Title: At Long Last - A Wedding Bells Alternate
Category: Who's the Boss
Summary: What happens when you mix too much wine and a secret love?
Rating:NC-17, NSFW, M
Spoilers: Wedding Bells
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.
This story contains content for mature audiences only - please be warned. If people want, I can try to mark the sections so you can skip those parts if you prefer not to read them but still want the rest of the story. If enough people ask I can try!
This story is complete (I think) but it has multiple chapters. I'll upload them as fast as I can. I kept them to 1200-1500 words for the most part because I think that's manageable to read without having to binge the whole thing!
I wrote most of these a long time ago. I apologize for any mistakes, but I will try to edit as I go!
I'm moving my Who's the Boss fics from various other sites to here. Feedback welcome - good or bad - and appreciated :) Enjoy.
22.
Tony comes home to an empty house. He throws his jacket on the bench and plops on the couch. He's in a horrible mood.
He's been furiously hunting for jobs but a washed up ball player with no college education isn't very desirable. He's been looking through the paper, going door to door, doing everything he can think of and so far he's been offered another live-in housekeeping job and a minimum wage "manager" position at a fast food joint. Nothing that would help him pay the bills. He's got to think fast and think smart if he's going to make this work. There is no way his wife is going to support him and their kid. He is no kept man.
"Something wrong?" Angela asks as he puts dinner on the table. "You've been pretty quiet today."
"No, it's nothing."
"You sure?" she asks, helping him put out the salad. "You made tuna casserole and you only make that when you're distracted by something. I don't think there are any sports finales on."
"It's nothing, Angela, can you just drop it?"
He regrets his tone immediately. It's not her fault she accidentally got pregnant by a guy with no money and no marketable skills.
Angela is as kind and sweet as ever and doesn't say anything more, which makes Tony feel even worse.
xx
Tony can't sleep, he's desperate for something, anything. Even if he can manage to pay the mortgage and have something left over for the family… at this rate he'd be willing to settle for enough money to pay the cable bill.
He flips through the newspaper, scouring every advertisement for anything he could remotely qualify for. He circles a few, but nothing looks very promising.
Tony sighs and leans back on the couch. It seems futile. He's furious with himself. Why did he have to skip college? Why did he have to bust up his arm? Why couldn't he be good enough for Angela? Why did he convince her he'd be worth a try when he's not? He's not worth anything.
"Tony?"
Tony turns his head quickly to the stairs to see Angela standing there, robe on, hair messy, and eyes sleepy.
"Angela… are you okay? Everything alright?" He's on his feet in seconds, going to take her hand.
"I'm okay. I'm a little bit hungry."
"Want me to warm up some tuna casserole?"
"Uh, um, actually, Tony, maybe I'll make myself a sandwich."
Tony smiles. "I know tuna casserole isn't your favourite."
"What are you doing up so late?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing. Couldn't sleep."
"What's that?" she asks, looking at the coffee table.
"Oh, it's nothing. Hey, let's go to the kitchen -"
"The want ads?"
"Yeah."
"Tony, you're not still worried about this? It's not urgent. It'll happen."
"When, Angela? When you've given birth and can't go to the office? When the baby needs diapers and baby food and you need whatever it is you need and there's no one to pay for it?"
"Tony, I told you -"
"Yeah, you told me. I know you've got money. If you're gonna do everything Angela, then what's the point of me? You could do this just fine on your own, without me. I should just bow out of the whole thing."
Angela is silent. Tony doesn't notice at first, but he realizes she hasn't responded. He looks at her, anticipating she'll realize it's the truth.
Instead, she looks heartbroken.
"Angela…."
"Tony, how could you say that? I thought you loved… I thought you loved the baby, at least."
"Of course… Angela, of course I love you. You know that."
"We need you," she says, her eyes filling with tears. "Of course we need you."
"To do what, Angela? Be honest, really, be very honest. If this was that Geoffrey guy, or some other guy with a proper job it would be a lot easier. You wouldn't have to worry about anything. You could stay home as long as you want to take care of this baby. You wouldn't have to want for anything. And our baby could say his dad does something."
"You already do something."
"Yeah. His mom pays his dad to clean their house. I'm starting to think you're right. Maybe we are rushing things. Maybe we should just postpone the wedding. I don't want people to think I'm freeloading off my wife. The whole neighbourhood is going to feel justified in what they say already. It's embarrassing. It's not what I want, not for you, not for the baby, not for anybody."
"Tony… I don't know what to say…."
"I'm trying. I really am trying. It just seems like you picked a loser to have a kid with."
"Tony…." She steps towards him, but he stops her. He's not in the mood to patronized.
"Forget it. Come on. I'll make you a sandwich then you go back to bed."
"Tony -"
"Angela, I don't want to hear it tonight, okay? Come on."
She doesn't move.
