Chapter 49: You Give Me Fever

Leaning down, Angela whispered, "You give me fever," into Tony's ear, immediately causing a sly smile to cross his face.

"You certainly do," Tony whispered back before leaning up to kiss Angela's cheek.

"What are you two whispering about over there?" Katie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing, Sweetheart," Angela said quickly as she was instantly pulled back to that awkward time after they had returned from New Mexico and had settled into their "new" normal.

She had realized that things with Peter were moving quickly, too quickly, especially since her heart wasn't really in it. He was a good guy and fun to be around, but Angela knew she really wasn't in a place, emotionally, to date anyone seriously.

She almost regretted breaking it off with him, though, when Tony just wouldn't leave her alone about not dating. That is until she finally realized what he was actually doing. If she was with someone, therefore unavailable, that was a way for Tony to assuage some of the guilt he was feeling over their current "situation" and rationalize to himself that even if he wasn't with Kathleen, he couldn't be with her either.

She finally got Tony off her case when she agreed to go with her mother to the local jazz club one night. And surprisingly, it turned out to be a lot of fun. Almost too much fun as she went overboard again, just like she had a few years ago with her wild list. She really did enjoy getting to show off her voice again, especially in front of Tony, along with her flashy and flirty choice of wardrobe. She could tell how much she was affecting him when they had their little conversation in the alley behind the jazz club. And even more so when they ended up driving home alone together that night in the Jag after Mona found someone to provide her with some late-night entertainment.

"C'mon, Tony, really? Entertaining in a sweet sort of way? Is that really what you thought of my performance?" Angela asked as Tony guided the Jag through the streets of picturesque downtown Fairfield.

Tony kept his eyes on the road as he debated how to answer Angela. He couldn't say what he was actually thinking. She had sounded fabulous and looked sexy as hell, making him remember things about Angela's body that he shouldn't be thinking, especially since he had a girlfriend.

Blowing out a breath, Tony gave Angela a quick look before saying, "All right. You sounded great. Even better than when you sang with the Dreamtones and me a few years ago. If me and the boys ever get back together, you're definitely in for more than a couple of numbers. And you look great as well."

"Thank you," Angela responded, smiling inwardly. She could tell he was still affected by her little performance, so she couldn't help but softly sing out a few more bars of "Fever" as they pulled into the driveway and Tony shut the engine off.

Turning his full attention to Angela, Tony wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms for a kiss. So much so that he began reaching for her before he could stop himself. Angela knew immediately what was about to happen, so she quickly opened the car door.

Looking back over at Tony, she shook her head slightly before saying, "Tony, we can't. You're with Kathleen, and I'm your best friend. I don't want us to have to avoid being alone together because we're afraid of what might happen. We let it happen in the past because we were both single, and well, we're both human. But we're on a different path now, one where I know we want to be able to stay friends."

"I know, Angela," Tony said, resigned as Angela got out of the car. "I promise this won't happen again."

"Mom, you actually sang at a jazz club?" Katie asked, interrupting Angela's thoughts. "I mean, I've heard you sing a little bit from time to time, but nothing like that!"

"Your mom is a great singer," Tony said, squeezing Angela's thigh. "Maybe she'll have to do a little performance of Fever sometime."

"Tony! My singing days are well over with," Angela said, shaking her head. "Who knows what I would even sound like now?"

"I'm sure still fabulous," Sam said, grinning. "And we're holding you to it. One of these days, you'll have to do it for us and your grandkids, especially since none of us, besides Dad and Mona, were there to witness that it actually happened."

"So, Dad, you were still with Kathleen during all of this? How long did you actually date?" Katie asked softly.

Giving Angela a quick glance before answering, Tony immediately thought about everything that had led up to his breakup with Kathleen. Looking back now, it was obvious that the cracks had really started to form when he and Angela were in New Mexico. That trip reminded him of everything that he and Angela shared and how much they depended on each other. Then, of course, Angela went through another one of her little wild phases, and unlike the last time, it didn't end with a make-out session between them, although it almost could have. But, again, Angela had stopped and reminded him of the choices he had made.

Then, before he knew it, things with Kathleen had progressed to the point that she wanted him to meet her father. Of course, Tony downplayed and rationalized it in his mind and to the family, but they could all see through him. He didn't think he'd ever forget the scared look that flitted across Angela's face before she quickly got hold of herself.

By this point, Angela had moved on to Andy, whom she had met at a recent charity fundraiser. Unlike Peter and Christopher, Andy seemed more Angela's type, and it was obvious there was an attraction between them. But Tony was so caught up in what was going on in his relationship with Kathleen that he didn't have time to dwell on it.

And just like he had feared deep down, Kathleen's father said all the things that Tony assumed she was thinking as well; about getting married and starting a family. Even though she assured him later that wasn't what she wanted, he knew that, at some point, it would be. Otherwise, why were they dating?

Tony then remembered when he realized that his relationship with Kathleen was not sustainable; when her father called him out about the picture of Angela he carried in his wallet. He had been able to sidestep the question, but driving home later that night, he knew that was the sign he needed to realize it was time to break it off with her and start facing his true feelings for Angela. For that, he'd always be grateful to Kathleen; she had really made him see the light and understand where his future lay.

Kathleen had taken it much better than he thought she would, but he had a feeling she had already come to the same conclusion about their relationship that he had. How could she not? What kind of boyfriend dragged his girlfriend to a restaurant just to spy on another woman and then took that woman on a trip to New Mexico? And who also didn't feel comfortable kissing or anything else in his own home because it was owned by said woman? He had been an ass to Angela by sleeping with Kathleen in the first place and screwing up the good thing they had going, and then he had been an ass to Kathleen by his preoccupation with Angela the whole time they were dating.

Tony realized as he pulled into the driveway that night he really didn't deserve to be with anyone. He only hoped he could repair his relationship with Angela to the point that they could actually take that next step. It was time to formulate a plan. But even if they couldn't ever get there, he knew he needed Angela in his life, if only as his best friend.

He remembered feeling so dejected as he walked into the house until Mona gave him her little pep talk and assured him that Angela would be over the moon to hear that he'd broken up with Kathleen. And she had seemed slightly happy but surprised when he told her, especially when he admitted in that special code language they had that the reason he had broken up with Kathleen was that "things had gotten in the way."

Of course, he'd then tried to put the beginning of his plan into action by trying to entice her to stay in and watch "Singing in the Rain," one of her favorite movies, with him. But it didn't work. She wasn't about to break her date with Andy to comfort the man who had caused her so much pain over the past few months.

"You didn't stay home with Dad?" Katie asked, somewhat astonished. "It sounds like he needed you."

"That's true. But things had changed between us, and I wasn't about to pretend that we could immediately go back to the way things were just because your dad finally came to his senses," Angela said, giving Tony a pointed look. "Yes, I was happy they broke up, but I was living my life and wasn't going to stop doing so at that point."

"Your mom did the right thing. I knew I had to earn her trust and her love back," Tony said, giving Angela a small smile.

"So, what did you do?" Katie asked. "Oh, and isn't this about the time that Billy came into the picture?"

Tony smiled as he thought about the little boy that was his doppelganger. It was uncanny how much Billy had looked like a miniature Tony and how much he still looked like Tony today. Even though the situation with Billy had ended painfully, he had been the bridge that brought Tony and Angela back to each other…