"Oh, hi," Angela said to Tony as she came in from a date with Peter. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I canceled my plans. With Sam comin' home tomorrow I just wanted to be home."

Angela smiled as she went over to the mirror. "It's going to be so good to have her back. Even if it won't be long before moving into the dorm."

"I'm just happy to be in the same city as her again." He watched as she set down her purse and took down her hair, then asked, "You're coming to the airport tomorrow, aren't you?"

"Of course! Her flight comes in at 4:15, right?"

"Yup."

She patted his arm as she walked past him to go to the kitchen. "I'm going to grab a snack. Want to join me?"

Tony followed her. "Sure, I could eat. But did you just come from dinner?"

In the kitchen now, she answered, "We saw a show but I passed on dinner. I guess I wanted to be home, too."

"Hey, if you didn't eat a proper meal, I can whip something up."

"It's okay, I don't want you to go through the trouble."

"Never any trouble for you. What'll it be?"

"Oh, I don't know… toast and eggs?"

"Too easy. I've got a little bit of chicken left in the fridge. How about a stir-fry?"

"Tony, it's after 11:30."

He shrugged. "You really think I'm gonna get any sleep tonight? It won't take long. It's better than eating a bowl of ice cream." Pushing her toward the door, he finished, "Go change into your pajamas. It'll be just about done by the time you come back down."

Knowing she would be fighting a losing battle, she conceded with a laugh and went upstairs.

As she showered and dressed for the night, Angela couldn't help the smile plastered to her face. Since their trip to New Mexico a couple of weeks ago, things were finally at a normal place. Tony didn't seem so afraid of her. On the contrary, he sought her out more. Leaning on her through Samantha's pre-engagement seemed to be the proof he needed to see the world wouldn't crumble being around her despite his relationship with Kathleen.

She'd surprised herself with her own reaction to Sam's news. She prided herself on being the level-headed adult in her life – the one Sam went to with things she couldn't tell Tony. She'd let her turbulent past cloud Sam's happiness, even if everyone but her saw the warning bells. Thankfully Mona had managed to get through to her, no doubt in her own peculiar way. The panic had been worth it in the end. Being able to be the shoulder Tony leaned on again felt wonderful.

"Mmm, smells good in here," she said when she came back downstairs.

"Have a seat, it's almost ready."

She went to the cabinet to grab a plate then to the drawer for a fork. Instead of sitting down, she crept up behind him and stole a piece of chicken from the pan.

"Angela!"

With a smirk, she shrugged, then took a bite.

"Just for that I'm gonna make you share."

"Oh, fine."

"Grab me a plate?"

Setting hers down at her seat, she grabbed another as Tony came over to the table with the skillet in hand.

"So, what did you see?"

"Hmm?"

"The show?" he said while dishing the food out.

"Oh, we saw Gypsy."

"Ooh, I love that one!"

"Me, too. It's one of my favorites."

"Ever seen the movie?" he asked when he sat down.

"Of course."

"I always wish they would'a had Ethel Merman in the movie. No one compares."

Angela took another bite and agreed, then said, "The cast tonight was great, but I know what you mean."

"I'm glad you had a good time."

"I wish I could say the same for Peter."

"Oh?"

"He's into music, but I don't think musicals so much."

Tony scoffed. "His loss."

"Right. The whole time I was wishing you—" She stopped, realizing what she was saying and backtracked. "I wished we'd seen something else. Maybe a play instead."

Trying to stifle his grin, he said, "Well, I hope you'll get another chance to see it with someone who will appreciate it."

Dangling her fork over her plate, Angela was fixated on him. "So do I."


Sorry this is a short one! Just wanted to get it posted before my trip. See you in a week or two!