A/N - Got another chapter done, a few days early for you all! Like I said last chapter, prepare yourself for cliffies, as there will be quite a few from here on out. I'm thinking another 5 or so chapters after this one, but I don't have everything written out yet, so I'm not positive on that. My goal is to have this story finished by the end of the month, so cross your fingers I can get out more than one chapter a week. Not sure if I will have the next one up on Monday, there is still a fair bit of it left to write and my weekend is going to be a bit busy. But, I'll get it up as soon as I can!
On Wednesday, Grace kept busy while Annie was at school, taking care of some other business that she had been neglecting while getting things ready for Oliver's trip to Pittsburgh. When Annie got home, Grace helped her with her homework and then supervised Annie and Molly's swim in the pool. Their swim was cut short, however, when Grace found herself falling asleep in her chair. She had been so tired lately. Between having to constantly get up to go to the bathroom and not being able to find a position that was comfortable for long, she hadn't been sleeping well at night. And she had been so busy today that she hadn't taken time to lie down and rest.
Grace called Annie and Molly out of the pool and while Molly obeyed immediately and climbed right out, Annie did not.
"But you said we could swim for an hour," Annie protested, treading water near where her mother was standing.
"I know I did, Annie, but I'm really very tired. I need to go lie down for a little while before dinner," Grace replied, picking up Molly's towel off a chair and wrapping the little girl up in it.
"Can't someone else come and watch us then?" Annie asked.
"No sweetheart, everyone else is busy right now," Grace said, beginning to dry Molly off. "Now please get out and get dried off."
"Just five more minutes," Annie whined. "Please?" Grace looked down at her.
"No, Annie, now," Grace said, picking up Annie's towel now that she had finished with Molly. Annie sighed loudly and then began to grumble, but did make her way to the steps and climbed out of the pool. She stomped her way over to Grace, arms crossed in front of her. Grace chose to ignore the glare on Annie's face and wrapped the towel around her.
"I wish Daddy were here," Annie said. "He'd let us stay in."
"Yes, I'm sure that he would," Grace said shortly. "But he's not here, so we'll just have to make the best of things." Annie muttered something under her breath and Grace had to fight to keep her temper. Molly was staring at Annie, her eyes wide. She had never seen her friend act this way.
"Was there something else that you wanted to say to me?" Grace asked Annie curtly. Annie looked up at her mother for a moment then shook her head. "Well then, I think that perhaps you should go up to your room until dinner. Maybe we both need a nap." Without looking at Grace, Annie turned and stalked out the door to the pool. Grace sighed as she watched her go, then turned to Molly.
"Molly, did something happen at school today that upset Annie?" she asked, as she took the girl's hand to lead her away from the pool.
"No ma'am," Molly said.
"And she hasn't told you that anything's bothering her?" Grace asked, but Molly just shook her head. "All right, well, let's go and find your father then." The two left the pool and Grace delivered Molly to Jack, who picked her up and swung her around before putting her on his shoulders and walking back towards the cottage. Grace watched them, smiling, and then made her way up to her room to lie down for a short nap before dinner.
After a quiet dinner in which neither of them spoke except to ask the other to pass something, Grace turned to Annie and asked her if something was wrong. Annie shook her head at first, then looked up at Grace and shrugged her shoulders.
"I take it that's a yes then," Grace said smirking.
"I just miss Daddy," Annie said.
"I miss him too, Annie, but it's only for a few days," Grace said, trying to be reassuring.
"I know, I'm sorry," Annie said and Grace pulled her into a hug.
"And I'm sorry that you didn't get your swim in," Grace replied, kissing her on the cheek. "How about the two of us do something tonight?" Annie nodded eagerly and soon the two were in a fierce checker tournament. Later, when she tucked her daughter into bed, Annie seemed back to her normal self and Grace was relieved.
The next day seemed to drag by, but finally it was Friday and Oliver was expected home. Grace was in the office late that morning when the phone rang.
"Darling, it's me," Oliver said, once Grace had answered.
"Why are you calling, shouldn't you be on a plane right now?" Grace asked.
