Tony jogged down the corridor toward his classroom, barely making it inside before the professor closed the door. "Nice of you to join us, Mr. Micelli." The bearded man greeted sarcastically.

"Sorry I'm late Professor Bayer. It's just been one of those days." Tony remarked, giving the other man a hopeful look.

"Well hurry and take your seat." The other man urged. "I don't want to hear the story of your life."

"Yes sir." Tony dashed to the only remaining seat and quickly pulled out his notebook and pen as his professor started addressing the class.

"As you know, finals are coming up in a few weeks and its worth forty percent of your final mark. What you do not know, is that I break my final down into two parts: Part two is the final written examination that you will be writing in three weeks time. Part one is an extensive review on the chapters we've covered in our time together. You will be expected to write a twenty page paper describing how each portion of history has effected our lives today; how life as we know it would have been different if a minimum of two other scenarios had happened; and how we have learned from each event in history to aid us in our present day life. I want footnotes, Appendix and bibliography. I want it single spaced, one sided and typed with one inch margins. And you can put it in one of those neat little folders you like to use. You will have one week to complete this assignment and..." He stopped and surveyed the class critically for a moment. "...you can have a partner." A small sigh of relief erupted from the class. "Since we have eight rows, you will pair up with the person beside you: Odd rows with the person on your right, even with the person on your left."

"Guess its you and...me." The last work came out more like a squeak when Tony realized who his partner was.

"Hi Tony." Kathleen greeted with a large smile. "How's it going?"

"Fine." The Italian croaked, his dark eyes still wide with alarm.

When class was over Tony gathered his books up and tried to make a quick escape, but Kathleen stopped him before he could bolt.

"So, when do you want to get together to work on this project?" At the sound of her voice the Italian jumped about a foot. "Relax, Tony. I'm not going to bite."

Tony smiled sheepishly and cleared his suddenly dry feeling throat. "I'm sorry. I guess I did kind of overreact when I saw you sitting there."

"Overreact." Kathleen laughed. "You looked like you'd seen a ghost. If I had of said 'boo' you probably would have gone through the roof."

"I'm sorry." Tony apologized again. "So, ah. How've you been? How's your dad? How's school? You seeing anyone?"

"Fine. Fine. Fine. And no." She replied, her expression reflecting her amusement. "How 'bout you? How've you been?"

"I've been good. Busy." He replied. "I've been doing some teaching on top of my other work load."

"How's Samantha doing?" She asked curiously.

"Fine. She's enjoying college." Tony commented proudly. "Doing really well."

"Where's she going?"

"Here." Tony replied.

"Oh good, I caught you!" Samantha's voice suddenly cried out.

"Speak of the devil." Her father smiled and turned to face his daughter. "What's up, sweetheart?"

"I was just talking to Angela and she wanted me to let you know that she's going to be a couple hours late getting home, but she's still willing to go to the late movie if you still want to go. Just give her a call and let her know." A thoughtful look appeared on her face. "I think there was something else...oh the printer called and the invitations are ready for pick up. Angela was wondering if you'd mind getting them."

"Okay, I'll swing by the printers on my way home. I have to stop by the market anyway to get some lettuce for supper." A sad look flickered across his face. "I'll have to call Angela and tell her I can't make the movies tonight. Professor Bayer just gave us the assignment from hell which is due next week."

"Well, if you need any help I'm free this evening." Samantha offered willingly.

"I appreciate that honey." Tony smiled gratefully. "But Professor Bayer already assigned us partners. I believe you remember Kathleen."

"Hi. It's nice to see you again." Samantha gave the other woman a friendly smile.

"It's nice to see you too." Kathleen greeted pleasantly. "Tony tells me you've been enjoying college."

"Yeah, its been great." She nodded, then glancing at her father she teased. "Even though I am going to college with my dad."

"Hey, your dad's a pretty cool guy." The other woman commented, giving Tony a warm smile.

"So I've been told." Samantha laughed slightly. "He's a big hit around my dorm."

"You guys have any classes together?" Kathleen asked curiously.

"Thankfully no." The daughter remarked, then noticing her father's slightly offended look she added. "I love you dearly dad, but I think I'd kill you if you were my classes." When his look didn't change she said. "Remember the sports caster job?"

"Ugh." Tony shuddered slightly. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right. I'm smart. I take after my father." She grinned at him.

"And don't you forget it." He grinned back at her.

