By June the next year, Charlie had essentially moved into Dick's house. She spent most nights there, it was close to the Studios and she certainly preferred his company to an empty hotel room. She also didn't see the point of renting a flat when they would be living together in a few months. Even so, she maintained that she hadn't actually moved in, insisting that it was out of the question until after the wedding. They didn't need to label it, Charlie simply stayed over whenever she liked and on some occasions, one night stretched into a couple of days. Those were the best times, it was like they were already living together. Dick couldn't wait for Charlie to move in properly, to be his wife. The idea was boggling, he still did a double-take whenever he saw the ring on her fourth finger.

12th June fell at the tail end of one of Charlie's extended stays. It also happened to be Dick's birthday, which was why he was so pleased to see her small bag of clothes two days before. However, on that bright morning, he woke up alone. This wasn't completely out of the ordinary, Charlie was usually already getting dressed by the time he managed to wake up, but when Dick walked downstairs, he didn't find his fiancée wishing him a happy birthday. Instead, he found an empty house and a short note.

Good morning and Happy Birthday!

I'm out and about today but I'll see you this evening.

I love you!

Dick smiled a little. Charlie had promised that she wouldn't organise a big celebration but there had also been a mischievous grin on her face, so he didn't know how seriously she'd taken the promise. He sighed, feeling a little disheartened. It felt strange being without Charlie now, especially on today of all days. Dick dropped her note back onto the counter and began to make breakfast.

"Happy Birthday to me." Dick had never enjoyed being alone, so he got ready for work quickly and arrived at the Studios just a little while later. First, he went upstairs to his and his brother's office to drop off his jacket and briefcase. He'd assumed that Bob would meet him in the rehearsal room but he was surprised to find his brother waiting for him in their office. As soon as Dick walked through the open door, Bob jumped up from his seat.

"Hey! If it ain't my baby brother," he greeted him, starting the traditional mocking as soon as possible. Dick snorted as he took off his jacket, laying it across the back of his chair. Bob only ever referred to him as his 'baby brother' when he wanted to annoy him.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" They were only born three years apart but Bob liked to remind him of it whenever possible. His face suddenly fell and he stared at Dick, a challenging look in his eyes.

"What was that?" Dick stopped rifling through his briefcase to look up at him curiously, wondering why his tone had shifted so abruptly. Then he saw the glint in Bob's eyes and knew he'd made a big mistake.

"No," he said, raising a firm hand. Dick knew what that look meant. Despite his cane, Bob could move quickly when he needed to. "Bob, no!" Before Dick could try to escape, Bob swiftly trapped him in a headlock. This was his default move whenever he and his little brother fought when they were younger. Fortunately, it still appeared to do the trick.

"What? You think just 'cause we're both adults, I can't teach you a lesson for being a smartass?" Bob ground his knuckles against the top of brother's head, another favourite tactic.

"You have a job, you have a wife, you were a soldier!" Dick's voice came out a little strangled but Bob got the message. He chuckled as his brother continued to struggle. He wasn't holding him too tightly, nor was Dick trying too hard to escape.

"I'll still kick your ass!"

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." Still laughing breathlessly, the brothers looked up at the sound of a new voice and to their horror, saw their boss standing in the doorway. Bob's arm slipped away from Dick's neck and he stood up straight.

"Walt." He wasn't sure if he was more afraid of being reprimanded by their boss, or embarrassed about being caught play-fighting with his brother.

"Hey," added Dick awkwardly as he rubbed his sore neck. Walt smiled at the pair.

"Hi." They looked worried but there was no need. Walt had three older brothers, he had been in Dick's position many times. "Just came to see how you two were doing." His smile grew when the brothers exchanged sheepish looks.

"We're doing just fine," Bob replied, reaching over and giving his brother a pat on the shoulder. Dick winced slightly when his muscles smarted but he didn't say anything. Walt hummed in agreement, that amused look still in his eyes. Finally, he turned to leave and the Shermans could breathe again.

"Okay. I'll be seeing you later." Disney drummed his fingers on the doorframe, trying to think of a good time to drop by. He had quite a busy day but he wanted to look in on their work. "I wanna hear Karen and Matthew doing their song," he decided finally and the Shermans both smiled, beginning to relax now that the embarrassment was wearing off.

