Chapter 2

"What?" Tony stammered as Frankie walked past him and sat down on the couch.

"I know it must be a shock. It most definitely was to me as well," Frankie said. "I guess we weren't as careful as we thought that weekend."

Tony staggered over to the couch, his mind reeling, and sat down.

"Uh, not for nothin', Frankie, but are you sure?" Tony asked, once he was able to form a coherent thought.

"Yes. I've taken a couple of home pregnancy tests, and my doctor confirmed it yesterday," Frankie said, a bit more softly. "Look Tony, obviously this is not what either of us had planned, but I owed it to you to tell you. And before you even ask, I'm keeping it. I'm not getting any younger, and I've always known that I wanted to have children. Of course, having a baby with a man who is clearly hung up on another woman is not ideal but here we are."

"Frankie, I told you there's nothin' between me and Angela," Tony protested weakly.

"Please. Your whole demeanor changed after she called that weekend," Frankie said, rolling her eyes. "You were completely distracted. And why else would you have said no to marriage? We're good together Tony, but even that isn't enough, when you're in love with someone else."

Tony felt his face turning red but realized that this conversation was going to get them nowhere especially when there were more pressing matters at hand. Everything in his life and his daughter's life was about to change…again.

"So, what now?" he asked; still in such a state of shock that he could barely think straight.

"Well, I guess that's up to you," Frankie replied, looking Tony directly in the eyes. "Obviously, I have the means and ability to support this baby on my own, but I want him or her to have a father in its life. Knowing what you were willing to do to give you daughter a better life, I have a feeling that you will want to be present in this child's life as well. But, it's your decision on how involved you want to be."

Tony's mind was still spinning as he tried to make sense of what Frankie was saying. Of course, he would want to be involved in his kid's life; as much as possible to be honest. But, what a mess of a situation he and Frankie had created.

"I think I'm going to need a minute to figure this all out," Tony said, slowly. "I care about you, Frankie, and I will love and support any kids I'm lucky enough to have. But, there's a lot to think about."

"I know. And that's part of why I wanted to tell you right away," Frankie replied. "I have to get back to the city, so why don't you give me a call in a few days?"

"Sure," Tony said as they both rose from the couch and walked towards the front door.

"And Tony, even with everything that has happened between us, I know we'll find a way to make this work," Frankie said as she reached out to squeeze his hand.

Tony's immediate reaction was to pull her in for a hug just as Mona walked into the living room and let out an audible gasp.

"Mona," Tony said as he whipped his head around in time to catch the shocked look on her face.

Frankie looked between Tony and Mona and decided she needed to take her leave immediately.

"Bye, Tony, I'll talk to you soon," she said as she opened the door and walked out, closing it firmly behind her.

"What the hell was that?" Mona wasted no time in asking with an arched eyebrow.

"Uh, Frankie had. I mean we needed…" Tony stuttered, not knowing what to say before deciding it was better to just come out with it. Mona would needle him until he confessed anyway. She and Mrs. Rossini were very similar in that regard, and Tony knew he wasn't a very good liar to begin with.

Taking a seat on the couch, he patted the cushion next to him. Mona quickly sat down, her eyebrow still raised.

"Frankie came over to tell me that she's pregnant, and I'm the father," Tony said, suddenly embarrassed, looking down at his hands.

"Oh my god," Mona gasped, her mind immediately going to Angela and what this was going to do to her. Mona was nothing if not observant, especially when it came to her daughter's and Tony's fledgling relationship. She had noticed ever since Christy's and Lyle's wedding that the two of them had started to grow closer in barely perceptible ways. There were flowers in the house on a more regular basis, and the flirtatiousness between them had definitely increased.

'This news is going to completely destroy all of that', Mona thought to herself.

"Oh, Tony," she sighed. "I guess the Italian Stallionette really didn't like you turning her down."

"Mona," Tony said, rolling his eyes. "You know that's not how this works. It was a complete shock to Frankie as well."

"What are you going to do?" Mona asked softly.

"I don't know. I, I kinda feel like I betrayed Angela," Tony replied quietly.

"Oh, I see," Mona responded softly. "You know, Tony, nobody in this world wants you and Angela to get together more than I do, but the fact is you haven't exactly made a binding commitment yet."

"So?" Tony countered.

"You and Angela may be on the road to something permanent, but let's face it. You're taking the scenic route, in a slow car with a flat tire, driven by a nun who is blind," Mona said, hoping to illustrate her point but also wanting Tony to know she understood how he was feeling.

"I get the picture," Tony said, irritated, but letting Mona continue.

"The point is you're human," Mona said. "And humans aren't perfect. Well I am. You and Frankie will figure this out. And you and Angela will figure things out as well. You both have come too far not to. But, it's going to take time."

Tony shrugged his shoulders before responding, "I guess we will. I just never thought that I'd have another kid, not after Marie...And, if I ever did, I thought it would be with…" his voice trailing off.

Mona gave him a small smile, acknowledging that she understood how that sentence ended.

"Tony, you've just been given quite the shock. Take some time. I'm here if you need me," Mona said rising from the couch and walking towards the door to the kitchen. If she had been worried about Frankie before, now she was downright terrified. She didn't know why Tony had turned down Frankie's proposal, but she knew it had to have something to do with Angela. She only hoped that whatever the why was, it was reason enough to keep Angela and Tony in that slow car.

"Thanks Mona," Tony called as the door swung shut behind her.

His mind was swirling. He was having a baby, and it was going to change everything. He knew he needed time to work though his thoughts and emotions as well as figure out how to keep this from completely destroying the little family they had built over the past three years. Thank God Angela hadn't snuck home early from work like Mona had. He simply could not face her right now.

"Hi Tony," Angela called just then as she walked through the front door, briefcase in hand…

A/N: All credit for dialogue from the show goes to the writers of Who's The Boss?