Author's note: I wrote Chapter 1 over a year ago, believing it to be a somewhat farcical one-shot that grew from an idea for a chapter for my Moments story. After several people asked me to expand it, I began to see the potential for a longer story. I believe the additional four chapters deepen the story and bring it to a more satisfying conclusion. Previously, I didn't specify a time period for this story, but in light of my decision to expand it, I decided to place it about halfway through Season 4. I hope you enjoy the added material.

Five Days Later

Angela Bower loved her family dearly, but she could have wept with relief when she opened the front door and heard nothing but silence. Samantha and Jonathan both had after-school activities until 8, Mona stayed in the city for a dinner date, and with luck, Tony was the only one in the house on this Thursday evening.

As if on cue, the kitchen door opened and Tony peeked his head in, making sure the coast was clear before walking directly toward Angela.

"Is anyone here?" she whispered conspiratorially.

"Not a soul," he answered.

Without another word or thought, he pulled her toward him. His mouth covered hers, and their simultaneous moan of sheer, undisguised pleasure reverberated through the kiss. It had only been five days, but it felt like an eternity.

"How much time do we have," she asked him without breaking contact.

"About two hours," he mumbled.

"Then we better make the most of it," she quipped, with her hands already unfastening his belt.

Like teenagers with the house to themselves, they practically bolted up the stairs and were half undressed before Angela managed to kick the bedroom door closed, "just in case."

They tumbled on the bed, and Tony was inside her with little need for preamble. She welcomed him readily. The pace was intense, as both had spent each of the past several days thinking about the previous weekend and wanting nothing more than a chance to see if it had all been real. But the presence of three other people in the house, all coming and going on different schedules, and with no knowledge of the cosmic change that had taken place between the two principal adults, meant that Tony and Angela hadn't had so much as five minutes to themselves to revisit their new status.

They clutched and clawed at their remaining clothing until it was gone, allowing Tony to slip his hand between them and draw Angela higher as his own pleasure mounted. In unison they moved and arched, chased and retreated until, with a feral cry, she buckled beneath him and pulled him with her into euphoria.

It took all his strength not to collapse on top of her as he struggled to ease himself down beside her. When she opened her eyes, heavy with sated arousal, and met his, he spoke the first words that came to him, "You are so beautiful."

"You make me feel beautiful," she responded honestly. A moment later, she added, "I was afraid I'd exaggerated it in my head. I nearly convinced myself it couldn't have been as amazing as I remembered."

"It was better," he assured her.

"Unbelievably better," she confirmed.

Tony hesitated before continuing, uncomfortable with divulging information he didn't know whether she knew he knew. "Angela," he began haltingly, "um, you know I didn't use anything, you know, like protection, either time."

"I know," she said more openly than he expected, "I assumed you knew it wasn't necessary. I mean, you must have seen the pills in my medicine cabinet over the years."

He nodded, equal parts relieved and self-conscious. "Yeah, yeah, I did. But there are other reasons for using something," he pointed out.

She met his eyes quite seriously, "If you knew there was a reason to, you would have," she said simply. Such was the trust she had in him, and which was reciprocated. Its rarity made it all the more precious. And despite having access to the most intimate areas of her life, he never asked questions or mentioned what he might have seen while cleaning.

"I don't imagine I have many secrets from you," she said thoughtfully.

"Ay-oh, Angela, I don't go poking around your stuff while I'm cleaning," he declared sternly, wanting to be sure she knew he took the integrity of his job seriously.

"I never doubted it, Tony, but I'm also not exactly the most careful or meticulous person in the world. It took me a long time not to panic every time I realized you must have encountered something like the pills, or feminine hygiene stuff … et cetera," she added drolly.

"It might have taken me a while to get used to some aspects of my job more than others," he conceded, before adding hastily, "not that anything I may, or may not, have seen made me think less of you. If anything …"

He stopped and added an abrupt, "Never mind."

But she prodded him, asking, "'If anything,' what?" as she enticingly twirled her finger around his chest.

He mustered his courage, taking into consideration his current position in her bed, "If anything, it made you more approachable, more real." At her quizzical look, he continued, "When I caught those glimpses of the parts of your life I had no business seeing, it reminded me that you weren't some mythological goddess. You were human, and maybe that meant my chance wasn't as minuscule as I told myself it was."

"Definitely not minuscule – but you have an advantage over me, Tony," she whispered into his ear with a breathy but light tone, "I never got those intimate glimpses into your life and therefore still see you has a something of a god."

The teasing was undeniable, but her lips on his earlobe spoke to her passion for him. "I can't believe it took us almost all week to find some time alone."

"Uh-huh," he managed, finally turning his head and finding her mouth. "The house never felt so crowded."

When the kiss ended, she continued, "Every time I came in the kitchen, one of the kids was there, and by the time they went to bed, it was so late I didn't know how to start a conversation about what happened last weekend."

"I know," he agreed, "It's been so busy, and I was afraid to do anything until we could talk about everything again. But I hope you know I was thinking about you, about us, every second of the day. You could see that, right?" he asked, needing to know she hadn't thought he was deliberately avoiding her.

She met his eyes and assured him, "I knew."

