Six Months Later

"Hello?"

"Girlfriend! Turn on the radio!"

Angelica nearly dropped the phone in shock. "Susie?"

"The one and only."

"I can't believe it!"

"Yeah, yeah, we'll do this later. Turn on the radio."

"I haven't seen you in months, haven't heard from you in weeks, and this is all I get? Not even a hello?"

"Turn on the radio. 95.7"

Angelica grinned. "Ok…" She fumbled with the dial. "Alright…so, what?"

"Are you even listening?"

"Yeah…What is that? I…Susie? OhmyGod, is that you?"

Susie laughed gleefully. "Yeah it is! I've been mostly touring in Europe for the past few months. They love me here! I'm basically a celebrity! But we're coming back to the U.S. this week! Just testing it out, seeing how people like me back home."

"Well, they'd be crazy not to, you're amazing!"

"Aww, Ang, don't make me blush."

"You sound great." Angelica could barely contain her excitement. "Wow, you're gonna be famous! I'm gonna have a famous friend! Oooh, maybe we'll be on E! News!"

Susie laughed. "Yeah. Maybe. After I take a little break to visit everyone, they're gonna set me up in a studio in L.A. I'm going to record an album! This one's going to be mostly covers, but, if it sells well, I'm going to have complete creative control over the next album. I'm going to write my own songs, produce them, everything….What? oh, ok, yeah…Listen, I gotta go. But I'll be home soon, promise. Miss you guys! Give Chuck my love. Bye!"

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Angelica sighed heavily as she put in her chandelier earring. Chuck frowned as he adjusted his tie in the mirror next to her. "You're not even trying to pretend like you're happy." he said.

"Well, I'm not." she reminded him, reapplying eyeliner. "I don't want to go to this stupid party."

He grinned. "It's only stupid because you're not the center of attention."

She smiled, despite herself. "Well, I should be! Everyone knows I deserved that promotion! Linda's barely competent. She only got it because of seniority."

"Well, it would look pretty bad to give it to you instead, wouldn't it? Don't you think seniority comes into play?"

"No, I don't! I think aptitude and accomplishment come into play! In the past six months, I've negotiated countless deals, gotten them several very important business partners. Without me—" she sighed again. "It doesn't matter. Next time."

"Yes, next time." he said. "Everyone knows that you deserved that promotion. And you will get one, soon. Because you're great at your job." He kissed the back of her neck and she shivered with delight. She turned to face him and gave him a long, lingering kiss.

He circled an arm around her waist. "How about we blow off this lame party and just stay in?"

She sighed, this time with contentment rather than dissatisfaction. "That sounds like a great idea. But you better help me out of this dress. It took me ages to get it on!"

He eyed the little strapless number. "No problem, Goldilocks. I think I can handle that." He looked into her lovely face. Big sapphire eyes, framed in dark eyeliner, looked back at him. She smiled and he smiled back at her. And, suddenly, he felt the weight of the love he'd felt for her all these years, all at once. The heartaches, the uncertainty, it was all worth it. Because she was his now.

"Listen," he said. "I—I'll be right back. Don't move."

She gave him a funny look. "Ok."

He kissed the nape of her neck once more before releasing her, and, with the sound of her happy sigh in his ears, headed toward their bedroom. He opened up the closet door. Stood on his tiptoes and reached to the back of the top shelf. Pulled down a tattered cardboard box. In it were his comic books. Somewhere he knew Angelica would never care to look. Beneath issue #54 of The Incredible Hulk was the little velveteen box. He'd been waiting so long for the right moment to ask Angelica to marry him. He thought it had to be perfect. But he finally realized that any moment with her was perfect. And he didn't want to wait a moment longer to claim her. He wanted her forever. And there was no time like the present.

When he walked in the living room, Angelica was still rooted to the same spot, standing in front of the mirror, hairbrush in hand. "Didn't move an inch, I swear. Now, what's this all about?" She giggled. "You know I don't like surprises."

"You love surprises." he said.

"Ok, you got me, so…surprise me."

He got down on one knee and looked up at her earnestly. He held out the little box. "Angelica."

She dropped the brush. "Holy Shit!"

"Angelica Pickles….will you marry me?"

She looked down at him in shock. "I-I-I…"

Then, after what seemed like ages to Chuck, her features melted from shock into happiness.

"Well," he said, "What do you say?"

"Well, I'm surprised, alright! And I say yes! YES! Of course, you idiot! Yes yes yes!" She shrieked, jumping up and down excitedly.

"You didn't even see the ring yet!"

"Oh, who cares? It's not import—" her voice cut out as he opened the box—"Ooooh, a half carat Princess Cut! It's beautiful!"

He grinned as he slipped it on her dainty finger. "How do you know these things?" She raised her hand up to examine her new engagement ring. "Do you like it?" he asked.

She pulled him into a passionate kiss. "I love it!...Oh. My. GOD. I'm engaged! I've got so many people to tell!"

"Hey, don't you think we could keep it just between us for a bit?"

"Yeah…maybe…I guess you're right...Oh, wow, I feel like I'm going to faint! This is so unexpected. I didn't know...I didn't even think...but I guess...yes, I've been waiting for...I'm getting married! We're getting married, Chuckie!...Oh, it's nearly eight! We've got to get going!"

"I thought you wanted to forego the party?"

"Well, that was before I was engaged! Now, I've got to go show off my ring!"