"Well, as much as I'd love to stay and chat, school isn't over for some of us. My last class starts in fifteen minutes so I gotta run. Nice seeing you again Kathleen. Bye, Dad." Giving him a quick kiss on the cheek she added. "I'll see you later." And with that she was gone.

"She looks good." Kathleen commented. "It's nice to see that you two are still so close."

"Well, its just been the two of us for a lot of years." He commented. "In a way I guess you could say we grew up together."

"Well you both turned out very well." Kathleen complimented.

"Thanks." He gave her a genuine smile before changing the subject. "So, I guess we'll have to get together to work on this assignment. Are you free tonight?"

"Completely." She replied quickly. "If you want we can go back to my place and order in a pizza while we work."

"Ah." Tony hesitated uncomfortably before suggesting. "Why don't we go back to my place, I'll make a pizza and we can work there."

"But your place is always so busy." She commented. "There's always someone coming or going."

"Not as much anymore." He assured her eagerly. "Sam lives in the dorm, Jonathan has a study date tonight at the library and Mona has a date tonight and I don't know when she'll be home."

"What about Angela?" She asked curiously.

"Angela's working on a big advertising campaign." He replied. "Her presentation is in a few days so she'll probably be just as happy to hold up in her office and work."

"Well, I guess that sounds okay than." She accepted the offer. "What time do you want me to come by?"

"How about we say about seven." He suggested. "That'll give me time to get all my errands done first and maybe even whip up a pizza."

"Seven it is." She nodded, giving him a gentle smile.

It was seven-oh-one when the doorbell rang at the Bower/Micelli residence. Tony jumped up from the couch and went to answer the door.

"Hi." He nervously greeted his old girlfriend.

"Hi." She returned, a slight smile on her face. A moment of awkward silence reigned before she inquired. "May I come in?"

Tony flushed with embarrassment and stepped aside to let her in. "Please, make yourself at home."

"I see you've started without me." She remarked as she gestured to the books opened on the coffee table. She smiled when she also noticed the half eaten pizza sitting on the table. "In more ways than one."

"Yeah, I thought I'd get a head start to see if I could come up with a good way to start this thing." He replied as they sat down on the couch. "Thinking made me hungry. You want to know the conclusion I came to? I've concluded that Professor Bayer has really gone over the top this time."

"I know." She readily agreed. "I wish he'd given us this assignment a little earlier. Given us more time to prepare it."

"Maybe we'll be marked on whether we survive it without having a heart attack or stroke." Tony joked as he settled down to work.

"Or kill the professor." She added with a laugh. "So, where should we start?"

"Well, its always best to start at the beginning." He commented and opened the text book to the first page. "'And in the beginning God created the Heavens and the

Earth.' Wow, this book does cover a lot!"

Kathleen laughed in amusement and said. "I forgot how much fun you were to study with."

Tony's face flushed slightly as he squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. "Um, why don't we start with the Egyptian world power."

"We have to describe the principal achievements of that time period and how they affect us today." Kathleen consulted the notes that their teacher had given them.

"Oye." Tony moaned as he looked at her in despair.

She chuckled slightly and placed a hand gently on his arm. "Don't worry, Tony. You're young and strong. You'll survive this."

"Easy for you to say, Miss Straight A's in History." He whined slightly. "I always hated History. When I was in school the only history I cared about was how the Cards were doing every summer. I stuck at everything else."

"Well, for somebody who stunk at History in school, you certainly get enough A's yourself." She pointed out.

He smirked thoughtfully. "I do, don't I."

They turned their attention back to their work, carefully figuring out their plan of attack. About half and hour later they were interrupted by the sound of a car door being slammed violently followed a few moments later by the front door being opened and closed with equal force.

"Men! They're all slim!" Mona exclaimed hatefully to the room.

Tony rose to his feet and slowly approached the angry woman. "I take it the evening didn't go quite as planned."

"That's the understatement of the year." She exclaimed angrily. "You know why he took me to that 'really fancy restaurant'? Not so he could propose. He took me there to dump me! Can you believe that? I blew one hundred and fifty dollars on a new dress just so that slim ball can tell me he's fallen in love with another woman. A younger woman at that!"

"Oh, Mon." Tony reached out and pulled her into a warm embrace. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not fair!" She pouted against his chest, her eyes filling with tears.

"I know its not fair." He acknowledged, resting his cheek against the top of her head. "And I know how much you like him. But you know what, its his loss. He obviously didn't realize what a special lady he had."

