Author's note: I'm sorry it took me so long to get all of this done. While I've got a much better feel for my new routine and I'm finally starting to feel as though I'm getting the hang of it, I still have quite a bit of catching up to do. I'm also working on catching myself slacking off when I should be getting work done. It's all coming together nicely, though; I expect to be back on a regular update schedule soon. Again, thanks are due to everyone's support and understanding as I adjust (and get fussy and irritable when the going gets rough). Right now, I'm planning on updating on Monday and Friday evenings. While I originally wanted to upload in the morning, this works well with my new schedule and feels like a better update routine overall. Going four and three days between updates seems a bit better than five and two.

By the way, as I've already had someone ask me about the first song in the track list for this chapter, I thought I should make it clear that the answer is yes. It's that Imperial March. I didn't make any specific mention of it at the time, but you can also find it referenced in chapter one.

1. "The Imperial March" composed by John Williams

2. "Aka to Kuro" by Ali Project

3. "Fukai Mori" by Do As Infinity

4. "Blight" composed by Kou Otani

Fareeha shifted restlessly in her seat in the back of her transport as it slowly crawled through the crowd outside of her hotel. Though she didn't care for the ordeal any more than she ever did, thinking of her destination kept her from being particularly annoyed. The raucous crowd barely registered in her mind as her driver helped her move through the middle of it. Every time she heard someone shout Angela's name as part of a question about where she was going, her mind was torn from the crowd around her and was again in Angela's suite, bouncing back and forth between remembering the night before and imagining the night to come. Now that she had the transport's door separating her from the people outside and she had nothing to distract her from her thoughts, she was aware of how much nervousness had built up inside of her. Without even the walk or remembering to politely wave to expend her energy, it was impossible for her to sit still. Though she still felt nauseated and the slight pain in her head was just starting to ease now that she was out of the sunlight, the fatigue she felt seemed like it was something she was remembering from weeks earlier rather than hours. Her body still felt heavy and slow to respond, but it refused to sit still. Only her stomach seemed to protest; it churned in warning every time she shifted or made a sudden movement.

If I weren't so happy, I'd think that I was going mad.

When her phone sounded to announce an incoming call, Fareeha was surprised to feel relieved. Unable to sort out her thoughts properly, she was glad for the distraction. Her relief was short-lived, however, coming to a violent end when her mind registered the familiar composition and her stomach began to toss despite the fact that she was sitting entirely still. (1) There's no way in hell that I'm dealing with this right now. Despite knowing what to expect, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and groaned when she saw Lieutenant Colonel Fawzy's name displayed underneath the Helix Security International logo. Though her sense of duty compelled her to answer, a combination of annoyance and disgust kept her from doing so. More than that, she knew that it wasn't likely to be anything important. Whether it was or not, she would surely get a message about it as soon as she failed to answer the call. Just as she was thinking it, a message came through from Fawzy. Though she had no desire to read it, the thought of having it hanging over her head for any length of time was unbearable, especially considering the thought that it would distract her during an evening with Angela. Looking over it, she smiled without realizing it as the tension inside of her evaporated. It was a short message that certainly wasn't anything pressing.

There is no need to reply to this message. I am only contacting you to inform you that I have just learned of a festival in Zürich taking place this evening and a growing interest in whether or not you and Doctor Ziegler will be in attendance. If you have the time to spare, it would benefit your public image to be seen there with her.

With the threat of another argument now a memory, Fareeha was able to consider the request with a clear mind. If it would help her maintain a positive public image and fulfil her duty to Helix by doing so, it was well worth considering. Also, though they would be together for the rest of their vacation, she wasn't in the habit of turning down any excuse to spend more time with Angela. The only things keeping her from cheerfully agreeing were the thought of willingly putting herself on display in a crowded place again and the fact that her body didn't seem to be likely to allow for such a thing today. Still, the evening was a long way off and there was plenty of time to recover. The only thing keeping her from pushing herself to do it in spite of herself was the fact that it would require taking Angela with her. While she didn't think anything of enduring the discomfort herself, dragging Angela along with her to do the same was out of the question. She works herself hard enough as it is.

