It's been a while. Sorry about that, unfortunately unavoidable. Take it from me...never get kidney stones. Never, ever, ever. Do all you can to avoid them because the pain? OMG. Wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

If you read my other stories, I swear I haven't forgotten about them and updates are coming soon. I just have more of this story on my computer than the others.

Thanks so much for the feedback to the previous chapters. :-) I know I'm behind in responding to reviews and pms, but I'm working on it.

Lila sipped her drink. She'd wanted tonight to be a quiet evening with George focused on the two of them. She got her quiet evening all right, but it was quiet for all the wrong reasons. "I don't think you invited me over to simply watch me eat. If that's the case then you need a new hobby because those flowers aren't cutting it."

"You should've let me be the one to tell Eric."

"I never discuss any other student with an individual teacher, barring of course, issues involved in that class in particular. Eric wasn't taking any of your classes this year meaning there was no reason for us to talk about him. Why would I make an exception here?"

"You know why. The news would have been easier for him to handle coming from me. I know how to talk to him."

"Did it ever occur to you that perhaps that's part of the problem?"

"Excuse me?"

"This shouldn't be easy. He needs to learn how to navigate life's hardships without his parents and teacher holding his hand and guiding him. Offering advice is one thing. Softening the blow of real life consequences for poor decisions is another. This is not the time for a safety net. Eric has to prove to himself what he's made of. Because if he gets through this- and I have every confidence that he will- he'll know he can handle future setbacks that come his way without running for protection."

George hated to admit it, really hated it, but perhaps Lila had a point. "I've never tried to impede his personal growth."

"I know that. I'm not saying you do it on purpose. You've known him almost his whole life. The urge to protect is probably ingrained on a subconscious level at this point."

"No matter how tough you like to play, you have a protective edge, too. You didn't have to tell Eric yourself. You've could've sent the letter in the mail as was originally intended or had his counselor deliver the news. This isn't typically the role of the Dean of Students. I'm not even going to mention that you're allowing him to pick classes well after the deadline."

He had her there. "What can I say? He's made an impression. I'm rooting for him, too, you know? I want him to succeed."

"I know. It's still irritating when you're right about things like this."

"Trust me, it's no picnic when the shoe's on the other foot," she remarked with a smile.

"Do you intend to be this frustrating for the rest of your life?"

"It's gotten me this far. Why change now?"

"It does keep life interesting. Lucky for you I enjoy a challenge."

She chuckled. "It sounds like you're asking me to get on your nerves forever."

He thought over the past couple months of his life. He hadn't been this happy in a long time, perhaps since before Lillian died. "What if I was?"

"What?"

"At the risk of sounding like some lovesick schoolboy, I must admit I think about you constantly. I miss you whenever we're not together. And try as I might to blame it on sketchy cafeteria offerings I have butterflies in my stomach and am tongue-tied whenever you are near."

Lila's wine glass slipped from her fingers and landed in her lap. Thank goodness in was empty. "But we…we haven't even said I love you."

"I was afraid you'd think it was too soon. I do though."

"I do, too."

"We're not getting any younger and-"

"Watch who you're calling old, George," she warned with a smile.

"I assure you I was referring only to myself."

"You're serious about this?"

"I am."

Her life with Curtis went through her mind. They married young. She was in her final year of college and he was just starting out as an archeologist. It wasn't long before he became so focused on uncovering the past that he gave very little thought to their present and future. Much of their marriage was spent with the two of them leading separate lives. When he resurfaced just a few months ago she thought maybe he'd changed. It didn't take long to figure out that he was exactly the same person. "I've been alone for a long time."

"So have I." He reached across the table and took her hand. "I will never stop kicking myself for wasting all those months not telling you how I felt. That's time we can never get back. I'm done wasting time. If I'm fortunate enough to still be around in five, ten, or even twenty years I don't want to look back and wish I had done something sooner. Trust me, regret is a terrible burden to bear."

"My life isn't without regret."

"You make me happier than I have been in a long time. I know it's soon, but doesn't it make sense to grab onto that happiness with both hands and hang onto it for as long as we're fortunate enough to have it?" He studied her face in an attempt to gauge her reaction. Lila wasn't saying much. That was unusual for her. "If you think it's too soon-"

"No, it's not that."