"Okay, Walt. See you then." Disney went to leave but stopped just as he turned the corner. He poked his head around the door and smiled at Dick.

"Oh, Happy Birthday, by the way." Immediately, the musician's face broke out in a huge smile. It was amazing for any boss to remember your birthday, let alone Walt Disney himself giving you his personal best wishes.

"Thanks," Dick said, trying not to give away just how delighted he was. Disney nodded once more then left them to their work. Bob laughed at his brother's thrilled expression then carefully bent down to retrieve his walking stick from the floor.

"C'mon, grab your stuff. We've got work to do."

They both collected the various pieces of music they needed then left for the rehearsal room. Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber would be playing the Banks children in the finished film and were coming in that day to rehearse one of their first songs. Dick hadn't met them before but Don had and apparently he'd built quite the rapport with them. From what Dick had heard from the writer, he'd shown them a magic trick on their first day at the Studios and now they adored him. Don's words, not his. As they walked by reception, they passed Dolly walking in the opposite direction. She immediately reached for Dick and kissed him on the cheek.

"Happy Birthday!" She squeaked, as chipper as ever. Dick chuckled at how excited she was but thanked her all the same. As they continued down the hall, a thought suddenly struck Bob. It was unusual for Charlie to not be with them at this time. Now that she worked across the lot, they saw a lot less of her, which was a shame. He missed having her in the rehearsal room. To make up for the lapse in their time together, Charlie always walked with them to the music room to say good morning before she hurried across to the Animation Department.

"I didn't see Charlie this morning." Dick shook his head.

"Neither did I, she was out of the house early." His smile diminished just a little. "She took the day off." Bob nodded but frowned when he saw his brother grimace. "She loves her job, so it's making me a little nervous," he muttered. Bob let out a loud laugh as they turned the last corner. He'd figured that Charlie would take the afternoon off to put together a party for that evening but if she was taking the whole day then she clearly had big plans.

"She's probably just getting things ready for later," he tried to reassure Dick. He saw the alarmed look on his face and quickly added, "A few small things." Dick snorted but secretly he was still a little worried about what Charlie had planned.

"I just hope she doesn't go crazy. I don't want her to go through all that effort just for me." Bob shrugged as they walked through the door of the rehearsal room.

"Don't worry about it, she's probably having a great time."

"I hate shopping. I hate shopping," Charlie muttered under her breath as she pushed her trolley down another aisle. She didn't know what it was about Americans that meant they had to make everything so enormous but she wished they'd stop. The supermarket had to be the size of a palace. If it weren't for the giant numbers above every aisle, she would have gotten lost within five minutes. Two chatting mothers watched her warily as she stalked past them, the murderous look in her eyes scaring them a little. All she wanted to do was pick up the ingredients for a cake but the shop was so huge, it was going to take a week to find everything and another to locate the tills.

After a good hour of searching, Charlie eventually gathered all that she needed. This was the first time she'd be celebrating Dick's birthday with him and she wanted it to be special. She would power through just to make him happy. With that thought in mind, she lifted her chin and faced her terrifically long To Do list with new determination. With the shopping done, she could focus on the next task. This one was relatively easier than the last. Down the road from the supermarket was the dry-cleaners where she'd dropped off her nicest dress a few days before. Still hefting her heavy bags, Charlie used her shoulder to push open the door to the shop. She saw the man behind the counter wince when she unceremoniously dropped her shopping bags but he put on a bright smile as soon as he caught her eye.

"Hello, ma'am. How can I help you today?" He rattled off, probably for the fiftieth time that day. Charlie smiled weakly at him as she shook out her hands. The bags had already begun to rub her skin raw, she wasn't looking forward to carrying them and her dress across town to get home.

"Hi, I dropped off a dress yesterday." The man pulled open a thick book of what she assumed were orders and raised his eyebrows.

"Your name, please?"

"Charlotte Johnson-Liddle." But not for much longer, Charlie thought suddenly. Another five months and she would be Charlotte Sherman. She'd never been a particularly romantic girl, she'd never fantasized about her future husband or her wedding day. But now, she couldn't wait to finally make it official. Dick would go from her best friend to her husband and she couldn't be happier about it. She was brought out of her thoughts by a short, sharp cough. The man behind the counter had said something but she was too busy daydreaming. Charlie flushed and smiled nervously at him. "I'm sorry?" The man looked a little anxious. She noticed he was holding up a bag, the one containing her dress.