Thinking about the evening ahead quickly transitioned from thoughts of going out to thoughts of staying in as the transport finally broke free of the crowd, picking up speed and reminding Fareeha of the relatively short distance between herself and her destination. Her pulse sped up along with the transport as she remembered having made the same trip the day before. I would think I would be used to it by now. Her whole life, she had been known for her ability to learn quickly. For as long as she could remember, she was able to adjust to new circumstances in an instant, especially in the face of a challenge. Angela was the only exception that she could recall. She always assumed that she would eventually get used to being around her, which had long supported her belief that her growing feelings would eventually fade. She told herself that she would get over it one day and find herself free of the burden of feeling anything at all. One day, things will go back to normal. I won't stumble over myself or get tongue-tied when I'm around her and I won't ache when she's gone. It's for the best. I already know that this is not the worst thing that could happen. I should be grateful, really; it gets far worse when you don't stop it in time. Fareeha couldn't stop herself from laughing when the words that she'd repeated to herself so many times in the past came to mind again. It didn't matter how much sense they made or how sure she had been that she was right. She had been wrong and, in spite of herself, she couldn't bring herself to regret it. She was certain that she was right in believing that there was risk in making the attempt and, though there was still risk in continuing, she couldn't have been farther off the mark in her assumption that it was for the best that she not try. Angela is worth it.

The only thing still troubling Fareeha was the thought of sharing a bed with Angela again. It had been easy enough the night before when wine and fatigue made her entirely too lethargic to worry about it. Once the shock had worn off, the feeling of waking up still holding her made it impossible to regret having done so. With her head slightly more clear now, however, she couldn't deny that she had concerns. Despite her public image, she knew Angela too well to ever believe that she was the type to hold back very much or for very long when she was faced with something she wanted. Now that they had put pretense behind them, there was certainly the possibility that she would have expectations of their relationship. It was merely a question of the specifics of those expectations and how long it would be before they were presented. It wasn't likely to be a concern for Angela, but Fareeha couldn't deny having reservations. As she thought about it, she wondered for a moment if it was a lack of desire, but remembering the dress Angela was wearing when she last saw her immediately dismissed the thought as a possibility. She couldn't explain it, but there was apprehension there that gave her pause. It felt much like the feeling of going into an entirely new challenge that she wasn't prepared to encounter. She wasn't entirely inexperienced, though Samia was a long way behind her by now. It had been years since she had as much as given the matter any significant thought. Just as now, it wasn't necessarily a lack of desire; the matter just never came up. After spending years slowly disconnecting herself from the thought of wanting to be involved with anyone, she often thought of desiring someone in any way like a worn part for a machine that had long since been replaced with something better.

Things have changed, though. That machine has rediscovered its intended purpose.

Though the thought had given her at least some measure of comfort for years, it was no longer the case. If I'm honest with myself, it never really was. It was just a means of getting by. As soon as she thought of it, a song came to mind that she'd found in her mother's collection years earlier. Confusion and curiosity led her to find and translate the lyrics and, once she had, she spent several years listening to it and hoping that it might one day apply to her. Noticing that she was again growing tense in the face of a problem without a clear solution, it seemed like a good time for a distraction. Pulling out her phone, she quickly found the song and set it to play. (2) As she heard the music for the first time in years, she smiled in spite of herself. Despite having buried it along with her desires long ago, it took only seconds to find it. The fast pace and sound of stringed instruments felt familiar despite the time that had passed. Unfamiliar words from an unfamiliar language flew past her in a blur, but she had long ago memorized them and their meaning. Another smile came when she found herself resisting the urge to sing along. It was like being underwater and then finally taking a breath after resurfacing; no matter how much she'd told herself that she didn't need it while it was gone, there was no denying the comfort that came along with its return.

She still didn't have solution for her dilemna, but the reminder that her situation had changed for the better managed to calm her. Rather than worrying about the fact that she didn't understand her apprehension, she decided that it would be better to proceed as she had since she started down this road and simply take one step at a time. She worried about how Angela would react, but the feeling reminded her of the first time she found herself facing a decision like this. She hadn't had time to think the matter through with Samia. She'd simply gone with what she was feeling; there had certainly been desire, but there had also been fear of the reaction that might follow a failure to reciprocate. Having an experience with Samia as her only frame of reference was as good as not having one at all. Angela is most decidedly not Samia. If she was, I wouldn't be considering it in the first place. We'll do what we've been doing so far...we'll talk about it and trust each other.