Mona lifted her head and flashed him a gentle smile. "Thanks, Ton. I appreciate that."

"My pleasure." He assured her. "Now, you want me to go out and break the slim balls legs?"

"It's a tempting thought." She smiled slightly. "But you'd better not. Wouldn't want you to get your hands dirty."

"Well how about this instead." He suggested eagerly. "Why don't you go get changed and I'll make you up a plate of lasagna with garlic bread and Caesar salad. I even have my famous chocolate cheesecake for dessert."

"That sounds wonderful." Mona accepted readily. "Dinner with slim ball didn't last past the appetizers."

"I'll get it ready." He released her and headed for the kitchen. He was just about to push open the door when Mona called his name.

When he turned to look at her she stepped up to him and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."

He smiled at her and replied. "No charge." As she moved towards the back door he added. "Hey, Mon." When she looked at him expectantly he continued. "Don't forget, you have a guy right here who'll always love you no matter what." His remark was rewarded with a warm smile. As Mona exited the door to go out to her apartment Tony turned back towards the kitchen. This time it was Kathleen calling his name that stopped him. "I'll be with you in two minutes." He promised before heading into the kitchen.

Kathleen sighed and turned her attention back to the books before her. She knew it had been a mistake to agree to come here to work on their project. Passed experience had shown her that even on a 'quiet' night this house was always bustling with people coming and going. It was something she'd found extremely aggravating when she and Tony were dating, especially when Angela came home. The moment his boss walked in the door Tony suddenly treated her like a cool acquaintance. At first she thought it was because he felt uncomfortable doing anything in Angela's house, but after a while she began to suspect that it was more Angela herself that was the problem. The time he tailed Angela on a date made her seriously question the seriousness of their relationship. But all Tony would say when she asked him if Angela was more than just his boss was 'kinda'. What 'kinda' meant she was never sure. Even when she and Tony broke up because of the 'something' that was holding him back she couldn't get him to admit one hundred percent that it was Angela.

She found the whole situation extremely puzzling. On paper Tony was Angela's housekeeper and she was Tony's boss. Jonathan was Angela's son and Samantha was Tony's daughter. They were two distinct families. But the distinction between the two was somewhat fuzzy. They seemed to act as if they were one family. Even Mona, Angela's mother, seemed to accept Tony and Samantha as if they were her own. Kathleen found the whole situation very confusing.

"Come on, I assure you nobody's home." Kathleen watched as Jonathan ushered a young girl into the house. "Everybody's out, we'll have the whole place to ourselves." He closed the door and then froze when he spotted Kathleen on the couch. "What are you doing here?"

"Working on a project with Tony." Kathleen replied seriously. "I thought you were suppose to be at the library studying."

"We are." Jonathan quickly replied, grabbing his companion's hand and heading for the stairs. "See ya."

"Hold it!" Tony's voice came booming across the living room. Jonathan and his friend froze in their tracks. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Ah, upstairs to study." Jonathan quickly replied.

"I thought you went to the library to study." Tony remarked as he leaned a hand on the banister.

"We did, but it was...too crowded." The younger man commented hesitantly. "There were no tables left."

"Well, you're in luck. I happen to know of a table that's free and ready for use." The Italian man commented seriously.

"And where's that?" The blond teenager asked suspiciously.

"Its right behind Door Number One." Tony turned and pointed to the kitchen door.

"But there's no privacy in there." Jonathan objected in a whinny tone.

"It's got as much privacy as a sixteen year old boy and his study date need." Tony informed him seriously. "Now go."

"Yes, Dad." The teenager sighed sarcastically.

"Oh aye, aye oh, there's no need to get insulting." Tony remarked with mock indignation. Jonathan shot him a mildly amused look as he ushered his date into the kitchen. Once he was gone the older man chuckled softly as he rejoined Kathleen on the couch.

Kathleen shook her head in disbelief and remarked. "I can't believe he actually listened to you."

"Why wouldn't he listen to me?" Tony asked in surprise.

"Well face it, most teenager boys don't listen to their parents, let alone their housekeepers." She remarked seriously.

"Well, I'm more than just his housekeeper." The Italian commented.

"Oh?" Kathleen prompted expectantly.

"Sure." Tony nodded, a mischievous grin on his face as he added. "I'm his main man, his head cheese, his hero." Kathleen smiled slightly as he continued. "We go back a long way me and Jonathan. I've known him ever since he was King of the reptiles."

