"We just left Caem and are on our way."

That single text from Ignis sent Angelica into a frenzy. She hurried to finish the last touches on her outfit. Her excitement was building, and she could hardly wait to show off her dress.

~~~~~

The guys had just arrived in the city. Ignis sent a message to Angelica saying, "We're here in Altissia."

He almost immediately got a response. "You can find me at the hotel."

On the prince's say so, they decided to meet with Weskham first, whom Cid recommended they see. "We'll meet you there shortly," Ignis answered.

Cid departed from their company. The four men began looking around. Prompto found a map that showed how to get around to many of the city's major destinations, including Maagho's. But before they could head for a gondola to take them there, Ignis paused, something having caught his eye. He turned his attention to several shop stands, one of them selling jewelry.

"Uh, Ignis?" Noctis questioned, noticing his advisor wasn't following him.

The three watched Ignis silently approaching the jewelry stand. They followed him over. He reached out and picked up a small necklace. It had a silver pendant of two angelic wings in the shape of a heart. The words "My Angel" were engraved on it.

"Oooh." Gladio smirked, a knowing look in his eyes. "A gift for Angel."

Noctis saw the price and said, "You can buy it for her if you want. It's not too expensive."

Ignis hummed in thought. "I think I will. I'm not normally one to waste money on simple trinkets, but perhaps this once would be alright."

"Aww," Prompto cooed. "Never thought I'd see the day when Ignis would be such a romantic."

Ignis paid for the necklace and slipped it into his pocket. "I'm sure you'd be surprised," Gladio told the gunman. "Iggy knows a thing or two."

The blond looked to the bespectacled man. "Huh, who would've thought?"

The group left the stand and caught a ride on a gondola to Maagho's. There, they talked with Weskham and met Camelia, who asked to talk with the prince at her estate. Weskham recommended they rest at the hotel first, and that's exactly what they were going to do. They went straight there, and upon entering, saw Angelica sitting in the lobby.

As soon as she saw them, she hopped up and rushed over to them. "Guys, it's good to-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Ignis pulled her into a hug, catching her off guard. "I missed you, darling."

After the surprise wore off, the girl smiled, returning the hug. "I missed you too." After pulling away, she smiled at them all. "Good to see you guys."

"Likewise," Noctis responded.

"And you're looking good!" Prompto told her. "No more Starscourge!"

"Yeah." Her smile faded. "Listen, I never got a chance to say it before, but... I'm sorry."

"For what?" Gladio asked.

Angelica lowered her gaze to the floor. "For... everything back in Secreta. I didn't listen to you guys like I should've."

Noctis moved closer and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't sweat it, Angel. We all make mistakes."

"You were just a little too caught up in your revenge plan," Prompto added.

"You are forgiven," Ignis said.

The redhead smiled slightly at hearing that. The boys then rented a room next to Angelica's. There, they decided to catch up. They informed the girl on everything that happened in Lucis after they split up, along with the things Weskham explained to them and meeting the first secretary.

"So, you two have anything special to do tonight?" Gladio suddenly asked.

Angelica's eyes widened slightly and she looked to Ignis. He smiled. "They already know, Angel."

The girl fixed her eyes on the prince. "Noct, I promise, this won't distract me from my duties. I-"

He held a hand up, cutting her off. "I've already had this conversation with Specs. I don't care if you guys go out and stuff, I know you can still fulfill you're responsibilities."

Angelica smiled and moved over to sit beside Ignis on one of the beds. Their hands connected between them. "There's something else I've gotta confess," the girl admitted. "Ever since Secreta, I've realized that being an assassin isn't about revenge or taking lives. It's about protecting those around you and doing what's right. I think that's what my mom wanted me to be like all along. I think I was actually living with that darkness deep down inside me since I was a child. It was thanks to your efforts that I was finally able to rid myself of it."

"To be honest, Miss Valerie made us promise years ago to look out for you," Noctis informed her.

"She did?"

"She was worried about the path you may have walked in life," Ignis explained. "She wanted us to be there so that you'd never fall into darkness. But I believe she'd be proud of the young woman you've become."

Angelica smiled to herself, thinking of her mother. She then looked at her friends with determination. "Don't get me wrong, I still want to take the empire down. But we'll do it together, as a team."

"That's the spirit!" the gunman chimed in.

"You never answered my question, are you two doing anything special tonight?" the shield repeated.

Angelica glanced at Ignis beside her. "Well, I was thinking of a night out."

Ignis nodded. "It is a perfect opportunity before we meet with the first secretary tomorrow."

The five friends talked a bit more until sunset. Angelica quickly got up, looking down at the advisor. "By the way, I've got a surprise for you, Ignis. Meet me down at the piers in thirty minutes."

"Very well."

The girl hurried out and to her room. She swiftly got changed into her outfit. She brushed her hair up into a ponytail. She even applied a little light makeup, some eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick.

(This is her dress)

She then left and made her way down and out of the hotel. Now she simply had to wait. Luckily, she wouldn't have to wait long, having less than ten minutes until Ignis would join her.