Fareeha leaned back into her seat and relaxed as she replayed the song, not looking up again until she felt the transport slowing down. She could feel her pulse pick up its pace as she realized that they must be close to the hotel, but she forced herself to ignore it. There would certainly still be a long wait if the crowd from earlier hadn't dispersed and thinking that it would seemed like a bit much to hope for. Still daring to hope, she looked out of the window and her mouth fell open. Rather than shrinking, it had easily tripled in size. Still refusing to allow herself to get worked up again, she fell back into her seat and again focused on the music as she willed herself to remain calm. Looking down at her phone, she scrolled through playlists for another song for a moment before running across the song that she'd sent to Angela earlier as she was leaving. Immediately trapped somewhere between feeling amused and mortified, she laughed nervously at herself. She'd sent the song on a whim and, in her hurry to make her way through the crowd outside of her hotel, she hadn't given it much thought. Now that she had the time to consider having done it, she couldn't help feeling embarrassed over it even though she couldn't explain why. For the entire evening and well into the morning, she had been dispensing with pretense and making her intentions clear. Still, this was something new. Rather than admitting to something that it was now clear had been glaringly obvious, she was taking a new step altogether. Being entirely honest with herself, she admitted that she loved the thought. Having Angela send her off earlier made her have to fight herself to actually leave her behind. Her experience with relationships was sparse at best, but she still wondered if things weren't moving too quickly. She would gladly charge ahead and deal with it as it came, but making Angela uncomfortable was an entirely different matter. She was already working on a way to smooth things over when she felt the transport come to a stop.

Fareeha was so preoccupied with coming up with a decent apology that she'd forgotten to be anxious about the crowd despite being in the middle of it. She reviewed potential apologies and explanations as she walked slowly and gave her practiced wave that had now nearly become habit. The only thought that interrupted her was the slightly unsettling feeling that came from realizing that she was getting used to being the center of attention. She felt more relieved than she had in the last full day to find herself within arm's reach of the doors that would separate her from her fans until she saw unusual movement out of the corner of her eye. With a familiar motion, a relatively small frame was gracefully dancing around the hotel staff keeping the crowd at bay, spinning and sending long, brown hair flying in every direction until she came to a stop between Fareeha and the door.

Shit...not you again!

After blinking hard as though hoping the young woman in front of her had been a particularly unpleasant hallucination, Fareeha stared intently in front of her only to see that the reporter that had stopped her on her way into Angela's hotel the night before was again in front of her, microphone already pointed toward herself. She looked quite pleased with herself, though her cheerful expression seemed out of place once Fareeha saw the dark and swollen circles under her eyes. She was still wearing the same clothes as she had the night before, showing several deep creases in places that reminded her of Angela's dress when she'd gotten out of bed earlier that morning. Her hair seemed far more out of place than the damage that a simple spin had done, looking as though it had been hastily brushed with little attention paid to doing the job properly. Despite feeling annoyed that she'd once again been stopped with sanctuary in sight, Fareeha couldn't help feeling sorry for her. She knew that look well; it was the look of someone that had been working all night long. As much as she didn't want to be bothered, she couldn't simply brush past her and let her effort be for nothing.

"Y—yes?"

The reporter seemed lost for words for a moment when she realized that Fareeha seemed to be willing to entertain her questions. She recovered quickly and started speaking as quickly as she could into her microphone. "Your evening with Mercy seems to have been all but confirmed to have been a date at this point! Do you have anything to say in response to these claims?"

For a fraction of a second, Fareeha expected to feel embarrassed in the face of speaking publicly. Using the opportunity to confirm her relationship with Angela publicly, however, made her more excited than anything else. "Nothing other than that they are entirely accurate."

She again seemed to be lost for words, her expression making her look as though she had just struck gold. Fareeha was amazed that she once again recovered in an instant. "So it's true! Are the two of you an item now? Is it true that you're here to see her again?"

"Yes...and yes."

Fareeha doubted that her responses were exciting enough to be worth the trouble it must have caused to obtain them, but the reporter seemed to be quite pleased to be hearing them nonetheless. "What about Overwatch? Will your relationship cause any conflict if you end up joining them?"

"I'll tell you the same thing I have to say to anyone else that doesn't approve: While no one is required to approve of our relationship, they would be wise to keep their grievances to themselves."

"Oh! You sound pretty serious about this! I remember that Mercy sounded pretty serious, herself! So...is it serious?"

"Quite."

"I'm happy for you both! It's too bad for your fans, though...they've been in a frenzy all night long waiting for confirmation! They're no doubt going to be in a terrible state once they hear all of this!"

And here I'd nearly forgotten why I didn't want to see you again.