"I'm sure they're really going to miss you when you go." She remarked honestly.

Tony frowned slightly at the statement. "Why, where am I going?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "I just figured that you wouldn't continue to be a housekeeper after you graduated from college. I thought the whole point of going to school was to get a better job, to improve yourself. Surely you don't plan on being Angela's housekeeper forever."

Before Tony could reply a middle-aged woman appeared from upstairs a basket of folded towels in her hand. "Ah, Mr. Micelli, good. I've finished all my work for today. The vacuuming and dusting has been done, the laundry's folded and put away and I finished ironing Ms. Bower's cream blouse and hung it in her closest. And I believe you said these towels belong to Ms. Robinson."

"That's right." Tony acknowledged accepting the basket from her. "I'll give them to her for you."

"Thank you." She gave him a grateful smile. "I have to get going. Albert's coming home tonight."

"Oh, good. How did his trip go?"

"Very well." The older woman smiled proudly. "He says he struck oil and gold."

"In the undertaker business that's hard." Tony teased lightly. "Well, tell Mr. P. I said 'hi'."

"I will." She smiled broadly. "And thanks again Mr. Micelli for letting me come in late tomorrow. I haven't seen Albert in two weeks, it'll be nice to have a leisurely morning with him."

"No problem, Mrs. P. You deserve the morning off. The place looks wonderful." He glanced around the room quickly before looking back to her and adding. "But could you do me a favor?"

"Anything." She vowed.

"Please stop with the 'Mr. Micelli' bit. You've known me since I was five years old. You and Mrs. Rosini use to take turns kicking my butt and patching my cuts."

"And don't you forget it." Mrs. P. smiled as she wagged a finger at him. Then in a more serious tone she added. "I just figured that since you were my boss I should call you 'Mr. Micelli'."

"Well as your 'boss' I'm telling you to call me Tony." He told her with a warm grin.

"Yes, sir boss." She saluted, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Good, now get out of here!" He opened the door for her. "And I don't want to see you until tomorrow afternoon."

She smiled at him and reached up to pinch his cheeks affectionately. "You always were my favorite of all the neighborhood boys." Then with a quick pat on the side of his face she was gone.

Tony closed the door, lightly rubbing his face where she'd pinched him. "It's a wonder my cheeks aren't hanging down to my chin the way all these older Italian women pinch them." Then turning his attention back to Kathleen he remarked. "Shall we get back to work." As he rejoined her on the couch she looked at him, a deeply puzzled look on her face. "What?"

"I'm confused." She told him seriously.

"What about?" He asked curiously.

"You're the housekeeper here, right?"

"Right." He frowned slightly.

"Does Angela know that you have someone else do your work for you?" She asked pointedly.

"Of course Angela knows." He replied seriously. "She was the one that suggested Mrs. Pacino in the first place." At Kathleen's persistent confusion Tony explained. "Past experience has shown us that during the last month of school I'm swamped with work and all the household chores I'm worn out. So, we've started hiring a temporary housekeeper during those times. Just someone to help out with the cleaning and the laundry. Run a few errands."

"What, no cooking?" The blond asked, somewhat sarcastically.

"Are you kidding? Nobody cooks in my kitchen but me!" He told her firmly.

"And why's that?" Kathleen asked curiously. A loud crash resounded from the kitchen.

"That's why!" He said and rushed into the kitchen. There he found Mona picking up the pieces of a broken mug. Recognizing the mug Tony took a piece from her hand and moaned. "Mona, you broke my favorite mug."

"I'm sorry. It was an accident." She quickly assured him. "I was reaching for the coffeepot and knocked the mug over." Pouting slightly she added. "I'm sorry."

Tony sighed and put his arm around her shoulders. "I know you are, Mon. It's okay. I can use another one."

"Hey honey, I'm home!" Angela's voice suddenly called out from the living room.

Giving Mona's shoulders another squeeze he turned and headed towards the kitchen door. Noting the puppy dog looks that Jonathan and his date were giving each other Tony firmly tapped the open book that lay between them on the table. "Study time, lovebirds."

Then he pushed open the swinging door and left the room.

"There you are." Angela greeted warmly. "I was wondering where you disappeared to." Noting the slight pout on his face she asked. "What's wrong?"

"Mona broke my mug." He whined, pouting even more as he held up his broken mug.

"Ah, my poor baby." Angela smiled slightly and stepped closer to him. "Want me to kiss it better."