"Yes, that's why I'm calling. I'm not going to make it home today," Oliver said, sighing.
"Oh Oliver, what happened?" Grace asked. "I thought things were going well yesterday." Oliver had called each night to keep Grace updated on the progress of the meetings and had assured her that everything would be wrapped up this morning.
"They were, but this morning everything seemed to fall apart. We're almost back to square one," Oliver admitted. Grace sighed.
"All right," she said sadly.
"I'm sorry, Grace," Oliver replied. "I'm going to try and wrap everything up today and hopefully I can catch the morning flight tomorrow. Tell Annie that we'll have to postpone our date."
"Oh, I'd forgotten all about that," Grace said. "She's going to be disappointed."
"I know, I wish there was something I could do, but I have to get this settled or we will be closing the factory," Oliver said, bitterness in his voice.
"It's all right, she'll understand," Grace reassured Oliver.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you too," she replied, hanging up.
Annie was upset when Grace informed her that Oliver would not be home that evening, but once Grace had told her that Oliver intended to take her to the movie on Saturday instead, she perked up and told Grace the delay didn't bother her. The two spent a quiet evening listening to the radio, Annie drawing and Grace knitting, until it was time for Annie to go to bed. Annie asked if Grace would read to her, but Grace, not having slept well again, told Annie she was just too tired. Anger flashed across Annie's face and she sat in her bed with her arms crossed in front of her.
"What is it?" Grace asked, surprised by the quick change in Annie's behavior.
"Nothing," Annie said sullenly, not looking at Grace.
"Annie," Grace said, sitting down beside her on the bed. "Is something bothering you?"
"I just wanted you to read to me," Annie said, looking sadly up at Grace. Grace sighed. She was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed, but she couldn't resist the look on Annie's face.
"All right," she said, turning around and settling herself as comfortably as she could in Annie's bed. "Just for a few minutes." Annie smiled and leaned against Grace's arm until Grace wrapped it around her and pulled the girl close to her. Grace leaned her cheek onto the top of Annie's head and smiled. She supposed that a few minutes of lost sleep was worth it.
The next day, Oliver called once again and told Grace he would not be able to make it home on Saturday either and would have to postpone the movie until the following week. Grace sighed, knowing how upset Annie was going to be, but told Oliver not to worry. He swore he would be home on Sunday, even if he did have to close down the factory to ensure it and Grace chuckled as she hung up the phone, sure that he would do just that if he needed to. She went in search of Annie and found her reading in her room.
"Annie, I'm afraid I have some bad news," Grace said, as she sat down on the bed beside the girl.
"What?" Annie asked, looking confused.
"Your father isn't going to be able to get home today," Grace said, taking Annie's hand. "He still has to finish up a few things and won't be home until tomorrow. He told me to tell you he's very sorry, but the movie will have to wait until next week." Annie didn't say anything for a moment, then looked up at Grace.
"Well, you could take me," Annie said.
"Oh, sweetheart, I don't think I could sit for that long," Grace replied, motioning to her very large belly. "I get so uncomfortable I need to move around after just a little while and you know how often I have to go to the bathroom." She thought this would make Annie giggle, but instead the girl gave her a sullen look. Annie crossed her arms in front of her and glared at Grace.
"Annie, what is it?" Grace asked, taken aback by her daughter's behavior.
"Nothing," Annie said, turning to look out the window.
"I know you're disappointed and I'm sorry that I can't take you myself," Grace said. "Maybe your father can take you out for ice cream when he gets home."
"I don't want ice cream. I want to see the movie," Annie said stubbornly.
"I know sweetheart, I'm sorry," Grace said soothingly. Annie muttered something under her breath. "What was that?" Grace asked.
"I said, you're not sorry," Annie said. "You don't care or you'd take me to the movie yourself." Grace was shocked at Annie's behavior. The little girl rarely got upset and even when she did, she had never spoken to Grace the way she was now. There was definitely something going on, but if Annie wouldn't tell her, Grace wasn't sure what to do.
"I am sorry and I explained why I couldn't take you," Grace said, forcing herself to remain calm. "It's time for lunch, let's go and eat and maybe you'll feel better."