"Well?"
"I'm not very hungry after all," she says, her eyes wet.
"Angela, don't be silly, I'll make you the sandwich."
"No, I think I'll go back to bed."
Tony watches her go up the stairs. He doesn't follow her and he doesn't stop her. What difference would it make anyway? Everything he said was the truth.
xx
The next morning, Tony is exhausted. He dishes breakfast out for Sam, Jonathan and Mona. Angela hasn't come down yet. He looks to the kitchen door at every noise, in anticipation of her arrival. He has a feeling his pity party last night has done some damage.
"Trouble in paradise?" Mona asks him quietly.
"No. Yes. No, not really. I don't know, Mona. I'm a jerk, I know I am, but I'm right on this. What good am I to Angela and a baby? I've got nothing to offer. I've got no job, no savings… I'm barely keeping up with Sam."
"Nothing to offer? Tony… you've got to be kidding me. Even if you were loaded, what difference would it make? You know who came from big money? Michael Bower. You know what good that did? Zero. What Angela needs is a man who is willing to be her partner. Who proves how much he loves her with his actions, who can inspire confidence in her, who will care for her and the children. When she says she doesn't care about money, Tony, she means it. Angela just wants a man who wants her just as much. It's gotta hurt if she thinks that's not true."
"But it is true!" he says, a little too loud. The kids look up, and he smiles politely at them. "It is true. I do want her."
"Do you want her, or do you have something to prove?"
"What do you mean?"
Mona shrugs. "If you have something to prove, Tony, maybe you're right. Angela doesn't need that. If you want to love her and be her husband and father to her baby… then you'd better act like it."
Angela comes in the room then and Tony smiles brightly at her.
"Good morning," he says, placing a plate in front of her. He rubs her arms before pouring her a glass of juice. "How are you feeling this morning?"
"Fine," she says. He watches as she picks at her food.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Well enough, thank you."
"Do you need anything? Want anything else?"
"No, thank you, Tony." She shovels a forkful of eggs in her mouth. "I should go. Come on, mother, we'll be late."
"You didn't finish your breakfast," Tony protests.
"I'm not that hungry," she says, finishing her juice.
"Wait, what would you like for dinner?"
"Anything is fine."
"Alright," he says, recognizing her anger at him. "I'll see you tonight." He squeezes her hand and she squeezes back. He takes that as a good sign at least.
xx
Tony has everything ready for when she comes home. He still went out job hunting most of the day, Mona's words didn't fully turn him around, but he knows what he said to Angela wasn't fair. He's determined to make it right.
He has flowers waiting, four whole bouquets, two in the living room, one in her office, one in her bedroom. He's got her favourite supper made, and brownies for after. He patiently waits for her to come in.
Angela and Mona come in chatting away, but Angela stops when she sees him standing behind a vase of her favourite flowers.
"Hi," he says.
"Hi," she says.
He grins. He's surprised her.
"Well," Mona says, walking straight to the back door, "don't take too long making up. Give me a call when supper is on the table!"
"Those are nice." Angela is still reluctant to look at him. Tony has to fix this.
"Yeah. I got them for you. I, um, Angela, I realize that no matter how much I want to be able to support you, it's not more important than marrying you, than having this baby with you. Nothing is more important to me than you and this baby. I don't need a job, Angela, I need you. It would be nice to have a job, I'd really love to have a job… but I don't need it. If all I do stay home and take care of you and take care of the baby, I don't care, as long as you're mine."
Angela starts to cry, but Tony is getting used to it as she's been very weepy this pregnancy. He holds open his arms and she steps into them. He's so relieved that she lets him comfort her.
"Okay, maybe I'll care a little bit. But it doesn't matter. I don't think we're rushing into anything. I know exactly what I'm doing, and I'm going to marry you. I'm sorry if I made you doubt my feelings," he says.
"Thank you, Tony," she says.
"Am I forgiven? Are you still willing to marry me?"
Angela nods.
"Good. Because I love you. And I love this little guy, too." He places his whole hand on the swell of her stomach. "He's getting big."
"Yeah," she says, wiping her eyes. He loves her so much and he's so sorry for ever making her sad. He leans forward to kiss her as lovingly as he can.
"Tony, I recognize this is difficult for you. We can go slow, we can put the wedding on hold, but I don't want this to come between us. I've been rejected by too many men because of my career. I'm not sure I could bear it if that happened to us. It would hurt too much."
"Nothing will come between us. I might get frustrated sometimes, but nothing will come between us. I swear it. And you can stop thinking that we're rushing things. This is exactly how it's meant to be. Got it?"
"Got it," she says.
"Hey, are you hungry?" Angela nods. "I made your favourite. And we have brownies for dessert."
"Walnut fudge?"
"You know it!"
"I'll go change."
"Hey," Tony says, "I love you."
"I love you."