Dinner was served at a later hour due to time of Grace and Annie's arrival home. When it was served around 7 PM, Oliver, Grace, and Annie sat in an uncomfortable silence. Annie was afraid to speak beyond asking someone to please pass the bread. Grace wasn't sure of what to say herself. Oliver ate with the evening paper open. As far as Annie and Grace were aware, they were dead to him tonight. As a result, two girls gave each other uneasy glances off and on while they ate.

After dinner, Oliver told Grace she wouldn't be allowed to spend time with Annie before her bedtime until she was caught up with her work. She cooperated. No way was she was going to step on his toes anytime soon. Thankfully Annie understood. Besides, she'd been given a load of homework to do by tomorrow afternoon.

Much to Grace's dismay, a majority of tasks needed to be done in the office with Oliver. She had to make a schedule for interviews, which meant looking at both her and Oliver's schedules, and making phone calls to some of the interviewees at a late hour. The atmosphere in the room was heavy. Whenever Grace needed to ask a question, she was answered with a grumble. After a while, she stopped saying anything. If she had a question she'd take the time to figure out the answer herself.

Fortunately, she was allowed a break to tuck Annie in. Unfortunately, when she returned, he was the same grouch from a half hour before. Why she expected a swift change, she didn't know. In any way, she completed her tasks as fast as possible.

. . .

"I'm finished for the night, sir," Grace said as she stood in front of Oliver's desk. "The rest will have to wait until morning."

"Very well," he replied, uninterested.

She turned to go, but then turned back after only moving a few feet. "I'd like to apologize again for whatever happened with Annie earlier. I hope you aren't too upset with her."

Looking up, he admitted, "I'm not thrilled with the fact she thought it was okay to speak to me as if she were my equal, but if I'm 'upset' at anyone, it's you."

The statement didn't surprise her, yet she asked, "How come?"

"Miss Farrell," he stood. "How could you tell her what happened? I find it quite inappropriate."

Furrowing her brow, she answered, "Well, it wasn't hard to figure out. Needless to say, I wasn't exactly in good spirits when we left."

"But did you need to tell her the fine details?" He almost sounded hurt.

"To be honest, sir, she gathered a majority of her information when she overheard me talking to my neighbor. I would have liked to have kept her from this as much as possible."

"Your neighbor?"

"Yes, we went to my father's home in Connecticut."

"Why were you talking to your neighbor about what happened?"

"My father wasn't around, so she, more or less, took us in. Seeing as I haven't visited in at least three years, she sensed something was up. I spoke with her in attempts not to burden Annie any more. Obviously, my plan went awry."

Surrendering to her excuse, he sat back in his chair. "Very well. Just be sure Annie knows her place."

Those words stung Grace for she'd heard the same from Miss Hannigan. The girl couldn't cut a break... even if she did have a tendency to take matters into her own hands. Despite the great urge to make a retort, she simply nodded and went for the door.

"Were you really as upset as she said you were?" Oliver asked as she reached the door.

Stunned by the question, Grace looked back and replied. "Well, that depends... how upset did she say I was?"

Wondering why he spoke and where he was going, he answered, "She said you were 'so sad'."

A bright red tint colored the woman's cheeks as she looked away in embarrassment. "I might have overreacted..." Then growing defensive, she went on. "But I think she embellished a bit. I did my best to keep her out of this even after I knew she heard my conversation. Let the record show that there was more going on in my mind than just what happened here."

"Like what?"

"To be honest, Mr. Warbucks, I'd rather not discuss it."

"All right then," he shrugged.

Grace went to leave again, but once again stopped. This time she strode up to the desk and proposed, "Can tomorrow be a fresh start? I don't want there to be any ill feelings lingering between us. It won't make for good working energies. Is there anything else you want to say to me on the subject?"

There was plenty he wanted to say to her, but he wasn't ready to come out with any of it. "No, I have nothing more to say. I would like to move past this as well." He held out his hand.

Grace smiled and took his offered hand. Their handshake lasted longer than was appropriate. Realizing this, Grace pulled back and said, "Are you sure there isn't anything else you want to say?"

He began to speak, but he quickly changed his mind. "...Goodnight, Miss Farrell."

"Goodnight, Mr. Warbucks." For the final time that night, she went for the door, successfully leaving on this attempt. As with most of the events of that day, she wasn't sure what had just happened, but for the first time since she'd returned she felt at ease. She was glad to have initiated a 'truce'. At least one weight was lifted from her shoulders. Now she could sleep tonight knowing that she wasn't going to wake up to another uncomfortable meal… she hoped.

. . .

Once again, when Grace left the room, she left Oliver too distracted to continue working. Remaining cool and casual wasn't as easy as he thought. Annie had given him quite a lot to think about earlier. He'd never admit it aloud, but he admired the girl's bravery in Grace's honor. It certainly said a lot about the woman. He'd known Annie was fond of Grace, but apparently an emotional attachment wasn't one sided.

He was glad to agree to a fresh start despite his initial resign to be detached. He was learning that with people like Annie and Grace (especially as a team) there was no way to avoid the emotions. Both of them ran on what they felt. Then again, perhaps that's how most people lived. Not him – he'd been hurt too many times. If he didn't feel, there was no chance for pain. Perhaps that's why he was so bitter about the fight with Grace. He felt it. She'd never given him a reason to completely shut off to her seeing as she never challenged him, nor did she do anything against him. She was a beacon. When work grew busy, she was always there to lighten the load – and always without complaint. Even when work kept her up half the night, she showed up in the morning wide-eyed and ready. No matter what he asked her to do, she'd do it. It's no secret that she was his most valued employee. She had privileges no other secretary had been given. For example, the only time any of the other secretaries would dine with him was when he needed his schedule read in the morning or when work had to be brought to the table. That only lasted a few short months with Grace. Eventually Oliver invited her to eat with him regularly. More time passed, and she had full reign of the staff. In all honesty, he didn't know a majority of the minor employee's names nowadays. Wow... he thought. Had he cared a bit more for Grace all this time? How had he never noticed it?

Come to think of it, he had specifically chosen Grace over several more qualified candidates. She appeared to be shy, but she stood strong in the interview. There was a quality to her that he liked. Maybe it was her work ethic? Unlike the other woman he interviewed with secretarial experience, she never once set any limits. He told her the hours she would work and the tasks she would perform, and her response was a cooperative nod. Hiring her was one of the best decisions of his career. He made more money than ever before with her assistance. At least, he did before the crash. That hadn't been her fault, though. Imagine how much he might have lost without her.

He felt a headache coming on again. He didn't have another night of contemplating his feelings towards Grace in him. As he thought, he wondered if all of these suspicions were due to the fact he'd only gotten a handful of sleep while Grace and Annie had been away. Now that matters were settled, maybe he would be able to rest. Just as Grace said, tomorrow was going to be a fresh start.

I apologize if this chapter feels rushed and if their 'make up' is short or not very believable. When I was writing this, I spent days on this period of the story and it felt like this part of the plot already dragged on too long (believe it or not, most of this section of the story was cut). Now in editing, I had trouble figuring out how to get to the next part of the story without getting trapped into a long drawn out scene... so again, I'm sorry if something is off! If you're able to name what, I would appreciate you letting me know. Fanfiction is where I get most of my writing feedback, which I keep in mind for regular 'non-fanfiction' projects, so please never be afraid to shoot me some constructive critisism :)