"Then what is it?"

"Shouldn't this feel crazy?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've never done anything on a whim in my life. This…this…getting married after only a short time together is the epitome of a whim! It should feel crazy. It is crazy. So why doesn't it feel that way?"

"Because it feels right."

She spoke through nervous laughter. "Are we really doing this?"

"I don't know. You haven't answered my question."

"A question needs to be asked in order to be answered."

"Didn't I-"

"No."

"Lila, will you marry me?"

She brought a hand up to cradle his cheek. "Is this weekend too crazy for you?"

"No, it's just crazy enough."

/

/

"Hi, sweetheart."

"Hey, dad."

"I'm not interrupting your studying, am I?"

"No, I was just getting ready to call it a night." Angela closed her textbook and shoved it to the side. "I have a final tomorrow at eight."

"Then I won't keep you too long. I wanted to talk to you about your living arrangements for the summer."

"Oh…I um…I haven't thought about it. Things have been so hectic lately."

"If you want to stay in the dorms over the summer, that's fine, I just need to have the check in the mail by next Monday. As you know your scholarships cover everything except room and board."

"I don't know what my other options would be besides staying here." Everyone she knew was leaving the dorms and going home. Topanga was planning to split her time here with Aunt Prudence and her parents in Pittsburgh. "It's not like I have anyplace else to go. We've never had a home in the traditional sense. So there's no home for me to go to. What was it you used to tell me? We may not have put down roots, but we grew vines that reach around the world."

"You remember that?" Occasionally, Alvin wondered he robbed his daughter of a more traditional lifestyle with his military career. But he could almost guarantee she's leaned more traveling the world with him than she has in a classroom. He had to believe the pros outweighed the cons.

"Yeah, I do."

"You do have options if you want them."

"What do you mean?"

"You know you're always welcome to stay with me. I'd love to have you for the whole summer."

She frowned. "Is this an elaborate way of saying the army reneged your vacation time and you're not coming to visit next month? If it is I don't know if I want to see you at all. I'm tired of always-"

"Angela, no, no I'm still coming to Philadelphia. I promised you and I intend to keep my promise."

"For once," she muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Look, dad, I can't come to Kentucky. Remember how I told you Mr. Feeny talked to his friends that own a bookstore about a job?"

"Yes."

"I met with them the other day. It's part-time, just a few days a week, mostly doing inventory and stocking shelves. But I'll be making some money working with books. If things go well they said something about keeping me on even once classes start up again."

"I'm proud of you for taking initiative and getting yourself a job. A bookstore sounds like the perfect environment for you."

"I wouldn't say I did it myself. Mr. Feeny did give me a hand with the recommendation."

"That doesn't matter. I'm sure he wouldn't have recommended you if he thought you'd be a poor fit."

"Thanks. I'm sure it will beat waiting tables." She covered her mouth in an attempt to stifle a yawn. "If there's nothing else…"

"Actually, if we could go back to your living arrangements for the summer I was going to say you do have another option. You could stay at Nan's house. I already spoke to Lois and it was her idea. She's not sure what will happen to it yet and isn't rushing into anything. However, that means the house will be empty for the time being."

The thought of having her own space was appealing. But could she really stay in that house? "Dad, I don't know. It would be weird to be there without Nan."

He had a feeling it was more than that. "There would be no risk of your mother showing up. She's already back home."

"I don't want to talk about her."

"I think we need to. You saw her at the visitation. We should talk about how you-"

"I'm hanging up now."

"Call Lois if you have any questions about the house and let me know what you decide. I'll be fine whichever way it ends up."

She looked up and acknowledged Topanga with when she came into their room. "I have to think about it."

"Of course, just let me know before Monday."

"I will."

"And we will be talking about your mother when I'm in town."

"Whatever."

Alvin knew that was as good as he was going to get right now. "I don't want to keep you awake. Good luck on your tests tomorrow."

"Thanks."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Everything okay," Topanga asked, putting her bag aside.

