A/N: Takes place in the summer between seasons 7 and 8 after the trip to Washington.

The discordant clanging of the phone disturbed their dinner. Angela looked up in surprise, as Tony stood to answer the kitchen phone.

"Bower residence, Tony speaking," he spoke into the receiver, his manner jovial and friendly. He listened for a bit and Angela saw his face pucker in concern, the easy smile wiped off his face. "But Mrs. Napoli …" he uttered, before he was presumably cut off and forced to listen, his handsome features now reassembled into an expression of shock and dismay.

"Tony?" Angela came to stand beside him. He shook his head and held up his hand.

"But Mrs. Napoli …" This time, Tony pushed through the kitchen door, pulling on the extension cord, and taking the receiver into the living room. Angela followed him.

"But he's happy here," Tony whispered into the receiver, checking the kitchen to make sure that Billy wasn't listening. "Ay-oh, you asked us to look after him. We're working with social services." Tony listened some more, and Angela could hear Mrs. Napoli's strident voice piercing through the receiver, though she could not make out what the old woman was saying.

"What's going on?" Angela tugged at Tony's sleeve, alarmed at his expression and tone of voice.

Tony covered the mouthpiece with his hand and whispered, "It's Billy's grandmother. She wants him back."

"What?!" Angela stumbled backwards, unable to process what she was hearing. She looked at Tony in horror.

"I don't think it's a good idea, Mrs. Napoli. Billy is a handful. He needs a lot of attention and … yes, I know he's your grandson. But, but, but …" a torrent of high-pitched Italian-laced English assaulted Tony's ear. He held the phone away from his head and looked to Angela with beseeching eyes.

"You try," he said, as he handed her the phone.

Angela took the receiver and greeted Mrs. Napoli. After a pause, "Yes, it's me …the blonde," she answered the old woman. "Mrs. Napoli, Billy is thriving with us. Tony and I are taking excellent care of him, and we love that little boy so much. Please reconsider taking him." Mrs. Napoli began to cry and incoherently beg for her grandson back. Angela looked at Tony and shrugged helplessly. "But he'd be so much work for you; he's only in kindergarten. (pause) Yes, I know you love him too. And he knows that. You haven't abandoned him, no." Angela listened to Mrs. Napoli plead and cry some more. Finally, she said, "Can we meet in person? Can we discuss this face to face, Mrs. Napoli?"

After finagling the where and when of their upcoming meeting, Angela appeared to deflate. She wordlessly returned to the kitchen and hung up the phone with trembling hands.

"Who was that?" Billy asked.

"That was your grandmother, Sweetheart," Angela said, surprised at how steady her voice remained. "We're going to visit her in Brooklyn this weekend. How does that sound?"

"Yay, I get to see my grandma!" The little boy cheered. It was only the three of them at the kitchen table. Samantha had a full-time summer job and was taking a college course. Her recent breakup with Matt caused her to overschedule her summer to stay busy and forget about the cowboy. Jonathan was a counselor at the same camp he used to attend as a child. The house was empty of the older children, and now Tony and Angela doted on Billy.

Tony and Angela looked at Billy finishing his dinner. He looked so small and vulnerable, their responsibility. "Come on champ, save some room for dessert," Tony told him.

"But you said dessert was gonna be an apple," Billy replied, confused.

"Did I say that? I meant to say ice-cream." Over Billy's cheering, Tony got the ice-cream out of the freezer and scooped out a generous portion for Billy. He added some chocolate sauce and presented the bowl to the little boy.

"Oh boy, ice-cream!" Billy dug into his dessert with gusto and smiled at the two adults he now considered to be his parents.


"I can't believe she thinks she'll be able to take care of him after major surgery," Tony told Angela later, after Billy was in bed.

"There's no way. Chasing him on his bicycle, taking him to the park, keeping an eye on him when we're out, entertaining him at home …it's a lot of work!" Angela said.

"And it's something I signed up for, and I thought it meant for keeps," Tony replied.

"Me too." Angela placed a hand on Tony's forearm and squeezed. "I don't want to lose him. I love that kid."

"He's sorta our kid, Angela. That's how I think of him. We got him at the same time and made the same commitment toward him." He gazed into her eyes for longer than a pause before adding, "and I'm in it for the long haul."

Angela shivered at his words and heard the implicit promise within them. He was in it for the long haul with her too, she understood that. She was quiet for a moment, studying Tony's earnest face. She caressed his cheek and then spoke.

"I think we need to fight for him, Tony. We can give him a better home than his grandmother. Are you in it with me?"

"Absolutely, Angela. We're going to fight to keep Billy."