"And then Mona had the gall to pour the whole pitcher of iced tea all over me!" Joanne griped.

'Yeah, that sounds like something she would do." Pam said and put a cup of coffee in front of her.

"I mean all I was trying to do was be a good friend to Angela by telling her that Tony was fooling around with that little floozy waitress and instead of thanking me Mona and that Claire woman both threaten me to keep my mouth shut and Mona drenches me in iced tea! I swear I must have taken at least three showers to get all the stickiness off." Joanne picked up her coffee and took a sip.

"You know if Tony is going to have a little on the side you'd think he would do it with someone more appropriate." Diane pouted, flipping her hair off her shoulder.

"Oh you mean like you?" Pam laughed.

"Well, of course me! Did I ever tell you about the time I was living with them and almost seduced Tony in their basement…"

"Yes, you have many times!" Joanne grumbled, cutting her off.

"Well okay. Look, all I'm saying is that instead of Tony taking up with a girl who is young enough to be his daughter all he had to do was come and knock on my door."

"And you would have thrown it open and pulled him in?" Joanne rolled her eyes.

Diane winked at her. "You better believe it!"

Pam sighed. "I just don't understand men. They can't keep it in their pants. Poor Angela is recovering from being in a major car accident that almost killed her and Tony is off getting his jollies from that little hussy."

"Well, you know I heard that Angela may soon have someone else to worry about." Joanne smirked.

"What? Who are you talking about?" Diane asked, her eyes wide with interest.

"Well….." Joanne picked up her cup of coffee and took a long leisurely sip.

"For crying out loud Joanne get on with it!" Pam gestured with her hands.

Joanne set her cup back down, "Okay, do you remember years ago when Tony was dating that woman that he went to school with?"

"Oh yeah! They met in some class." Diane nodded.

"Okay so what about her?" Pam asked.

"Well I heard that she is also going to be working at Ridgemont."

Pam and Diane's jaws dropped.

"You mean Tony is going to be working with his former girlfriend?" Diane gasped then started laughing.

"Diane! It isn't funny!" Pam shook her head.

"Well, in a way it is." Joanne grinned.

"Wait a minute!" Pam held up her hand. "Joanne I thought you wanted to be a good friend to Angela which was why you went over there in the first place."

"Yeah, well that was then and this is now."

"So what do we do?"

"We just sit back and enjoy the show!"

############################

'Okay you knew sooner or later you would run into her!' Tony told himself as he was driving home. ' The two of you work at the same College so it was inevitable that you would be seeing each other around campus.. And it was nice of her to ask you how your first day went. I mean considering how you treated her when you were dating.. ' He shook his head and sighed. He still couldn't believe that Kathleen was working at Ridgemont. The exact same College where that had met and…. Well there was no reason to bring that up! But honestly it was like some weird joke. He still recalled the shock he had felt when he had found out that she was a fellow colleague….

FLASHBACK:

Tony looked in the mirror as he straightened his tie. Angela and him were going to a Welcome Back/ Welcome To Ridgemont party that was being thrown by Elliot and Joan. It was a chance for all the current faculty to get to know the newest faculty. After all Elliot had told him they would all be working together and he wanted to get them all off on the right foot. And what better way to do that than a friendly get together?

"Angela? Sweetheart? Are you almost ready?"

Angela walked out of the bathroom and sat down on the bed. She slipped on her heels. "Yeah, just a second."

"Ang? Are you sure you're up for this?"

"Tony!" I'm fine."

"But.." Angela stood up and placed her hand over his mouth. "No buts Micelli! I told you I'm fine."

Tony mumbled something.

"What?!"

Tony looked down at her hand.

"Oh! Sorry!" Angela removed her hand.

"So what were you saying?'

"I'm driving you crazy aren't I?" Tony pouted.

"Yes you are! But, I know it's because you love me!"

"That I do." Tony smiled and leaned in and kissed her.

"So are we ready to go?" Angela smiled and slipped her arm through his.