"I'm not hungry," Annie insisted, her face in a full pout now. Grace sighed and closed her eyes, squeezing her brow with her fingers.
"All right then, I'll just leave you here to think," Grace said. "Come down to the kitchen if you change your mind." Grace turned and walked out of Annie's room, closing the door behind her.
I don't know what's gotten into her," Grace said exasperatedly to Mrs. Pugh a few minutes later. "She just seems so, so angry, and she's never spoken to me in that tone of voice before." Grace picked up the tea Helen had put in front of her and took a sip. Helen sat down with her own cup in front of her and put a hand on Grace's arm.
"Don't worry too much over it," she said. "It's just jealousy."
"Jealousy?" Grace said. "What do you mean?"
"Same thing every mother deals with when another baby comes along," Helen said, chuckling at Grace. "The first is jealous of the second and the second of the third. Of course, the first is usually jealous of the third too, so you've got double to deal with then." Grace gaped at her and then shook her head while Helen laughed.
"Of course, it's a bit different with Annie, I expect. Even though she's 11, she's only had you to herself for a short time. I suppose she's feeling a little insecure," Helen said matter-of-factly.
"But, she seemed so excited when she helped me set up the nursery," Grace said, perplexed look on her face.
"Oh, of course she's excited," Helen said. "That doesn't mean she's not jealous too. I've always said that the jealousy is completely dependent on the size of your stomach. The bigger the belly gets, the bigger the jealousy. And you have to admit, Grace, you are looking quite large lately." Grace looked up at Helen, mouth hanging open until she saw Helen's wink and realized the woman was just teasing her.
"What do I do about it then?" Grace asked. "I don't want her to be so angry with me."
"Just reassure her, tell her you love her," Helen replied. "But, Grace, I'm afraid no matter what you say, this is something that has to run its course. Once the baby gets here, it will probably be a bit worse until Annie realizes that you still love her just as much as you did before. She's older though and she understands more, it won't take her too long, I'm sure."
"I just wish she knew that no one could take her place in my heart," Grace said softly, her eyes tearing up. Helen reached out and took Grace's hand in her own.
"She knows," Helen assured her. "She may not realize it yet, but she knows, make no mistake about that." Grace nodded and the older woman hugged her. "Now, you finish that sandwich and I'll make Annie a tray you can take up to her, all right?"
"All right," Grace replied, smiling.
Once Grace had brought Annie her lunch tray the rest of the day seemed to go by more smoothly. Annie seemed to have recovered from her bad mood and the two spent the afternoon together outside. It had turned cooler than it had been the previous week, but it was still warm enough and Annie took Grace on a tour of the newly blooming gardens, pointing out the plants she and Molly had helped Jack with.
After their long walk and all the fresh air, Grace was quite tired when they came back into the house. Annie wanted Grace to watch her swim, but Grace told Annie that she couldn't. Truthfully, she had been feeling a bit off all day and thought that the sandwich she had eaten for lunch might just decide to make another appearance if she didn't lie down soon. As soon as Grace had told Annie that she wasn't going to take her swimming, Annie began to pout.
"Annie, please, no more of that. I just can't deal with it right now," Grace said, beginning to walk up the stairs. Annie, however, ignored her mother and began to trail after her.
"Please, Mom," she whined. "Just for a few minutes."
"I said no, Annie," Grace replied, continuing up the stairs.
"Fine, I'll just go by myself then," Annie said and Grace turned quickly back to look at her.
"You will do no such thing," Grace said sharply. "It isn't safe for you to be in the pool alone." Annie crossed her arms in front of her and glared at Grace.
"I'll just call Daddy," Annie said defiantly. "He'll let me." Grace simply stared at her daughter for a moment, shocked. Then she came down the steps until she was even with Annie. She leaned down and got very close to the little girl's face.
"You will stop this behavior, immediately, young lady," Grace said quietly, but with a fierceness in her voice that Annie could not ignore. Grace took Annie by the arm. "Or you will go to your room for the rest of the evening."