"Yeah, my dad just wanted to talk about my plans for the summer." She filled her in on their conversation. "It's nice of Aunt Lois to offer, but I'm not sure. It wouldn't be the same without Nan."

"You can always stay with me at Aunt Pru's."

"Right, because pity invites are always my thing."

"It's not pity. You know that. It's just an offer. If you want it, great, if not all you have to say is no."

"Then thank you, but no. I'll probably end up staying here."

"You'd turn down a house to stay in the dorms? That's -no offense- that's dumb."

"It's complicated." She sighed before vacating the chair and going to her bed. "How was studying?"

"Fine. I can't wait for this week to end. Finally I can devote all my energy to planning my wedding."

"Let me know if you need help."

"Can you muzzle Cory for me?"

"I'm your maid-of-honor. Not a miracle worker." They both laughed. "What's he freaking out about now?"

"He's worried about my parents coming to town."

"Why? Your families have known each other forever."

"He thinks my parents hate him because I gave up Yale." She dug through her bag and produced brightly colored index cards. "I had to steal these when he wasn't looking."

Angela flipped through the stack and read a few of Cory's notations. "No celebrity impressions, no singing…what the hell are these?"

"Rules and talking points. My cards are yellow, his are blue, Alan's are green, and Amy's are pink. According to him we are forbidden to veer away from the topics on our cards."

"Wow, that's…" She tried to come up with an appropriate word.

"I know. It's very Cory."

"The Coryest."

"He means well."

"Doesn't mean it's not annoying sometimes." She retrieved her toiletry bag and headed for the door. "I'll be back."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Is Eric okay? Are things good with you two?"

Angela turned around to face her friend. "Great. We've never been better. Why?"

"I went to get a latte this evening and he was acting really weird."

"Weird how?"

"He was just being…" She didn't want to use the word stupid. That wouldn't go over well. "…a little crazy."

"Sometimes a little crazy can be a lot of fun."

"Sure, but when people ordered doughnuts or cookies he threw them like Frisbees. And when I ordered my latte he pulled out a water gun to add the shot of espresso."

"Okay, that's a little unusual, but-"

"That wasn't the strangest part. When there was downtime and no customers around he looked miserable, like he didn't have a friend in the world. I tried to talk to him, but got nothing."

She took a seat on Topanga's bed. The last time she saw Eric he was headed to a meeting with Dean Bolander, but he didn't seem concerned about it. "He was fine when I saw him." She checked the time. "Crap, he's finished cleaning up and went home by now. I knew I should've stopped by the Student Union. Maybe I should go to the apartment and check on him."

"It's after eleven on a weeknight. The buses aren't running anymore."

Damn. "I guess I have to wait until tomorrow."

"I'm sure it's nothing. I bet he was just tired."

"Yeah."

"I'm probably overreacting."

Angela wanted to believe that, but he had been so happy earlier. "I hope so."

"You could call him," she suggested.

"I'd wake Jack and Rachel and trust me Jack is not charming when he first wakes up."

"Really? He seems like he'd be a total morning person."

"Eric said he's not functional until he puts the gel in his hair. That it activates human Jack."

Topanga laughed. "Wow, consider me fooled. Though it is comforting to know he and Shawn have some things in common." She mentally kicked herself, not knowing what the protocol was for mentioning Shawn. But Angela didn't seem phased. "I miss this, you know?"

"Miss what?"

"Hanging out and talking just you and me. I hate this distance between us. I feel like you don't trust me enough to talk to me."

"Can you blame me? I'm coming off of months and months of you and Cory trying to run interference in my life."

"I'm sorry I didn't realize the pressure I was putting on you to be around Shawn all the time. You were telling me you were unhappy and I didn't listen. But I'm listening now. I'm trying. It would be easier if you were around me for more than five minutes a day. I can count on one hand the number of times you've slept here in the last month."

Angela was at a loss. "What do you want me to do?"

"Talk to me. I think I deserve a chance to prove I can be trusted."

"And if you blab to Cory?"

"Then I won't blame you if you never say another word to me."

She thought it over for a minute. She did miss talking to Topanga. She missed her best friend. "Just so we're clear, it's still blabbing even if it's inadvertent."