The statement reminded Fareeha of when they'd met the evening before and Angela's reaction to a similar statement. It was clearly a sensitive subject. The last thing Fareeha wanted was to have that same look directed at her as a result of having said the wrong thing in response. Saying nothing seemed to be just as bad as saying the wrong thing, however, leading Fareeha to simply say what she was actually thinking and hope for the best. "That's...unfortunate. It can't be helped, though. To be entirely honest, from the time I met her, nobody else ever really stood a chance."

Fareeha had wondered for a moment if she'd managed to say something wrong in spite of her efforts when her response was met with silence. Again, the reporter seemed to be surprised by how straightforward Fareeha was about the questions she was being asked. Even the crowd had become noticeably more quiet when the people gathered around them that were within earshot had fallen silent. During the pause, her driver took advantage of the moment and stepped in front of the reporter while gently pulling Fareeha toward the door. Seeing her opportunity escaping, the reporter came to her senses and called out again.

"What about Tracer? Did you know that she's sponsoring—"

Already inside of the hotel, Fareeha turned and called back to her as she walked. "Get in touch with the hotel. They'll put you in touch with me and you can ask me more later." Giving a quick nod to the surprised hotel manager preparing to welcome her back, she quickly thanked her driver and made her way to the elevators.

As the elevator doors closed behind her and the noise outside could no longer be heard, Fareeha sighed as she found herself finally alone in relative calm. She attempted to put the matter behind her and return to rehearsing her apology, but it proved to be difficult. Though she still couldn't say that she cared for it, publicly declaring her intentions did far more to soothe her frayed nerves than any amount of thinking that she had done on her own. She realized that she'd finally gotten something that she'd wanted of a relationship in the past: She had someone to share her good fortune with. It was met with general approval and any opposition had been soundly defeated. Even better, she could finally be happy in admitting that her mother had been right. The one she loved should be proud of being with her.

Fareeha made another attempt to return to her rehearsal, but it was interrupted as the elevator began to rise to the suite level by a chime from her phone indicating an incoming message. She checked it and laughed aloud when she saw new contact information with a hastily written message asking her to set up an appointment at her earliest convenience. She doesn't waste any time, does she? Though she didn't look forward to the interview to come, Fareeha couldn't help feeling as though she'd made the right decision. As much as she didn't want to be bothered, she was moved by the thought that anyone would show so much dedication to their work, even if their work revolved around not minding their own business. Still laughing, she remembered the last thing that the reporter had been yelling at her as she was walking away. She'd heard something about Lena's sponsoring someone before cutting across her to tell her to get in touch with her later, but there had been something else afterward. She thought it had been something about being expected by someone to attend the festival later, but there was no way to be sure. As she was walking away, the crowd started closing in on the reporter and firing too many questions at her to be certain what was being said. Still smiling and shrugging at no one in particular, Fareeha finally put the thought aside as the elevator came to a stop and the doors started to open. I'm supposed to be more public about my relationship and I can't live with the thought of letting that girl's effort come to nothing. If we help each other, I may be able to kill two birds with one stone.

As Fareeha was again making her way down the hallway, Angela was bouncing in place in anticipation while looking around her suite for anything else that needed doing that she may have missed. She felt nervous about it, but it was a marked improvement over what she'd been feeling before she had anything to occupy her thoughts. Though she'd resolved to not worry about the next several days after seeing the message from Fareeha saying that she was on her way back, it had proven to be more easily said than done. She attempted to convince herself that it wasn't as big a deal as she was making of it, but the argument didn't last long in her mind. Sharing a living space was a significant step that they were taking. She'd said aloud to herself that it was nothing that they hadn't done before, unconsciously hoping that hearing the words would lend credence to them. Instead, the words rang hollow. She had lost her faith in the statement nearly as soon as she had made it. While it was true that they'd shared a room a number of times in the past, the situation had clearly changed. In the past, they were merely friends; at best, she had been attempting to convince herself that they were nothing more than that. Now that they had openly declared their intentions, they weren't simply sharing a hotel room. They were sharing a living space as a couple. Thinking about it drove home the point that it was a clearly defined change in their relationship that had come relatively soon. She didn't mind it herself as she'd been dreaming of it the entire time that they had been sharing hotel rooms as friends, but she worried that she might be pushing Fareeha too quickly.