"You could try." He said in a pitiful tone. Angela smiled and leaned forward to place a tender kiss on his lips. When she pulled back he teasingly remarked. "I was thinking you'd kiss the mug and make it better, but I like this too." With a twinkle in his eye he leaned forward and kissed her again.

When they pulled away they realized that they had an audience. "So, how's the assignment coming?" Angela asked as she looked from Tony to Kathleen and back again.

"Very slow." Tony remarked with mild frustration as he sat down on the couch, his mountain of books before him.

"Though it would go much faster without so many interruptions." Kathleen commented sarcastically.

Angela nodded, getting the other woman's broad hint. "Well, don't mind me. I'll be in my study making some phone calls." She reached down and squeezed Tony's shoulder before turning to grab her briefcase.

"Did you get any supper?" He asked her as she headed towards her study.

"I grabbed a muffin from the coffee shop in the train station."

"That's not much of a supper." He scolded. "Let me get you a plate of lasagna."

"Don't worry, Tony. I can get it." She assured him. "You just work on your project."

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"I think I can handle fixing myself a plate." She smiled. "After all, you've already done the hard part. You made the lasagna. I'm just going to drop my stuff in the study and then I'll get something to eat. You just go on and work. Don't mind me."

"Thanks, Angela." He smiled at her gratefully. "You're the best."

"You're welcome." She said before disappearing into her study.

Once they were alone Tony picked up his textbook and said. "So where were we?"

"We were looking at how the Egyptian Dynasty affected us today." Kathleen replied as she picked up her note pad. Making a few notes she casually remarked. "So, I see that you and Angela have gotten closer over the last few months."

Tony nodded, his eyes fixed on the book in his hand. "Yes, we have."

Flipping a page in her textbook she continued to scribble on her pad. "How close?"

"Fairly close." Tony replied hesitantly. "We're..." He was interrupted by Angela returning to the room.

"Sorry to bother you two again. Tony, I was just wondering if you remembered to pick up the invitations at the printers."

"You bet I did." He jumped up and picked the parcel up from off the desk.

Angela smiled broadly and opened the box up. Pulling a card out she smiled tenderly at Tony. "Aren't they beautiful?"

"You better believe it." He kissed her gently on the lips.

"I'll try and get some of these sent out this week." She told him happily.

"Do you want me to help you?" He offered eagerly.

"You have a big paper to worry about." She pointed out.

"What about you?" He asked. "You have that big account to prepare for."

"Preparations all done." She told him proudly. "And I have two of my best men working on the finishing touches."

"Really, why wasn't I informed?" He commented with mock conceit.

Angela smiled and leaned towards him. "I said two of my best men, you're my greatest."

"Oh, Angela, how you do go on." Tony teased mischievously. "Please go on."

Angela laughed and said. "I'd better let you get back to your project or you'll be flunking Ancient History."

"Wouldn't want a college failure under your roof, eh." He joked. "Spoil your fine reputation."

"Exactly." She replied wickedly and headed for the kitchen. As she pushed open the door she added. "Oh, we have to get a menu ready for the caterer. They want it by next weekend."

"I vote for the chicken." Jonathan commented loudly from the kitchen.

"Chicken?" Mona cried out incensed from deep in the kitchen. "Are you kidding, kid? Lobster is where it's at!"

"Are you going to pay for the lobster, Mother?" Angela asked impatiently from the kitchen doorway.

"Take it out of your inheritance." Her mother retorted back. "I'll probably be dead by then anyway."

"Angela, I keep telling you, we don't need a caterer." Tony told her seriously. "I can handle the food myself. It'll be a lot nicer and it'll be cheaper too."

"Tony! This is not some client dinner were talking about!" Angela pointed out, walking up to him and looking at him intently. "It's a wedding – our wedding. Now call me crazy, but I figured that our attention would be focused on each other, not on whether your pate was dry or not."

"Hey, my pate is never dry!" Tony objected defensively, but then sighed when he saw the serious look on her face. "You're right, you're right. I'm sorry. I guess I get carried away. I think I can do everything."

"Well every super hero has its weakness." She teased softly as she put her arms around his neck.

"Yeah, Superman has Lois Lane and I have you." He kissed her tenderly on the lips. When he pulled back he asked. "Have I told you today how much I love you?"

"Not since this morning." She smiled gently.

Sliding his arms around her waist he said. "I love you Angela Catherine Robinson Bower."

"I love you too, Anthony Morton Micelli." They kissed again.