That was where it could be tricky, she realized. She was so used to telling Cory everything. There wasn't a compartment in her brain set up for things he didn't need to know. Clearly she'd have to create one if she wanted to repair her friendship. "I understand."

She nodded. "Okay, so what do you want to know?"

"What happened at Nan's service? I know it had to be bad when Eric came to get your stuff and you stayed with him through the weekend. He said you were hibernating with him because it was a disaster."

"Yeah," Angela began slowly, "disaster is a good word." She took a deep breath before she continued. "My mother showed up."

"I thought you said your aunt arranged for it to be your time."

"She did, but apparently that didn't matter. Camille arrived early along with her husband and their kids."

"Kids?"

"Two of them; Spencer and Mercy."

"You have a brother and sister?"

"No, a woman named Camille has children named Spencer and Mercy. I'm not connected at all."

"But-"

"She stole my sweater."

"What, who? Your mother?"

"Nan knitted a sweater for me when I was in kindergarten. It had ladybugs all over it. She made it special for me, but that kid just walked into the funeral home wearing it like it belonged to her. She's already got my mother. Does she need my clothes, too?"

Topanga moved to the other side of the bed and put her arm around Angela's shoulders. "She's just a little girl. I'm sure however she came upon the sweater there was no malicious intent."

She pulled away. "You're not allowed to be on any side but mine right now."

"I am on your side. But don't you think it's a bit irrational to get mad at a child?"

"Maybe, but so what? Let me be irrational right now. I think I've earned it."

"Okay. Be as irrational as you want."

"Thank you."

"Are you okay? I mean…stupid question. Obviously you're not okay, but are you?"

"I'm better, not great, but better. I interrupted Amy's weekend of solitude and dumped all this in her lap. Eric always told me she's great at the mom stuff."

"She is."

"We talked, baked cookies, ordered dinner, and watched movies."

"That sounds really nice."

"It was." She played with the zipper on her toiletry bag. "I didn't realize how much I missed the mom stuff."

"I'm sure Amy would to do the mom stuff with you whenever you want."

Angela hadn't let herself think much about Camille or Nan's wake since leaving the Matthews' home this weekend. She never would've been able to focus on exams otherwise. "That's what she told me. She said I can borrow her anytime."

"See?" Topanga noted how still and quiet she now was. "And I'm guessing you're done talking about this?"

"For now."

"All right. How about we talk about something happy so you're not going to sleep sad?"

"Like what?"

"You said that you and Eric are doing great? I believe your exact words were, 'never been better,' is that right? Judging by that smile that popped up when I said his name, I'd guess so."

"Things are just…" She shook her head, still smiling. "It's so good right now. With all of my personal drama he's been supporting me non-stop. I don't even have to ask him to be there. He just is. I feel bad because it seems like lately he's doing all the giving and I'm doing all the taking."

"I wouldn't worry. That's constantly flip-flopping in relationships." Topanga patted her hand. "You sound happy."

"I am. When something good happens I can't wait to tell him. When something goes wrong I need one of his hugs. In the worst of times he's still able to get me to smile or laugh. If I'm not with Eric I'm thinking about him and try to figure out ways for us to spend just a few minutes together on days when our schedules don't mesh.

"I wish you could've seen the look on his face when he told me about the B+ he got on his Statistics final. It's like he's finally starting to see how smart he is. There have been so many times where he could've given up and thrown in the towel, but he hasn't. He keeps trying. I am so proud of him."

"You're falling in love with him," she spoke quietly.

"What?!" She jumped up and went back to her side of the room. "I-that's-you're…what?"

"I said you're falling in love with Eric."

"Topanga, that's…it's too soon to talk about love. We've only been together for-"

"So?"

Angela laughed, unsure of what else to do. "I didn't say anything about love. No one said anything about love."

"You didn't have to. It's written all over your face."

"I'm going to brush my teeth." She rushed for the door.

"Angela-"

She turned around, her hand still on the knob. "I care about Eric and he cares about me. Let's just leave it at that for now."

"But-"

"Please?"

Topanga nodded. "Okay."

"Thank you."

