Shawn spat.

"And that's my fault how?" Cory asked sarcastically. "Oh, that's right, it's not."

"Jack's my brother," Shawn reminded him. "He's on my side."

"Well, he's having dinner with us," Angela shot back. "Just like Eric and Rachel. It seems like we have them and you have no one."

"That's not true," Cory pointed out with a smirk. "They have each other, which, when you think about it, is pretty much the same thing."

"Cory, please don't," Topanga implored. "I thought…I mean, you were different earlier…why are you so angry again?"

"Because you made me miss you," he answered softly, "and I hate myself for that."

"You missed me?"

"I missed both of you, and I can't do that anymore. It's not fair to Angela to have to keep picking me up. I have to live my life without you two, and I have to admit, I don't know how I'm going to do that. I hope that the two of you are going to be happy together, though. I'd hate to think you threw all of this away over a fling."

"Cor…" Shawn tried.

"We have to get back to our friends," he announced to Angela before sliding his hand around her waist. Pulling her close to him, he guided her out of the room. Once they were out of shot, she turned around and grinned at him triumphantly. "I know, I was good."

"Yes, you were. I didn't know you had a conniving bone in you."

"I don't," he said, "but I have a protective bone in me. And that's what I was doing back there."

"Protecting yourself? Protecting me?"

"Us," he stated simply. "I was protecting us."