"That we are!" They walked out of the bedroom and headed downstairs. Tony slipped her coat on and put on his as well. He opened the front door and let her go ahead of him. They walked to his jeep and he opened her door and she slipped inside. He walked over to the driver's side, got in and started the engine.

"So, are you nervous about tonight?" Angela asked after a few minutes.

Tony scoffed. "Nervous? Why should I be nervous?"

"Well you are meeting the other teachers and everyone tonight."

Tony sighed. "Okay, I am a little nervous. The only people I know are Elliot and Joan. Everyone else will be a stranger."

Angela smiled and stroked his cheek. "Well knowing you they will love you in no time at all"

Tony took his eyes briefly off the road and smiled at her.

"I guess we will soon see!"

After a few more minutes they pulled into the Ridgemont parking lot. Tony parked his jeep and shut off the engine and removed his keys. He turned to Angela. "Well let's do it!"

Angela smiled and they opened their doors and stepped out.. Tony walked over to her side and offered her his arm. She smiled and slipped her arm in his and they walked up to the entrance. He opened the door and they walked in.

"So where is this party taking place?" Angela asked, looking around.

"In the banquet hall. Come on, it's this way." They walked down to the hall and entered through the double doors. People were standing around with drinks in their hands talking and laughing. Off to the side was a long table filled with various foods. Fruit and vegetable trays, ham, turkey, cheese, and packages of hamburger buns, bowls filled with pretzels and potato chips, and desserts including pies, cookies, and cupcakes.

"OOH Tony! Look at all that food!" Angela gushed.

Tony chuckled. "We'll go over in a few minutes. I want to say hello to Elliot and Joan first."

Angela sighed. "Okay."

Tony kissed her on the cheek and they walked over to where Elliot and Joan were in the midst of talking to a small group of people. On the way he heard a woman laughing and stopped short. That laugh. It sounded like….no that was silly. It couldn't be her.

"Tony? What's the matter?" Angela looked at him in confusion.

"What? Oh, nothing."

"Ok." They continued walking and arrived at the small group.

"Tony! Angela! I'm so happy that you made it!" Elliot exclaimed and shook both of their hands.

"Thank you. We're happy to be here."

"So would you like anything to drink? We have wine, iced tea, coffee, and various sodas.

"Actually a glass of wine sounds good. How about you sweetheart?" Tony asked Angela.

"A glass of wine does sound good."

Elliot noticed one of the waiters walking by with a tray filled with glasses of wine.

"Ah yes young man. We would like two glasses of wine."

"Certainly sir." He walked over. Tony and Angela each took a glass and thanked the young man. He nodded and after asking if there was anything else-and being declined- walked away.

"Tony, I would like you to meet Steve Lawson. He teaches English Literature. And this is Rebecca Porter. She teaches Economics. And this is.." As Elliot introduced Tony to his fellow colleagues Angela eyes gazed around the room. She was just about to take a sip of her wine when she noticed the profile of a woman and gave a small gasp.

"Are you okay?" Joan asked.

"What? Oh, yes I'm fine. I guess the wine went down the wrong pipe." Angela chuckled.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Tony asked in concern.

Angela smiled. "I'm sure."

"Okay." Tony went back to talking with Elliot and his new co-workers. Angela looked once again over to where the woman was standing. She looked just like….no that was crazy. It couldn't be her. She shook off her thoughts and focused her attention on the group of people she was with. After about ten minutes of polite chit chat Joan looked over and noticed someone walking towards them.

"Hi Everyone!"

Tony and Angela both froze when they heard her voice. They glanced at each other, their eyes speaking volumes.

"Kathleen! Hello, how are you?" Elliot asked.

"I'm good. Thank you." Kathleen said, arriving at the group. She looked around smiling at everyone.

"Oh my gosh! Tony? Angela?"

"Uh yeah. Hi Kathleen." Tony said nervously.

"Hello Kathleen." Angela smiled on the outside but on the inside her stomach knotted up.

"I take it, you all know each other?" Joan inquired.

Kathleen laughed. "I guess you can say that. Tony and I dated years ago."