"Oh please." A voice exclaimed in disgust. "You two are making me sick."

"Oh, Mother." Angela sighed in exasperation as she turned towards her parent. "Why do you always have to ruin things? Isn't this what you've always wanted? To see Tony and I together and in love?"

"Love stinks." Mona gripped and flopped down in an armchair.

"I don't understand...?" Angela began but Tony interrupted her.

"Mr. Wonderful dumped her tonight."

"Oh, oh no." Moving to the older woman she crouched down beside her. "Oh, Mother I'm so sorry. I know how much you liked him." Mona shrugged slightly, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. Suddenly and determinedly Angela jumped to her feet. "I know what we'll do. Grab your purse, we're going shopping. My treat."

"Really?" Mona asked brightly.

"Really." Angela nodded, instantly regretting her words.

"No, I couldn't." Her mother declined.

"Ah, come on Mother, it'll be fun." Her daughter pressed.

"Hey everyone!" The front door opened to admit a smiling Samantha.

"Hey great, Sam's here!" Angela exclaimed eagerly. "Now we can make it a threesome."

"What's going on?" Samantha asked her father curiously.

"Mona got dumped tonight so Angela's trying to get her to go shopping." Tony explained. "I think you've just been nominated to go with them."

"Sounds like fun." Samantha smiled broadly. "We'll have a girls night out. Probably be the last one for a while." Looking from her father to her future step-grandmother she teased. "Once these two are married they'll be even more inseparable then they are now."

Tony threw his arm around her shoulders and joked. "Jealous?"

"Jealous?" His daughter repeated, laughing slightly at the thought. "Why would I be jealous?"

"Because you're no longer the only girl in my life." He replied hugging her shoulders slightly.

Samantha looked at him seriously and remarked. "Dad, I haven't been the only girl in your life since about six months after we moved in here. You've just been too blind to notice."

"I noticed." He objected slightly defensive. "Angela and I have always known we were friends."

"But you kept denying you were anything else – at least while you were awake." Mona piped up, getting into the conversation. "If you two could have just lived your lives while unconscious you probably would have been married years ago."

"Mother!" Angela warned firmly. "I don't think Kathleen wants to hear the details about our relationship."

"No, please continue." Kathleen quickly urged. "I must admit, I'm curious. When Tony and I were dating all he would say was that Angela was 'kinda' more than his boss, but not in the way I thought. Not terribly explicit."

"That's our Tony." Mona chuckled in amusement. "Master of denial and understatement."

"And that's our Mona, queen of minding everyone else's business but her own." Tony retorted crisply.

"I mind my own business!" Mona argued firmly, then with a sly smirk and a mischievous twinkle she added. "I just like minding everyone else's too."

"Well not this time." Angela said, and headed for the door. "I'm going shopping and if you want to take me up on my offer I suggest you come too. The stores are only open for another couple hours."

"I'm coming." Mona assured her, pulling herself out of the chair. "Just let me get my coat and purse. I'll meet you at the car." She disappeared out the back door.

As Angela put on her coat, Samantha approached her, a funny smile on her face. "What?" The blond woman asked, puzzled by her expression.

"I'm just impressed that you plan on leaving Dad and Kathleen here by themselves while you go shopping." Samantha commented into a low tone.

"Why shouldn't I?" Angela asked in a mildly surprised tone. "I trust your father. He's a sensible, level headed, mature man whose not about to do anything incredibly stupid." Leaning closer to the younger woman she added in a lower tone. "Besides, they're not alone. Jonathan and his study date are in the kitchen."

Samantha smiled with amusement and pulled the front door open. "See you later, Dad."

"Bye, sweetheart." Her father called after her. "Have fun, and no picking up any strange men."

"Gotcha." Samantha acknowledged as she left the house.

"That goes for you too." He told Angela with mock-seriousness as he joined her at the door.

"I wouldn't dream of it." She assured him with a small smile followed by a quick kiss. "After all who could be any stranger than the guy I have here at home." With a mischievous smirk she followed Sam out.

"Have a good time." He called after them. "Drive safely." Closing the door he turned back towards Kathleen and sighed. "Well, I guess we should get back to work. I think we've had all the interruptions we're going to tonight." Sitting down on the couch he asked. "So, where were we?"

"Egypt." Kathleen replied, watching him carefully for a moment. Finally her thoughts came to the fore. "Tony, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot." He said as he jotted something down in his notebook.