/

/

Jason is graduating! Come help us celebrate! Eric read over the invitation yet again. It had been waiting for him in the mail when he got home last night. His best friend was graduating college and returning to Philly. Though they exchanged emails they hadn't seen each other in almost two years. Jason had opted to spend the last couple summers with his girlfriend in Wisconsin where he was going to school. Eric wanted to be happy, he was happy for his friend, but the triumphant homecoming only seemed to highlight his own failures. He read over the invitation once more before he dropped it into the garbage.

He checked the time. Jack would be here to takeover in an hour so he could head to his geology final. Eric considered putting the wrong answers down on purpose or even blowing off the test all together. What was the point of passing the rest of his exams if the end result would still be failure? But then he'd have to explain everything to his parents, Mr. Feeny, and…he'd have to tell Angela. Maybe he should've just stayed fulltime at the wilderness store. It was, in his dad's words, 'a guaranteed future.' Leave it to him to screw up a guarantee.

He was unloading the dishwasher when a pair of familiar arms snaked around his waist. "Technically you're not supposed to be back here. It's against the rules."

"I feel like living dangerously." Angela kissed the back of his neck and let her hands wander. "Join me?"

"Hey, now…." He twisted around in her arms. "You keep doing that we're going to be violating some health codes in a few minutes."

Eric's serious tone surprised her. Normally he was all for sneaking in some fun whenever they could. "I missed you last night. It was weird sleeping alone."

"That was your idea."

"I didn't want to wake you up early because I had an eight o'clock final. Yours' aren't until later. One of us should get to enjoy sleeping in. It probably makes sense for me to sleep in the dorms again tonight since my English test is at seven-thirty." She held him tighter and peered up at him. The dark circles under his eyes were a rare sight. She wondered if the end of the year stresses were catching up. "At least we just have to survive a couple more days and then we're free. No classes, no homework, no tests. It's going to be a great summer. I can feel it."

"Yeah." He was unable to meet her eyes. She was so excited. "Can't wait." He returned her embrace for a few moments before he pulled away. "It's almost eleven. There's going to be a rush any minute. Can you-" He gestured for her to go to the other side of the counter. "-please?"

"Oh, sure."

"You want coffee?"

"If you don't mind."

"That's what I'm good for. Iced?"

"Please." Angela leaned against the display case, watching as he prepared her coffee. There were no jokes or playful teasing, no funny voices for her cup as he added the lid, nothing. He was all business. Something was definitely wrong.

Eric placed her coffee in front of her before retrieving a blueberry Danish from the display. "We ran out of the cinnamon before I could set one aside."

"That's fine." She glanced at the clock. She wanted to cram in a little more studying before her physics test at twelve-thirty. "I talked to my dad last night."

"Yeah?"

"He wanted to know where I planned to live for the summer."

"You're not staying in the dorms?"

"That was my plan, but he said Aunt Lois offered to let me stay in Nan's house. There's been so much going on that she's not thinking about selling right now. It's too soon."

"That's understandable." He leaned against the counter. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm not sure. The idea of having some real privacy is so tempting, but I don't know if I can stay there. It's Nan's house. My mother grew up there. There's a lot of baggage, a lot of ghosts."

"This might be your chance to deal with it. I know you feel like there was unfinished business and things you never got to say to your grandmother. Maybe staying there for a little bit will give you some closure."

"What if it makes me feel worse?" He didn't say anything. "I'll call my aunt later and talk to her about it. I'd hate to make my dad pay for a room when there's a whole house available to me."

"Talk to Lois and do whatever feels right." He came out from behind the counter and wrapped his arms around her. "As nice as having real privacy sounds…and it sounds amazing…" He paused for a kiss. "…don't stay there if it's going to make you miserable. It's not worth it."

"Thanks for listening to me vent. You've gotta be sick of my family by now."

"I just want you to be happy."

"You know that goes both ways, right? I want you to be happy, too, and if there's anything I can do to help, like if you need to vent about anything, I'm here."

"Thanks."

That wasn't quite the reaction Angela was hoping for. "Is there anything you want to talk about? Anything wrong or bothering you or just a random thought you need to set free? You know you can tell me anything."

