Chapter 54: Show and Tell

"Show and Tell, I like that game. Maybe we should play it more often," Angela said, leaning down to whisper in Tony's ear as a broad but slightly embarrassed grin spread across his face.

"Hey, again, with the whispering," Katie said, rolling her eyes. "I won't ask what you're saying, but I'm guessing it has something to do with whatever happened after you decided to break your family's heart and annul your first marriage," she continued teasingly.

"Our trip to Washington, DC, wasn't too long after that, was it?" Sam asked with a smile. "I think that's when things really started to get interesting between you two. I mean, you did spend the night together in that tiny little bunk on the train..."

"No way!" Katie said, shaking her head. "You all ended up in the same bed again and…"

"Nothing happened," Tony and Angela interrupted in unison as they both thought back to how that trip had really been the catalyst for them to start rounding the final bend in their relationship on their way to their brand-new life together…

Angela remembered how proud she was when the senior citizen group asked Tony to be their representative at a Senate committee hearing in DC to try and stop some upcoming funding cuts to Medicare. She remembered the soft look in his eyes when she told him that she wasn't surprised that the group had picked him, "They chose one of the most sincere, well-spoken men I know to be their spokesperson..." How far Tony had come since his freshman year of college and that public speaking class with Professor Darnell.

The trip had started out well, although she still wondered what would have happened if they'd flown instead of taken the train. But she and Tony had decided that it would be a fun adventure, especially for Billy, to do the train. After all, what could possibly go wrong?

Angela shook her head as she remembered that night on the train. Once again, fate, or the universe, seemed to intervene in order to force her and Tony to share a bed yet again without it being completely their decision. She and Tony had found their way back to each other over the last few months, and Angela was starting to let her guard down and begin to really think about their romantic future again.

However, just like with their trip to South Carolina a couple of months earlier, she still felt they needed to do things the right way, which meant as much as she wanted to, anything physical with Tony needed to wait until the time was right. So, when Tony started rambling about their relationship in bed that night on the train, she pretended to be asleep because she knew if she opened her eyes and acknowledged what he was saying, they would wind up making love. And as much as she wanted to, Angela also knew they still needed to take that first step, and both admit they were ready for a real relationship.

Angela blushed as she remembered her mother and Sam catching her and Tony in bed on the train that next morning. Her mother's words about how even the romance of the train couldn't get them together still reverberated in her thoughts. If her mother had only known the truth about their relationship, she wouldn't have been so quick to judge them about their night together. And Angela had meant what she'd said to Tony. After she had finally fallen asleep, she had slept peacefully and soundly next to him, and that was as special as anything else that could have happened. She could tell that Tony appreciated that, even in his sleep-deprived state.

But then things had gone completely off the rails (maybe taking the train and the mudslide on the tracks had been a sign of things to come?). Angela thought back to how, after Tony's disastrous yet ultimately attention-grabbing speech, everything seemed to happen so quickly. Before she could even turn around, Tony had gotten swept up in the power and glitz of DC politics, especially Christine.

Angela remembered thinking to herself, how could this be happening again? Another pretty woman being able to shake the foundation of her and Tony's relationship? Angela had sworn to herself that she wouldn't stand for that again, and she contemplated just leaving so she didn't have to watch it all play out. But yet again, her mother became the voice of reason and pointed out to her that she needed to tell Tony how she felt. It was at that moment that Angela realized that while she had ultimately been passive in the situation with Kathleen and even with Frankie, since she didn't actually tell Tony how she felt, maybe it was time for her to step up to the plate. It was starting to feel like it was now or never, and she knew Tony had been letting her set the tone for their relationship over the past few months.

However, she still longed not to have to be the one to "go first," as she had told Dr. Bellows several years ago. So maybe, it could just be a small acknowledgment to Tony to give him a sign that she could now see a future for their romantic relationship.

She felt emboldened after her hallway conversation with Christine, and as Angela thought about it now, she couldn't help but smirk about her "mic drop moment" when she dropped Christine's cell phone in the fish tank. And then, she had walked into the dressing room to talk to Tony and taken the leap after he had acknowledged that he'd gone too far yet again while trying to get her to understand that it was all the glitz and glamour that he was seduced by, not Christine.

Angela couldn't help but smile when she thought about what happened after she had given Tony that quick kiss on the lips and flirtatiously told him that they should maybe play Show and Tell more often.

He had come running after her into the hall and caught her just as she was about to step onto the elevator.

"Ay-oh-oh-ay, Angela, what was that?" Tony asked with slanted brows. "Are you serious?"

Angela remembered how she had blushed before saying pointedly, "I think what I'm trying to say is that I'm serious about seeing where things go from here so that other people stop getting in the way…"

Tony nodded his head in agreement as a smile formed across his face. "Ok, I am too, Angela. I'm not sure what the next step is, but I know we need to let everything unfold naturally in spite of our unique circumstances."

Angela remembered taking Tony's hand in hers as the elevator descended and smiled in agreement.

"I'm not sure either, but I know I'd like for us to spend more time together if we can," she said softly as Tony squeezed her hand encouragingly.

"We will. It's going to be a great summer," he said with conviction, his eyes sparkling.

Angela shook her head as she remembered how hopeful they had been at that moment. And then, they had unexpectedly lost Billy, which almost derailed everything…