"Fine!" Annie yelled, wrenching herself away from Grace. "I don't care if I do have to go to my room. It's no fun with you anyway, you're tired all the time. I hate the baby and I hate you!" With that, Annie turned and ran up the stairs, leaving an incredulous Grace in her wake. After staring after Annie for a few minutes, Grace leaned back against the stair railing, drawing in a deep breath. As she got over the shock of Annie's departure, Grace realized she was quite angry. It would do no good for her to follow her daughter now, she would say something she would regret, Grace knew.
But what on earth had happened to her sweet, happy little girl? Annie had never, ever acted like this and regardless of whether she was jealous of the baby or not, Grace had never expected her to. The more she thought about it though, the more Grace realized that Annie had been pulling away from her in the last few weeks. Annie seemed to prefer to spend most of her free time with Oliver. Even when the three of them had been together, it was Oliver that Annie spoke to and while Grace never felt left out of any conversation, she realized that Annie had not asked her a direct question in Oliver's presence in quite some time. Grace was surprised she hadn't realized it until now. It made sense, given the fact that Grace was the one with the ever expanding waistline. Her daughter was turning away from her because she thought Grace was going to replace her with the new baby. The thought made Grace's heart ache, but she knew she needed to get her emotions under control before she went and spoke to Annie.
Grace made her way slowly down the stairs as Mrs. Pugh and Cecile came rushing into the hall.
"We heard Annie yelling," Helen said. "What happened?" She looked at Grace with concern and when Grace laughed shakily, and then covered her mouth with her hand to hide an escaping sob, Helen put an arm around her. She then led Grace to the settee near the stairs, Cecile following behind. Helen sat down on the settee, pulling Grace with her and Cecile stood to the side, looking down at Grace worriedly.
"It seems that Annie hates me," Grace said, watery smile on her face. Cecile gasped and Helen looked at Grace with a commiserating smile.
"Yes, it does sting quite a bit, the first time you hear that, doesn't it?" she asked. Grace simply nodded and Cecile put a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "She doesn't mean it though, you do know that?"
"I'm not sure what I know right now," Grace admitted. "Just that I am exhausted, I feel sick and now I need to go deal with a very surly 11 year-old. And I wish that Oliver were here." She sighed and hitched in a breath as Helen drew her in close, Grace's head resting on her shoulder.
"Don't you worry about anything Grace, Annie will be fine," Helen said, as she smoothed the other woman's hair. "Why don't you go on up to bed, we'll take care of Annie tonight. I'll bring you up some soup in a bit, all right?"
"I really should go and talk to her," Grace said, although the thought of falling into bed was very appealing.
"Not now, Grace, she needs to calm down too," Helen insisted.
"Maybe I should take her to my house for the evening?" Cecile asked. "Molly has been asking for another sleepover and you look like you could use the rest."
"I think that's a wonderful idea," Helen said. "Give you both a little time away from each other and tomorrow when Mr. Warbucks gets back, the three of you can sit down and have a talk about all of this." Grace's brow furrowed. She really didn't know how a sleepover with Molly would teach Annie anything, but Grace was so very tired and she felt so completely not herself that she decided maybe Helen was right and things could wait until tomorrow to be settled.
"I suppose it would be all right," Grace said tiredly.
"I'll just go and collect her then," Cecile said. "We haven't had dinner yet, she can eat with us." Grace nodded and Cecile went upstairs to Annie's room. Grace sat with Helen for a few more minutes until Annie came downstairs, Sandy in tow. Cecile whispered something to Annie and she came to stand in front of Grace, guilty expression on her face.
"I'm sorry, for what I said," Annie said quietly, biting her lower lip. Grace simply nodded and tried to smile.
"I know and we'll talk about it tomorrow," Grace said, reaching out and taking Annie's hand. "You have fun with Molly and listen to Jack and Cecile."
"I will," Annie promised and Grace leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. Annie turned to follow Cecile but before she had taken more than a few steps, turned back around and ran to Grace, throwing her arms around her. Had it not been for Helen's quick hand to Grace's back, the two would have tumbled off the settee. Grace hugged Annie tightly.