Eric briefly feared that she knew, but he had told no one and he doubted Dean Bolander would've tracked Angela down to deliver the news. "I'm fine."

"You're sure?"

"Very."

She sighed. It was obvious something was up. Why wasn't he talking? "If you change your mind-"

"You'll be the first to know."

"I should go. I want to cram a little more for physics."

"I'm sure it will be another A for the record books."

"You have geology in a little bit, right? Good luck. Though I'm sure with how much you love the class and go on about it you don't need luck. Something tells me I won't be the only one to end the day with an A."

"We'll see."

"I have something for you." She was going to give it to him later after finals were over, but it was clear he needed cheering up.

"You do?" A small, blue gift bag appeared in her hand. "What is it?"

Angela pulled him over to the couch. "I was going to save it for Friday, but I can't wait."

"You didn't have to get-"

"I wanted to." She put the bag in his lap and almost immediately prodded him. "Well? Open it!"

Eric dug through the tissue paper, amazed at how much she was able to fit into the bag. Eventually his hand hit a more solid object. A few seconds later he was holding a multicolored rubber duck. "I don't get it."

"It's a rubber ducky."

"I see that, but why?"

"You love ducks. And well, this isn't just any duck. It's a superhero duck."

He examined it further and, sure enough, it did have a mask and cape.

"I know it probably seems silly, but I wanted to get you something to show how proud I am of you. You've been working so hard and it's paying off." He didn't say anything. "And you've been so great helping me with my family drama. I've never had to ask you to be there. You want to be. I-it's…I'm not used to having that kind of support. I don't think I'll ever be able to say how much I appreciate that, appreciate you." She clenched his hand in-between hers'. "As lame and cheesy as it sounds you've kind of been my superhero lately. And so-"

"Superhero duck," he whispered, his eyes never leaving her gift.

"Yeah, superhero duck. Do you like it?"

"I love it. I not sure I deserve it, but-" He was cut off by her kiss.

"You do," Angela said when they separated. "Trust me."

Eric felt like a fraud. Her belief in him was so misplaced she had no idea. "Here." He shoved the toy into her hands.

"What are you doing?"

"I-I don't want…I don't want it to get lost."

"If you don't like it just say so." She dropped the duck back into the bag. "I'm a big girl. I can take it."

"No, I love it. I mean it. But you know, public place, less than honest people. I don't want to lose it or have someone else think it's cool and steal it." He gripped her shoulders and turned her so they were facing each other. "I love the duck. Okay?"

"Okay." She bit her lip and stared at the bag. It seemed so perfect last night. What said Eric more than superheroes and ducks? How did she get it so wrong? "Do you want to meet for dinner?"

"I'm closing the store with my dad tonight."

"I could come over during your break."

"That's okay. I'm going to try to get studying done. I don't need a distraction."

"Distraction," she repeated as she moved farther away from him. "I'm a distraction?"

"No, I…I'm sorry." He pressed his palm against his forehead and took a deep breath. "Customers have been moody and rude all morning. I guess it's contagious."

Angela wasn't so sure. He handled the Sunday morning hangover crowd with zero problems. "Are you worried about the rest of your finals? You don't need to be. You're going to do great. I know it. We'll have more to celebrate on Friday during your zombie movie date than just a B in Statistics."

"It was a B- and I really wish you wouldn't bring up grades. When did they become the most important thing? You knew going into this that I wasn't a genius."

"What the hell is the matter with you?"

"Maybe we should put a hold on Friday. I'd hate to disappoint you by not getting all A's and B's."

She crossed her arms and stared at him. "You're cancelling our date?"

He'd rather sit through ten million meetings with Dean Bolander than to have Angela look at him the way she is right now. "I'm just saying we should wait."

"Fine," she said, throwing her hands up. "You want time? You want space? You got it."

He jumped up and reached for her arm. "Wait."

"Hey, what's a guy gotta do to get some coffee," someone yelled out.

Eric looked around. The eleven o'clock rush was here. "Angela, I'm so-"

She yanked her arm free from his grasp. "You'd better go. I'd hate to distract you at work."