~~~~~

Ignis exited the room after about thirty minutes. He left the hotel and scanned the piers. There was only one that was occupied, and the red hair of the girl gave her away. She leaned forward with her arms resting on the railing. Ignis's eyes were scanning over her appearance as he approached. Angelica turned her head, hearing his footsteps. She smiled and stood up straight.

"What do you think?" She spun around. "I made it myself."

"You certainly did an outstanding job." A smile graced his lips. "You look absolutely radiant, darling. Speaking of which, I have a surprise for you as well."

He reached into his pocket, pulling out the necklace. Angelica gasped upon seeing it. Ignis quietly moved behind her, fastening the silver chain around her neck. The girl stared down at the pendant, slowly turning to face the man.

"Ignis, it's beautiful. Thank you."

"It suits you perfectly. And you will forever be 'My Angel'."

He gazed lovingly into her eyes. He placed a hand on the side of her face while the other snaked around her waist, pulling her closer. Angelica's heart sped up as he began leaning down toward her, and her hands went up to rest on his shoulders. Her eyes fluttered shut as their lips met. Unlike before, she was anticipating this, and eagerly kissed back. For several moments, their lips moved in sync against one another before they had to pull apart.

"Well, shall we then, darling?"

She nodded, and the two set out together. They took a gondola across the city, taking in the view as they went. They sat side by side, with Angelica's head resting on his shoulder while Ignis's hand sat snuggly around her waist. She felt his lips against her head a couple of times, causing her to smile. After getting off the gondola, the pair went to a restaurant for some fine dining. They talked and laughed together while enjoying a meal.

After eating, they took a romantic walk just to see the sights. They ended up stopping near a fountain where musicians were playing. A few people had gathered around to listen or dance. Ignis offered a hand to the girl at his side.

"Care to dance, darling?"

She took his hand. "Of course."

The two danced as if they were in a ballroom. "This certainly brings back memories," the advisor said.

"Sure does," Angelica responded. "Moments that I spent with you are ones I treasure."

Ignis smiled at the fond memory. "Even back then, I loved you so much. And yet, I merely pushed that feeling away, assuming it would only distract me from my responsibilities."

"I'm guilty of that as well," the redhead admitted. "I've always felt this way about you, but I refused to admit it. All that time, if we had only listened to our hearts and been true to our feelings, we might've ended up like this a long time ago."

"Better late than never."

After a bit of dancing, they grabbed a couple of drinks and decided to go on back to the hotel. "Hey, Ignis?"

"Yes, Angel?"

"Would it be okay if we shared a room?" She averted her gaze in slight embarrassment. "I just... wanna be with you more."

"Very well. I'd love to indulge myself in your company longer."

Making it back to the hotel, Ignis moved into Angelica's room, giving the others extra sleeping space. Angelica did take a moment to show off her dress to the guys.

"Stunning," Noctis said simply.

"Sexy," Gladio added.

"Wow, Angelica, you look hot!" Prompto exclaimed. "Could I, uh, snap a few pics?"

"Sure." Angelica posed, letting the blond take a couple of shots.

Ignis then stepped in. He took the girl's hand and kissed the top of it. "Come on, darling. We should get cleaned up for the night."

"Yeah. Night, guys."

They all replied with a "goodnight". "We'd better not hear any weird noises coming from your room!" Gladio teasingly called right before the door shut.

Angelica blushed at that. She took a sideways glance at Ignis, who led her by the hand. Ignis wouldn't do that... would he? She swiftly shook the thought out of her head. No, of course not. She definitely wasn't ready to go that far, at least not yet. But maybe one day, when everything was over, they could take things a step further.