"Angelica…This party is to celebrate Linda's promotion. You can't just go in and steal her spotlight…"

Angelica's face fell. "No…you're right, as usual, Carrot Top…Well…Let's go anyway." She said, though a bit less enthusiastically. She grabbed her clutch and the keys and looked at him expectantly.

"You are not wearing the ring." he said.

"Oh, why not?" she asked in the voice of a spoiled five-year-old.

He gave her an incredulous look.

"Ok, ok…I've got an idea. Be right back."

When she returned, she was wearing a pair of long satin gloves. "See, no one will see it under these. So there. I won't steal Linda's stupid, undeserved spotlight."

"Ok," replied Chuck, satisfied. "Let's go."

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"Angelica! You look absolutely ravishing!"

"Oh, Mr. Wilkerson, you flatter me! I look alright."

She shrugged off her coat and several passing men did double takes. Chuck wrapped an arm around her bare shoulders and gave them meaningful looks.

"Could someone please take Miss Pickles' coat?" asked Mr. Wilkerson. "And, also, this young gentleman's coat—I'm sorry, son, I don't believe we've met."

Angelica handed their coats to the attendant. "Oh, I'm sorry, how rude of me. This is my fi-boyfriend, Chuck Finster."

Chuck held out his hand. "Nice to finally meet you, Sir."

"Likewise." Angelica's boss looked him up and down and seemed to nod in approval. Chuck looked around the room uncomfortably. He hated feeling like a specimen. "Well," said Mr. Wilkerson, "I'll let you two go mingle. I'm sure you don't want to spend the whole night with an old geezer like me!" He laughed, his prominent belly shaking. Angelica laughed too, as if no one had ever said anything funnier. When he'd left, she turned to Chuck. "What? What's that look for?"

He grinned. "Too bad that promotion wasn't based on sucking up, you'd have gotten it in a second!"

"Oh, ha ha, you're hilarious." she said, rolling her eyes. He followed her into the ballroom, where the majority of the people were gathered. Chuck looked toward the vast ceiling, where large crystalline shards hung every few yards. Ice sculptures and glitter and tulle and glass and silver ornaments were everywhere. Everything was done up white and silver and glittery. It was like a Winter Wonderland themed high school dance, only much nicer and obviously much more expensive. And this was just the party they threw you for a promotion. He wondered what the retirement parties were like.

"Chuck." Angelica's voice brought him back to reality.

"Yes, Babydoll?"

"Aww? Isn't that sweet?" said one of the middle aged women standing with Angelica.

"Precious!" concurred another woman in a violently purple dress. "They're just an adorable couple."

Chuck got that uncomfortable specimen feeling again and tried desperately not to blush.

"Chuck, this is Mary Anne, and this is Janet. They work in my department. And this—" she indicated a woman standing a little way off from the others—is Linda. This party is to, uh, celebrate her promotion." Linda seemed to be the only one not completely fascinated by Angelica. While the other women seemed quite charmed with her, Linda obviously didn't feel the same way. She gave a strained smile, and, with what seemed like a great deal of effort, held out her hand for Chuck. The women continued to chatter and, after a few minutes, Chuck slipped back into his own little world again, and cast furtive glances around the room, people watching.

After a bit, his attention was brought back to the conversation. He noticed that Angelica's voice was getting rather heated. He knew that tone. This could end very badly. He touched her arm. She smiled up at him. "Yes, Sweetie?"

"Don't you think we should be leaving soon?"

"Oh, no, not quite yet. I'm in the middle of a conversation with Linda here—"

Uh oh.

"—about the new project we'll be starting Monday. We've been having a—disagreement—on how it should be handled."

"Mostly because her idea just wasn't very good." said Linda, a stiff, forced smile on her lips.

Angelica tensed up. Chuck gripped her arm more tightly. "I don't think that everyone agrees with you on that, Linda." replied Angelica defiantly.

Linda looked at the other women. They noncommittally looked away, suddenly very interested in the stalactite-like decorations hanging from the ceiling. Linda gave Angelica a satisfied smirk.

"I guess you're not as popular as you thought, Precious. But, don't worry, you'll eventually gain experience, and, someday, you'll get a promotion."

"Oh, it took you years to finally get a promotion! By the time I'm your age, which will probably be at least a hundred years from now—"Chuck groaned and put his face in his hands—"I'll be CEO!"

"Not with an attitude like that, you cocky, arrogant little—"

"Old, dried up—"

"Well, I never!"

"Everyone knows I deserved that promotion! But, I'm glad you got it. It's all you have anyway. I know you've never been married because you drove off every suitor with your work obsession-" Angelica paused. She suddenly realized that Linda could be her thirty years from now. And she was suddenly glad that she didn't get the promotion. There were, after all, more important things than work.

A large crowd had now gathered.

"You really can't stand that I'm better than you, can you?" asked Linda with a sneer. "Face it, I got the promotion, and you didn't." And, with that, Angelica's calm dissipated.

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm engaged!" Angelica peeled off the long glove and flung it at Linda dramatically. She showed off her ring triumphantly. It sparkled in the light of the chandelier overhead.

Chuck cleared his throat. "Well…it was nice to have met all of you. I'm sure we won't be invited back to any more parties, so I hope you all have a good life. Good night." He pulled Angelica's arm none too gently and dragged her out of the party, not bothering to get their coats.