"Is that so?" Elliot chuckled. "Well now this is a coincidence. You were once students here and now you're going to be co-workers"

"Really? So Tony, what are you going to be doing here?"

"I'm the new Science teacher and baseball coach." Tony informed her,

"Oh that's great! Well welcome to Ridgemont! Or maybe I should say welcome back to Ridgemont!" Everyone laughed albeit Tony and Angela a little awkwardly.

"Thank you."

"And what about you Kathleen?" Angela asked. She couldn't believe this was happening! The woman. The woman that Tony had chosen over her at one time was going to be working with him day after day. She felt like she was going to be sick.

"I'm the Guidance Counselor."

"You are?"

"Yes, do you remember me telling you Tony that one night after we had gone to the movies about how my high school counselor Mrs. Sherman had such an influence in my life?"

"Uh. Yeah, I do. You said she helped you after your Mother's death."

"She did. She inspired me to want to help young people and well now here I am."

"That's great Kathleen." Tony smiled.

"Thank you." She smiled back.

Angela forced a smile she hoped looked genuine. But she doubted it.

"So anyway.."

"Kathleen sweetheart! There you are!"

Kathleen turned at the sound of the voice. A man with light brown hair was walking towards them. He arrived and kissed Kathleen on the cheek.

"Hi Honey!" Kathleen grinned.

"I'm so sorry I'm late."

"Did Lisa finally get there?"

"Yeah."

"Hello Henry." Elliot greeted him. The two men shook hands.

"Henry, how nice to see you." Joan added.

"Thank you."

"Honey, I would like you to meet someone." Kathleen smiled and turned towards Tony and Angela. "Tony. Angela. This is my husband Henry."

"Husband? You're married?" Tony asked in surprise.

"That she is." Henry chuckled and held out his hand. Tony accepted and they shook hands.

"Wait a minute! Tony? You wouldn't be the Tony would you?"

"THE Tony?"

Kathleen laughed. "Yes, he is."

"Well it's nice to meet you. And let me just say I'm glad things didn't work out for the two of you." Henry laughed.

'You and I both.' Angela thought, breathing a silent sigh of relief. 'Married! She was married!'

"Uh, yeah. I guess things work out the way they're supposed to." Tony replied and put his arm around Angela's waist.

Kathleen smiled. "I knew it! I knew you would end up together!"

"So how long have you been married?" Angela asked.

'Six years."

"Six of the best years of my life." Henry grinned at Kathleen.

"And two of the most beautiful children ever!" Kathleen grinned back.

"You have kids?"

"Yes. A girl four and a boy who just turned a year old. Hey honey, show them their pictures." Henry removed his wallet from his back pocket and opened it up revealing two pictures of a little girl and boy.

"That's Rachel and that's David."

"They're adorable." Angela smiled.

"Thank you."

Henry put his wallet back in his pocket.

"So!" Elliot clapped his hands. "How about we all get something to eat?" They all agreed and walked over to the table that was filled with food.

LATER THAT NIGHT:

Tony and Angela were getting ready for bed. It had been a long evening and they were both exhausted. They hadn't said anything about Kathleen on the way home but both knew one of them had to bring her up. Angela crawled under the covers and waited for Tony. Tony came out of the bathroom turning off the light. He crawled in bed.

"Tony."

"Angela"

They both laughed awkwardly.

" Go ahead." Tony said.

"Well, I guess you know what I want to talk about. Or should I say who I want to talk about."

Tony nodded. "Kathleen."

"Kathleen."

"Angela, are you going to be okay with the two of us working together? Because if you are, I can look for another job."

"No Tony! This is a great opportunity for you. Okay, yeah I admit when I realized she was there at the party and that she worked at Ridgemont it threw me for a loop."

"You and I both." Tony shook his head.

"But, there isn't anything we can do about it. It is what it is. "

"And she is happily married." Tony reminded her.

Angela smiled and looked down. Yes Kathleen was married-and she was relieved- but she still wasn't. She couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy.

"So are we okay?" Tony asked.