"Why did you take Angela with you to New Mexico?"

Tony's brow dipped as he looked at her in surprise. "What?"

"When you and I were dating, you took off to New Mexico in a big hurry and you took Angela with you." Kathleen reminded him.

"You mean when Samantha told us she wanted to stay in New Mexico instead of going to college?" He asked, finally understanding what she was referring to.

"Yeah." Kathleen nodded. "I was just wondering why you took Angela with you and not me. After all, I was your girlfriend. Angela was just your boss."

"Angela wasn't just my boss!" Tony objected. "She was my friend." He paused for a moment before adding. "My best friend."

"Finally, we're getting somewhere." Kathleen exclaimed in triumph. When he gave her another puzzled look she continued. "That's the first time you've admitted to me that Angela was anything more than 'kinda more than your boss'. I mean it was obvious that something was going on, but I had a heck of a time trying to figure out what."

Tony sighed slightly and looked at her apologetically. "I guess I do owe you an explanation, don't I?"

"That would be nice." She admitted. "It'll help me understand what was going on with us and with you and Angela. I felt like I was caught in a triangle of some sort that I didn't fully understand."

Guilt pricked his conscience. "I'm sorry, Kathleen. I never intended to hurt you. The reason I took Angela to New Mexico was because it was the most natural thing to do. Ever since I moved in here seven years ago Angela and I have basically become the parents to both Sam and Jonathan. We covered for each other and helped each other out so much over the years that I think we're as much Jonathan's father and Samantha's mother as Michael and Marie were. So when Samantha told us that she wanted to stay in New Mexico instead of going to college Angela and I automatically went there to talk some sense into her." He chuckled slightly at some memory. "You should have seen Angela when Samantha told us she wanted to get married instead of go to college. She was livid. Usually I was the one that flew off the handle whenever Sam made a choice I didn't agree with, but this time it was Angela. She handled the news like any real mother would." He grinned slightly. "I was proud of her."

"So does Samantha see her as her mother?" Kathleen asked curiously.

"Sure she does." He exclaimed almost defensively, then looking at her expression he back peddled slightly. "I mean why shouldn't she? Angela's always been there for her when she needed a woman to talk to." He smiled again at another memory. "I'll always remember the first time Sam referred to Angela as her 'mother'. I think Angela was ready to cry - so was I. I tell you, Angela has really been a big help to me where Sam was concerned. I don't know what I would have done without her."

"Is that why you tailed Angela on her date that time?" She pressed, looking at him expectantly. "Because you were afraid of loosing her?"

Tony hesitated for a moment before finally replying. "I'm going to level with you, Kathleen. I didn't plan on getting involved with anyone when you and I started seeing each other. See, Angela and I had this kind of slow moving, undefined, confused relationship that was kind of in 'limbo'. Basically the bottom line was that we knew we loved each other and had even spoken on occasion of getting married, but we were both terrified to death to take the last step and actually admit out loud our feelings. I mean we hinted at them, we shared the odd kiss or hug and like I said marriage came up once or twice but nothing solid ever happened. Then when you and I...well, you know…Angela decided that maybe we should date other people."

"Wait a minute!" Kathleen interrupted him. "You told Angela about what happened at the motel?"

Tony nodded then corrected. "Actually, I didn't have to tell her. She read the guilt in my face."

"The guilt?" She repeated, her brow furrowing in annoyance.

He hastened to explain. "When you and I started going out I was in love with Angela, so I felt incredibly guilty about everything that you and I did together."

"Which would explain why you never wanted to kiss me in front of her." She commented.

He gave her a sheepish look. "I'm sorry, I felt like I was betraying her."

"So why did you tail Angela on her date that time?" She pressed, looking at him expectantly. "If you guys had agreed to see other people, why were you following her? Was it really because you were concerned?"

Tony hesitated for a moment before finally replying. "I didn't just follow Angela to that restaurant because I was 'concerned'. I did it because I was jealous. I was jealous because she was seeing someone else."

"So seeing other people wasn't really your idea than?" She commented her tone even.

Sighing slightly he admitted. "No. No, it wasn't. And I was hoping to talk her out of it, but I didn't feel I had the right. I was the one that had damaged our relationship. I was the one who had betrayed her. I guess I felt that she had every right to decide that we should see other people for a while."

"I see." She looked down at her notebook for a moment before remarking. "So, I guess you've made up and everything has turned out exactly as you wanted it to."