"I love you," she whispered into the girl's ear. Annie replied with a muffled, 'me too', and then let go of Grace, quickly walking after Cecile. Sandy trotted behind his young mistress, but when they reached the terrace door, the dog stopped and turned back to look at Grace, letting out a small whine.
"It's all right, Sandy, I'll be fine," Grace said, chuckling at the dog. He seemed to hesitate for another second before turning and following Annie out the door. Helen looked quizzically at Grace, but Grace just shook her head, smile on her face.
An hour later, Grace lay in bed. Helen had brought her soup, as she had promised, and Grace had eaten a little bit of it, but she wasn't really hungry. The baby was rather quiet for once, something that rarely happened when Grace was settling down to sleep. The baby always seemed to take Grace's inactivity for his cue to start turning summersaults. Tonight though, it was almost as if he realized that something was wrong and his mother needed him to be quiet. Grace rubbed a hand across her belly, her thoughts full of the confrontation with Annie and everything that had led up to it.
No matter what Helen said, Grace felt horribly guilty, both that she didn't see the signs of Annie's detachment from her and the fact that she hadn't pushed harder to try and deal with how upset Annie was tonight. Grace was so very tired though, she wasn't sure if anything she would have said would have done a bit of good. She just hoped that Annie was enjoying her sleepover with Molly and not dwelling on everything as Grace was. The last thing she wanted, Grace thought, as sleep finally came and pulled her under, was for Annie to feel guilty.
Her rest was short-lived however, as she awoke sometime later with the baby seemingly stomping on her bladder. Grace groaned and swung her legs out of bed, shuffling to the bathroom. She returned to her bed, still exhausted, however sleep eluded her this time as her mind raced. She wanted nothing more than to walk down to Jack and Cecile's cottage and scoop Annie up in her arms, not letting the little girl go until Grace had convinced her that no one could take her place. Tears wet Grace's cheeks as she thought about how upset Annie must have been these last few weeks and guilt that she hadn't noticed it sooner.
Feeling restless, Grace stood and pulled on her robe, slipping her feet into her slippers. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table, it was after midnight and the house was dark and silent as she left her room. She stole across the hall to Annie's bedroom, sinking down onto her daughter's bed and wrapping herself in Annie's quilt. She lay down on Annie's pillow, the little girl's scent washing over her as the tears returned. As she slowly drifted back into sleep, Grace had a very strong feeling that something was very wrong. But try as she might, she couldn't hold on to those last wisps of consciousness and she was pulled under once more.
Somewhere, a window was opened, nearly silently.
Somewhere, a dog began to bark.
Somewhere, a dark shadow could be seen, carrying a rather awkward bundle.
Somewhere, the sound of a motor could be heard, becoming fainter and fainter until it disappeared altogether.
And somewhere, a man's eyes snapped open, a feeling of dread coursing through him, but when he tried to remember what exactly the dream had been about, nothing but half-formed images and shadows of thoughts came to mind, until he succumbed once again to the heavy bonds of sleep.
Oliver yawned as he walked into George's office on Sunday morning. His sleep had been disrupted by strange and troubling dreams, although, if asked, Oliver would not have been able to recall a single detail from any of them. He sat down heavily in the chair in front of George's desk, scrubbing a hand down his face and yawning again. Still the feeling of foreboding about the dreams from the night before hung over Oliver. He had tried to shake it off as a reaction to the stress of the last few days, but for some reason he felt it was something more than that. His brow furrowed as he tried again to remember what his dreams had been about, but to no avail. Oliver was glad when his thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of George and even happier when George put a very large cup of coffee down in front of him.
"Ah," Oliver said as he took a sip. "How did you know I needed this?"
"Well, if your sleep has been anything like mine the last few nights, I figured you could use about six of them," George replied chuckling.
"Too true," Oliver said, taking another sip of coffee. "Think we can wrap this up today?"
"I hope so sir," George said, sipping his own coffee. "Seems like we're about finished, although I know we've felt that way a few times this week already." Oliver nodded in agreement.
"I'm leaving today George, whether this is wrapped up or not. I've got to get back to my family," Oliver insisted. "I'm willing to take drastic measures if I have to."