Angela looked up and into his eyes. They were filled with a mixture of fear, sincerity, but most of all love. She smiled. "Yes, we're okay." He leaned in and kissed her and then they lied back down. He wrapped his arms around her and she laid her head on his chest.

"I love you Angela."

"I love you too."

They closed their eyes and drifted off letting their love for each other cocoon them like a warm blanket.

END OF FLASHBACK.

Tony shook his head as the memory of that night came back to him. He arrived home and pulled into the driveway, He got out and entered through the front door.

"Oh Tony! Thank goodness you're home!" Mona and Claire came bursting out of the kitchen.

"Why? What's wrong? Is it Angela?" Tony asked, panicking.

"What? Oh no. Angela is fine. She's in her study" Claire assured him.

Tony put his hand over his heart and breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay then what is wrong?"

"Here you better sit down." Mona warned him.

Tony gave her a perplexed look but did what she told him. He sat down in the chair closest to the front door. Mona and Claire sat down on the couch.

"So spill it. What is going on?"

"Well Joanne Parker was over here earlier."

"She was? What could she possibly have wanted?!"

""She wanted to warn Angela about you and Renata."

"What about me and Renata?"

"Well she happened to see the two of you at the park when you asked her to make the video for Angela."

"Okay? So she saw us at the park."

"Yeah, she said she saw you hugging and then you walked off with a big smile on your face."

"Whoa! Wait a minute! Okay yes we hugged but that was just a thank you hug."

"Tony, we believe you." Claire assured him.

"Yes, we do. But, we have a problem here. If Joanne blabs this around town and Angela hears about it it would ruin everything."

Tony sighed. Mona was right. Joanne was very vindictive. He still remembered her accusing Angela and him of having a cheap tawdry affair when they ran against each other for P.T. . And now she thought that he was fooling around with a girl young enough to be his daughter?!

"He rubbed his hands over his face. "So okay, what now? How do we keep her from saying anything?"

"Claire and I already told her that if she breathed a word of this she would answer to us. And I emphasized that point by pouring a pitcher of iced tea all over her." Mona said, grinning proudly.

"You did? Mona! That probably made her angrier than ever!"

"Oh yeah she was plenty angry. But she insulted Claire by calling her the help in that snide voice she has. Certainly you can understand."

He could. After all, when he had been Angela's housekeeper he had been called various derogatory names. He had been looked down on and yes it had stung but he brushed it off because he knew he was doing it for Sam.

"Okay. I can see your point. But still she's not going to let this go."

"You're right. And if it had been Wendy or Isabelle I would have gone ahead and told them. But Joanne? I don't trust that woman as far as I can throw her."

"Neither do I."

""Look Tony, you just concentrate on you and Angela. Claire and I will take care of the rest."

"Mona! What are you planning?"

"Oh Tony don't worry! I mean it's not like we're planning on kidnapping her and stuffing her in some trunk! HMMM wait a minute.."

"MONA!"

"Oh I'm just kidding. A little. But seriously Tony all we want you to do is keep all your energy and focus on proposing. We just thought we better warn you that Joanne saw you with Renata."

"Okay. Thanks."

"And now Claire and I are going out to the downbeat." They stood up. "See ya later!"

"Bye." Tony told them and watched them go back into the kitchen. After a moment he heard the back door closing. He leaned back and sighed. This was a disaster! If Angela found out about this before he had a chance to propose…NO! He wasn't going to think like that. After everything they had been through, after all the years they had wasted and spent apart he wasn't going to allow anyone to mess things up! He got up and headed upstairs. Besides he mused to himself he had other plans for tonight. Plans that definitely didn't involve thinking about Joanne Parker. A romantic candlelight dinner followed by some dancing and then…It was the *then* that he was looking forward to the most. He decided he would take a quick shower and then start dinner. He opened up the linen closet and took out a couple of towels and a washcloth. He entered their bedroom and took off his clothes and threw them in his hamper. He grabbed a robe off the hook and put it on.

He opened the bathroom door.

"Holy Smokes!"