Angela's face had displayed a frustrated smile as she thought about how difficult it was to tell what was on Fareeha's mind when it came to making her happy or determining what was causing her pain. She was never one to show her discomfort, making it all but impossible for Angela to know when she was causing any. From the time she'd decided to start attempting to slowly push their relationship forward, she was concerned with not repeating her past mistakes and end up doing as she pleased while pulling Fareeha along with her. Fareeha hadn't made it easy, though, as she always endured discomfort as a matter of course. The more something hurt her, the less likely she was to show it. She would simply do what she considered to be her duty and soldier on as she completed whatever task was in front of her. Angela was certain that she had admitted to more discomfort in the last day than she had since they'd met. Though the look of pain on her face broke Angela's heart, she couldn't deny that she liked the thought of finally being able to tell how Fareeha was feeling. She wanted nothing more than to take that pain away; now, she could tell whether or not she was getting the job done. She laughed as she remembered going through something similar the first time she'd ever treated Fareeha's physical injuries, spending what felt like hours trying to convince her that there was a significant difference between feeling good and feeling good enough to return to battle. She is by far the most difficult patient I have ever treated.

Thinking of making Fareeha comfortable had eventually led to thoughts of the bed they'd shared the night before. Though there was no malice in her intent, Angela couldn't help cringing when she thought of the fact that, as she feared, she had wanted to share a bed and hadn't given a second thought to quite literally pulling Fareeha along behind her. Though she never thought to admit it beyond hoping that it wouldn't come up, she had been awake for the better part of an hour by the time Fareeha's eyes first opened. After waking up, Angela had only registered a pounding in her head and the discomfort caused by falling asleep with her hair still pulled back and pinned into a chignon. As she blindly reached for her head to start pulling out pins, her hand brushed across Fareeha's stomach and caused the events of the evening before to come rushing back to her. Until Fareeha finally awoke, pulling out hair pins was the only thing she allowed herself to do to distract herself from the feeling of waking up next to the woman she loved. As happy as she had been, she had only just barely kept the memory of pulling Fareeha along with her at bay. After Fareeha left to return to her hotel, it was much more difficult to keep the thought out of her mind. Facing it and the thought of again sharing a bed with her made her again wonder if she was pushing things forward too quickly. She didn't bother denying that she knew what she wanted to come of it; instead, she simply resolved to not give in to it. The thought of the nurse's uniform in the box now hidden inside of a suitcase was enough to make her feel certain that she was making the right decision. No. Not yet. Not even soon. I do not know if even I am ready for that.

Thoroughly frustrated, Angela had forced herself to shift her thoughts anywhere else. Out of habit, she thought about Fareeha and immediately felt her mood shifting for the better. Somehow, remembering that they would be together again in a matter of minutes had pushed all of her worries aside. She thought about the night before and the conversation that went well into the early morning when she had confessed to having similar concerns. The thought of Fareeha's response quickly put her situation into perspective. Though that wasn't enough to keep her from trying her best, she was relieved to remember that she at least had a chance to get it right. Fareeha had heard the worst of her and was willing to understand. That being the case, it wasn't difficult to imagine that she would be willing to forgive in the event of another error in judgement. She had smiled peacefully when she remembered their shared promise to give their relationship their best effort in spite of how difficult it would no doubt be. She is happy with me as I am. She does not want me to change.

Feeling more excited than worried, Angela had picked up the suite's tablet and looked at the message from Fareeha again. She checked the timestamp and saw that nearly twenty minutes had already gone by. She was already imagining holding her in her arms again when she saw the file attached to the message. Remembering the first time she was waiting for Fareeha to arrive, an idea had come to her to have a perfect song playing when Fareeha walked through the door. She quickly pulled up a list of the songs that Fareeha had transferred to the suite's personal network when she connected her phone to it the night before. Her excitement faded in an instant when Angela looked at the list of files and cringed. Now that she had access to Fareeha's full music library, the simple task now seemed overwhelming. She saw tens of thousands of individual song titles listed, none of which seemed immediately familiar. This is just what she carries with her all the time? Remembering how she tackled the list the day before, she selected several songs she already liked and analyzed them for similar sounds. As suggestions were made, she added several of them to a playlist and set them to start. The first one to play was simple and calm, starting with a lone guitar and a pleasant voice singing words that she didn't understand. (3) Unable to make sense of them, she quickly searched for a translation of the lyrics. Her breath caught in her throat as realization dawned on her, causing her to smile as she forced back an urge to cry. It would seem that I have gotten lucky again. Amazed by the thought that something so appropriate would be hidden in the depths of Fareeha's collection, she couldn't help wondering what else she had added to the playlist. She skipped through several of the songs, finally stopping on one in particular that caught her attention when it started with what she was almost certain was a lone cello. (4) Thinking of another pleasant surprise, she quickly set it to replace the sound of her doorbell before scrolling through the songs again.