"I understand sir," George replied. They drank their coffee in silence for a few more minutes, Oliver's agitation growing. He eventually got up and started to pace, as George looked at him in concern.
"Are you all right sir?" George asked, as Oliver ran a hand across the top of his head.
"I don't know," Oliver said frowning. "I feel like I just really need to be home. How much longer until everyone gets here?"
"Any minute," George said, just as the phone rang. Oliver continued to pace, ignoring George's end of the conversation, until the man had hung up the phone, an incredulous look on his face.
"What is it?" Oliver asked, a little sharper than he had intended.
"That was John Sanders," George said and Oliver's heart sunk. Sanders was the leader of the faction of workers who had been causing all the problems. Oliver was sure he had called with yet another demand and they would be starting all over again.
"What did he want?" Oliver growled.
"To agree to everything we gave them yesterday," George said, face still showing his shock. "He said they all talked last night and agreed. Everyone's signed and they won't need to come in to meet with us after all." Oliver had stopped mid-pace at George's first sentence. Now he was frozen, his mouth hanging open, absolutely unable to believe what he had just heard.
"But, but," he spluttered. "What about the overtime?"
"They agreed to it," George said. "Said they knew we needed to get back to work and they'd have to work extra to make up for the time they'd lost. Said they were fine with it." Oliver still stood statue-like, gazing at George. He didn't understand this. Last night, Sanders had been vehemently opposed to any more overtime, refused to even consider it and now he was ready to agree to it, just like that? It made no sense to Oliver what-so-ever.
"You're sure they've all agreed? Everyone has signed?" Oliver asked, still suspicious.
"That's what he said," George said shrugging. "Said that Jones is bringin' over the paperwork right now. Should be here in about fifteen minutes."
Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, a short, squat man came through the door to the office with a folder in his hand. He nodded to Oliver and George, then gave them the folder, turning and hurrying out as fast as he had entered. George took the folder and flipped through the papers inside.
"Looks like everything is in order, sir," George said, looking up at Oliver. "I guess they reconsidered."
"Reconsidered?" Oliver said, still completely taken aback by the turn of events. "I'd say they did a complete about face on the whole thing."
"Well, at least you get to go home now," George said, smiling at his boss.
"Yes, there is that," Oliver agreed, standing and pulling on his overcoat. "Still, I can't help wondering." He trailed off, deep in thought. It made no sense as to why the man who had protested every single thing during this entire process had all of a sudden agreed to everything that had been put forth, just like that. Still, Oliver wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He began to gather up the few papers he had pulled from his briefcase when he had come into the office and then called out to Punjab who was standing outside the door.
"Have the Asp pull the car around Punjab, it looks like we're done here," Oliver said.
"Yes, Sahib," his bodyguard replied, as he went to talk to the Asp who had stationed himself at the outer factory door.
"Well, George, I appreciate all the work you did to get this deal done," Oliver said, shaking the man's hand. "Here's hoping everything runs smoothly from now on."
"Thank you, Mr. Warbucks," George replied. "Sorry I had to drag you here for all of this."
"Not to worry, not to worry," Oliver said, bending down and picking up his briefcase. He turned to walk out of the office, seeing Punjab returning from speaking to the Asp. Oliver couldn't wait to get home. Perhaps he could even take Annie to the matinee of the movie this afternoon, now that it looked as if he would make it on the morning flight back to New York.
"Mr. Warbucks, wait," George called out and Oliver turned around.
"What is it George?" he asked.
"I just found a note for you on my desk, sir," George said, walking out of the office and handing Oliver a plain white envelope with his name scrawled across the front. Frowning, Oliver opened the envelope and withdrew a single sheet of paper. As he opened it and read the message inside, his knees buckled and he began to sink to the floor. Punjab grasped his arm tightly and kept Oliver on his feet.
"Sahib, what is it?" Punjab asked, but Oliver only shook his head, handing Punjab the note. The bodyguard took it in his free hand. There was only one line typed across the middle of the paper and it made no sense to Punjab. It did, however, seem to make sense to his boss, if his reaction were any indication, and that was enough to make Punjab's heart grow cold as he read it again.
We're still not even, but it's a start.