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Angela listened to Randall's heartbeat. She was resting her head on his chest, and his arm was wrapped tightly around her waist. His skin was warm, and his breathing was slow and regular.
For once, he was sleeping well, undisturbed by nightmares. It had been several months since he had returned to them, and there had been many nights he had woken up screaming, and she had held him tightly until he calmed down.
She had forgiven him for everything, but he had yet to forgive himself.
He stirred slightly, and she raised a hand to touch his face. "Angela…" he breathed, talking in his sleep, and she could not help but smile. It still felt so unreal, but he was finally back, and she was almost afraid to let him go, lest he disappear again.
This was like a dream. But even when dawn came, she would still protect him.
She closed her eyes; it was not often he fell asleep before she did, but she was thankful when it did happen. That way, she could sleep without worry.
She soon fell into a deep sleep, undisturbed by dreams or nightmares. She was only aware of Randall's presence in her arms. After all this time, neither she nor Henry was about to let him ago so easily.
But when dawn finally came and the sunlight shining through the window woke her, Angela found herself alone in the bed she shared with Randall. "Randall…?" she called out, and her heart beat wildly until her eyes fell on the nearby clock; it was nearly eleven o'clock.
Laying hand over her racing heart, she let out a sigh of relief. She didn't usually sleep in this late, so Randall likely just woke up before her and didn't want to wake her. She smiled; that was oddly considerate of him.
She crawled out of bed and then headed into the master bathroom to get washed and dressed. She had picked out a red, sleeveless dress to wear today, as summer was quickly approaching, and it could get rather hot in Monte d'Or.
When she eventually made her way to the parlor, she found Henry waiting for her, holding a cup of tea. "Good morning, Angela," he greeted. He was trying to drop his habit of referring to her and Randall by titles, as they both wanted Henry to stand on equal footing with them.
Angela smiled; it was starting to feel more and more natural to smile once again. "And good morning to you, Henry," she replied. "Have you seen Randall today?"
"He left quite early this morning," Henry answered as he poured a cup of tea for Angela, which she quickly accepted. "He said he had some errands to see to."
Angela took a sip of her tea. "What kind of errands?"
There was a strange gleam in Henry's eyes, one rather unfamiliar to Angela. "I couldn't say," he responded. "Perhaps you should meet up with him? He can't be far."
Now Angela was certain she was missing something, but she decided not to pry. "That sounds like a good idea," she said as she finished her tea and set the cup down. "Please tell Mrs. Ascot I said good morning." In spite of herself, she still smiled; Randall's mother had changed these past few years, and she was surprisingly fine with Angela living with her son - even sharing a bedroom with him - when they had yet to be married.
Henry simply nodded and collected Angela's empty teacup. "Yes, I'll be sure to do so."
Angela's smile softened and then she picked up a white shawl and then wrapped it around her shoulders to protect her skin from the sun, and as she headed toward the entrance she picked a light sunhat off a nearby hat rack and put it on before exiting the mansion. As she walked down the front steps, she looked up at the clear blue sky.
She did want to marry Randall, she thought to herself, but she wanted to give him time to recover first before bringing up the subject. Hershel had recently told her in private that Randall had been planning on proposing to her after he had found the Azran treasure; it had been a both welcomed and painful revelation. Neither she, Randall, nor Henry talked much about that disastrous expedition.
Angela walked past the gate that surrounded the estate. Monte d'Or had not changed much in the past few months, aside from being slightly more elevated thanks to Hershel's actions. But some familiarity was still welcomed.
She brushed her bangs from her eyes, and she had just gotten a few steps away from the gate when she spotted Randall approaching her. "Randall?" she called out.
Randall smiled broadly, and sunlight gleamed upon his glasses. "Perfect timing, Angela!" he greeted, rushing up to her. "Henry sent you, right? I just got done getting what I needed!"
Angela nodded. "It's because you asked him to, right?"
Randall laughed. His smile had grown increasingly more sincere lately. "You always see right through me!" he replied. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object, though Angela could not yet make out what it was. His smiled faded, and his fingers tightened around the small object. "I made a promise once, but with everything that's happened, everything that I've done…"
Angela was familiar with that expression on Randall's face. "It's all right," she said in soft voice, stepping closer to him and raising a hand to touch his face. "I forgive you, Randall." She had said those words to him before, and she would continue to repeat them as often as was needed.
Randall lowered his gaze, and then he removed his glasses, and Angela didn't quite recognize that look in his eyes. "So, I made another promise to myself," he continued to say. "I've had so many nightmares, so I told myself that when they stopped and I started sleeping peacefully, that's when I would be ready to keep my first promise."
He smiled again, a gentle smile, and he unfurled his fingers, revealing a small box in his hand, and when he opened the box, Angela saw a diamond ring.
She felt as if her heart had skipped a beat. "Randall, I…!" she exclaimed, not sure if what else to say.
There was a slight blush on Randall's cheeks, but his smile didn't falter. "I'm kind of long overdue to ask you to marry me, huh?"
She couldn't cry, Angela told herself; Randall might mistake her tears for sorrow. So, instead she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. It was not often she was quite so physically affectionate, and she nearly knocked him off balance, but he returned her embrace, his arms strong around her back.
Finally she pulled back, and he took her hand into his to slip the ring onto her finger. "Thank you, Angela…" he said softly, tears beginning to form in his eyes.
Angela cupped his face, feeling his tears against her fingers. "I accept, Randall," she replied, and she kissed him again, a gentler kiss this time.
She could feel his heartbeat against her chest as he embraced her again. After all these years, they were beginning to find peace again.