Tony reached over and took her hand in his and gently said. "Listen, Kathleen, I never meant to hurt you. And I want you to know that even though I didn't plan on getting involved with anyone when we started seeing each other, I did enjoy the time we spent together. You're a wonderful woman, Kathleen and you'll make some guy very happy."

"Thank you, Tony." She squeezed his hand slightly. "I really appreciate that. I hope that you and Angela are very happy together too."

"I think we will be." He assured her honestly. "We've basically been living like a married couple for the last eight years when it comes to the day to day things. The only difference now is that I won't have my own room and we'll be able to do other things that married couples do."

"Well, guess that's one of the hardships of marriage." Kathleen commented lightly as she flashed him a slight smile. "Loosing your privacy and learning to share."

"And speaking of sharing, how about sharing your notes on the Egyptian Empire." He remarked, picking up his notebook.

"Hey, I'm not your wife." She objected moving her notebook away. "I don't have to share." Laughing in amusement when he gave her his famous puppy dog pout she said. "Okay, okay, I give in. I hate to see a grown man pout. What do you want to know?"

It was about ten-thirty when Angela stepped through the front door and tiredly dropped her shopping bags on the desk. As she shrugged out of her coat she noticed that the coffee table was now devoid of books and papers. In their place stood a crystal vase with a lone red rose. Curious Angela approached the flower, noting with a smile the vase that held it. It was the one that Tony had bought her for Christmas several years ago. She loved that vase. Not because it was the most exquisite one that she had ever seen, which it was. But because it had been a gift from Tony. And she deeply treasured anything he gave her.

Leaning up against the base of the vase was a small card. Picking it up she smiled as she read the note inside:

"A day doesn't go by that I don't mentally thank Mona for sending me to your door. You helped me give my precious daughter the life I hoped she'd have. I sometimes shudder to think how she'd have turned out if we'd stayed in Brooklyn. You gave her the chance to be an educated, strong, successful woman, just like you. And that makes me so proud. You are an amazing woman, Angela and I want to thank you for letting us into your life and especially into your heart. Samantha and I feel very lucky to have you and Jonathan and Mona in our lives.

I love you with all my heart and will keep loving you 'til death do us part.

Tony."

There were tears in her eyes as she felt a pair of strong arms encircle her from behind. Turning in his embrace she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Jonathan, Mother and I are just as lucky to have you and Samantha." She pulled back slightly and added. "I'd hate to think of how Jonathan would have turned out without your steady influence."

"With a mother like you he'd have been okay." He assured her.

"I don't think so." Angela told him seriously. "Something tells me we would have been in for some serious problems if you hadn't of come along." Giving him a tender smile she admitted. "I am so glad I listened to you and Mother and gave you a chance. It was one of the best decisions I ever made."

"Hey, once you've found the best why look at the rest." He teased lightly, giving her a hauty look.

She smiled with amusement and teased. "If I had of stopped at the best I never would have met you."

"Oye aye, aye oye. No need to get mean." He retorted in a mock-hurt tone.

"So how did the study session go?" She asked as she sat down on the couch.

"We got a good start." He replied as he joined her. "We're meeting together tomorrow night at the library. She says this place is too busy to concentrate properly."

Angela grinned slightly and looked around the empty room. "Funny, it doesn't look that busy to me."

His grin mirrored hers. "Me neither."

"In fact I'd say its the perfect place to be if you need to concentrate on something." She continued, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Have you something in mind?" He asked, playing along with her subtle hints.

"Maybe." She drawled as they leaned towards each other. Their lips met just as the front door opened and Samantha walked in.

Seeing the pair kissing on the couch she quickly scooted by saying. "Don't mind me. Just wanted to get a snack before heading back to the dorm."

"Sam, is that you?" Jonathan called from upstairs.

"In the kitchen." She called back as she pushed open the kitchen door.

A moment later Jonathan came rushing down the stairs saying "I need your advice, Sam." Spotting his mother and Tony kissing on the couch he rolled his eyes and said as he went by. "Don't mind me, just passing through." Pushing open the kitchen door he quickly disappeared inside.

Just as he did so, the back door opened and Mona appeared. Spotting the pair on the couch she gripped. "Oh, please! Are you two at it again?" Then with a shake of her head she also disappeared into the kitchen.

The kitchen door had barely stopped swinging when the couple pulled apart and smiled at each other. "Nope, no distractions here." Tony whispered, his eyes twinkling slightly as he leaned in again and claimed her lips with his.