Angela spent several minutes afterward going through the list of songs, only stopping when she heard her new doorbell. Excited, she threw the tablet aside and ran to the front door. Pulling it open wide in her excitement, she stood in confusion for a full second before realizing that she was looking at the room service attendant who had just arrived with her order. He smiled politely as Angela stood aside to make room for him to push a large cart filled with covered dishes and a small grocery bag into the suite. As she looked at the cart, filled nearly to capacity with food, she wondered if she might have gone overboard in ordering. She wasn't sure how much of an appetite Fareeha would have while feeling so sick, but considering that it was normally all but insatiable, it seemed wise to err on the side of caution and order too much rather than too little.

Angela looked up in surprise when the attendant's voice broke through her thoughts. "Do you need any help setting things up?"

"No, just leave everything in the kitchen. I will take it from there." Angela had to remind herself to not be offended by the offer, but she wasn't about to allow anyone else to do any more to prepare Fareeha's meals in her place than absolutely necessary. She was already bothered enough by the fact that she hadn't cooked it herself.

"As you wish, Doctor Ziegler. Are you expecting guests soon?"

"Only one."

Seeing the smile spreading across Angela's face, the attendant couldn't help inquiring further as he started moving dishes. "Oh! Pharah is coming back? I guess that explains the commotion outside."

"She is already here?"

The attendant nodded, now excited in spite of his efforts to remain professional. He didn't even remember to politely protest as Angela started helping him unload the cart. "The entire hotel is on alert. They're going into a frenzy out there; someone said that Pharah stopped to answer questions."

"She...she what?" Angela stopped for a moment as she was carrying the last of the covered dishes to a countertop in the kitchen. The thought didn't immediately register in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered if some other celebrity had come to the hotel instead.

"I didn't catch it all because I was in a hurry to get here, but I heard other employees saying over the intercom that someone was asking her about the two of you. It looks like it's finally official." Though excited about the conversation, he looked a bit disappointed. "Quite a few people are happy and sad about it at the same time. I know how they feel, to be honest...I've been a fan of Pharah's for a while, myself."

The admission seemed to throw a switch in Angela's mind. Confusion was immediately replaced with anger strong enough to keep her from turning to face him out of fear of her reaction as she carried the bag of groceries into the kitchen. "Then I will get you an autograph."

The attendant fell silent following the terse reply and continued to work quietly. Guilt set in immediately as Angela realized how quickly her temper had gotten the better of her. As the attendant set the last of the dishes on the countertop, he politely excused himself and headed for the door. "I should hurry...she should be here at any moment."

Riddled with guilt, Angela's mind raced to find a way to undo her mistake. Unable to find the right words, she said the first thing that came to mind. "Will you be working all day today?"

"Y—yes, ma'am."

"I will try to get that autograph to you before the end of the day."

Though Angela had felt as guilty about blatantly attempting to pacify him as she had about snapping at him, she was relieved to see that he smiled and seemed to be genuinely excited about the offer as he rushed down the hall.

Attempting to put the matter out of her mind, Angela rushed to arrange some of the dishes on the counter while she placed others in the oven to keep them warm. As she finished, she remembered the bag of groceries and went to put them away. When she looked into the bag, her heart skipped a beat when she saw an apron neatly folded on top of everything else. She nearly dropped it in her excitement as she rushed to put it on. All else was forced from her mind as she remembered her idea and the feeling that was so far only being hinted at by the dishes that she'd quickly but carefully arranged in the kitchen. Her only thoughts were of Fareeha's reaction until she heard a cello playing over the suite's speakers. She smiled as she took a deep breath and attempted to calm herself before heading to the front door.

Though she attempted to remain calm, she couldn't keep herself from again pulling the front door open wide with excitement. As always, Angela's heart skipped a beat when she saw Fareeha standing in the doorway in her flawlessly tidy dress uniform. Somewhere in the back of her mind, it suddenly occurred to her that there was nothing wrong with saying what she was thinking this time. It was an important step that they were taking and, as with last night, it was surely best to be open and honest while taking it. She suggested it herself when she'd sent that song, after all. Smiling, Angela pushed her hesitation aside as though it offended her; this was a leap that she both wanted to take and was sure that she was ready to take.

"Welcome home, Fareeha."