She'd caught every glance and smile, every not-so-casual brush of their fingers as they passed a gallon of milk or walked through a doorway. She'd heard the meaning in his voice each morning when he told her to have a good day and that he'd see her later on. And finally, just that morning, she'd known exactly what he was thinking when he'd reminded her that Jonathan's science club fundraiser and Sam's high school poetry slam were that night. The knowing smile she'd given him had not exactly been subtle.

It had been a week of inescapable responsibilities and utter lack of solitude. On Sunday, they had worked nonstop to get the basement cleaned and put back in proper order and then immediately fell into the busy routines that consumed most of their weekdays. Finding time to properly acknowledge, let alone revisit, their newfound familiarity was impossible. As much as Tony wanted to kiss her, or sneak into her bedroom, or even corner her in her office for an impromptu makeout session, they deserved more than a few minutes of selfish indulgence.

After several interminable days, they found themselves alone for the first time since everything between them changed on that unexpected Saturday afternoon. Now, lying naked together in bed, they finally had some time to share their thoughts and talk about what comes next.

"So," Tony began, "I'm pretty sure we're on the same page about why it took us so long to get back here."

Angela nodded, "The kids," she said simply. "I think the example we want to set for them is directly at odds with our present situation."

"If that's your way of saying we don't want them to see us sharing a bed outside of marriage, then yeah, we agree," he accurately paraphrased.

"But how long can we sneak around like this before it gets old – or we get caught?" she added.

Pulling her on top of him and cupping her backside, he smirked in reply, "I'm not tired of it yet."

She lowered her mouth to his and savored a slow, deep kiss as his hands roamed freely.

"Neither am I," she murmured against his lips. "Right now, it's exciting and fun." She kissed him again, then moved along his jaw to his neck and shoulder. "We can explore and discover with no one being the wiser."

"Angela," he groaned as she nipped at his pecs and worked her way lower – and lower.

Their conversation paused as she brought a new level of intimacy to their deepening relationship. It was both empowering and humbling to offer him such unrestrained pleasure. Another bond was formed, another link forged.

In the aftermath, he drew her close, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her flush against him. "You are a wonder," he whispered with what little strength he had left.

"This is all more wondrous than I ever could have imagined," Angela replied softly.

"I know what we said on Saturday about going on a date, but do you want to keep this between us for a little longer and figure things out a bit more?"

"I really don't know, Tony. I've never had to figure out how to be with someone I live with but am not married to."

"And who you employ," he added pointedly. "Kind of gets right to the heart of why we worked so hard to resist this for so long."

Angela snuggled into him. "This is worth it, though," she assured him.

"I'm inclined to agree," he admitted tenderly, despite the tough choices they faced. "But we can't sneak around forever. Someone is bound to find out, and then what?"

"But if we start openly dating, or we say we're a couple now, we need to make sure the kids know there are still boundaries about what two unmarried people should and should not do while living under the same roof – present hypocrisy acknowledged."

"Unless we get married."

The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, and they brought Angela's musings about their moral dilemma to an abrupt halt.

They both went still and silent until Angela leaned back so she could look directly at him.

"Do you mean that, Tony?" she said in barely more than a whisper, in a voice full of trepidation and uncertainty. She couldn't even admit to herself if she wanted him to mean it.

His face was ashen, and he was terrified he'd just ruined everything that had so recently begun to grow between them.

"I don't know. I mean, it's crazy, right. I work for you and live in your house ... but we're also raising our kids together, and we have a pretty good system here. But marriage is about a lot more than that, right, and I know I have some pretty strong feelings, but …"

She put her finger to his lips to stop his rambling, "I understand, and I agree with you. It's still too soon to be talking about this ..."

"... but it is possible," he ventured tentatively.

"It's definitely possible, maybe even probable," she suggested, before adding, "eventually."

He breathed a huge sigh of relief and pulled her in for a very grateful kiss. "Eventually."

When they broke apart, Angela sat up to face him, confident in her resolve. "I think we need to be honest with our family, though. They deserve to know."

He nodded in agreement. "Let's see how they react to us going out together, then we can decide what to tell them."

"You don't think they'll object, do you?" she asked, suddenly concerned their change in status could cause consternation in the house.

But Tony was optimistic. "Nah, I just don't want to blindside them with some big, heavy announcement they have to process all at once. I'd rather ease them into it, let them figure it out."

Angela liked that approach and told him so.

In complete sync, he added. "But none of this …" he leaned in to nuzzle her neck and run his hand from hip to breast, "... unless we're well and truly alone. We keep everything PG and make it clear to them we're not 'shacking up.'"

She leaned into him further and affirmed, "Of course." Maybe they were making a false distinction given their living situation, but being single parents didn't mean being celibate, so long as they were respectful of the boundaries they set.

Continuing his ministrations, he explained, "I want this to work, Angela. I want to be with you in every way, but I want to do it right."

"So do I," she managed between gasps.

With the important conversation over, they used their remaining time to make love once more. Two hours wasn't a lot of time, but they'd enjoyed every minute of it, taking time to kiss and touch, explore and discover every inch of one another.

When the bed was remade (just in case) and their clothes were back on, they shared one more searing kiss before heading downstairs to await the kids. There were still a lot of unanswered questions, but the look they shared, the simple act of holding hands, and the certainty that they would make love again soon was more than enough for now.