"I apologise, ma'am, but there seems to be a problem with your item." As he laid the bag flat along the counter, Charlie's heart began to sink. He cleared his throat awkwardly and pointed out the enormous blanch on the front of her dress, most likely caused by the chemicals they used to clean it. "I can offer you a full refund, ma'am." Charlie stared at the horrid stain, trying to push down all the frustration that was starting to rise inside of her. As if her stressful shop hadn't been enough, now her best dress was ruined. Charlie realised the man was still gawking at her fearfully and she shook her head.

"Sorry, it's just- It's my fiancé's birthday and I've got so much to do, I can't..." She ran a hand down her face, letting out a heavy sigh. She took a few deep breaths, trying to clear her head. It wasn't so bad, she could find another dress to wear. It wasn't the end of the world. With the lid back on her anger, Charlie raised her eyes to the poor man.

"Would you like the refund, ma'am?" Charlie sighed once more before nodding wearily.

"Yes, please," she said quietly, not forgetting her manners even then. "Thank you."

"You ready?" Dick produced a flurry of notes to get himself warmed up and to impress the two children standing in front of the piano. They nodded enthusiastically. "Okay!"

"Wanted: a nanny for two adorable children," Karen read aloud from the script in her hands. She and Matthew shared a look, an improvisation that made them all laugh. Then Dick remembered he was supposed to be playing and sprang back to the piano keys, rolling out the tune they'd practised a hundred times. "If you want this choice position, have a cheery disposition."

"Now, Jane, I don't think-" Don began, taking up the role of Mr. Banks in a gruff voice.

"Rosy cheeks, no warts."

"That's the bit I put in," Matthew said, smiling at his audience. He was a smart kid and despite his age, he had a sharp wit and a charming way with words.

"Play games, all sorts," Karen continued. Unlike her co-star, she was very sweet but disarmingly so. Only after you'd talked to her did you realise that her big blue eyes masked a mischievous personality to match Matthew's. "You must be kind, you must be witty. Very sweet and fairly pretty." Don harrumphed, as always taking his role very seriously.

"Well, of all the ridiculous-"

"George, please," Bob cut in, filling the role of Mrs. Banks. The children giggled at his high-pitched voice but didn't lose their time.

"Take us on outings, give us treats. Sing songs, bring sweets." They got through the song with no problems, much to their delight. Bob and Dick were proud that the music they'd written sounded so good, whilst Disney was pleased with his choice of actors. They would do perfectly. "Hurry nanny, many thanks. Sincerely, Jane and Michael Banks." They both nodded on the last beat of the song and the room erupted with applause, making the kids laugh again. Walt left his seat in the corner and came up to give them a pat on the back.

"That was great, kids," he told them, beaming away happily. He was called over by Don so that they could talk about the script, leaving the children with the Shermans.

"Do you like the song?" Bob asked them, leaning on his cane as he left the piano and flopping into an armchair. They both nodded eagerly.

"Oh, yes," Karen answered, while beside her, Matthew grinned.

"It's jolly good fun, isn't it?" He said, reminding Dick of Charlie. She had the same way with words, though her taut mannerisms had lessened slightly since her move to America.

"That's what we were hoping for," he said happily, pleased that they'd picked up the song so quickly. It was good to know that their target audience enjoyed the music, it relaxed their nerves about the reception 'Mary Poppins' would receive.

"Charlie would've liked to be here for this," Don said, suddenly appearing by the piano. He and Walt had finished talking, the latter having already wandered back to his office. Dick smiled, nodding his head.

"Yeah, she would." Matthew looked up at him curiously, although his view was slightly skewed by the piano.

"Who's that?" Dick realised he and the children couldn't talk properly if he was sat behind the piano, so he got up from the stool and sat in the nearest chair. The others followed suit and soon they were all seated.

"Charlie is my fiancée," he told him, smiling slightly at the word. He never got tired of calling her that. A year ago, marrying Charlotte had been a far-off dream. Now here they were.

"You're getting married! How exciting," Karen gushed. "When?"

"December."

"Does she work here too?" Dick chuckled at the onslaught of questions. They were an inquisitive pair but he didn't mind. He liked talking to them and it was good that they were getting to know each other better.

"Yeah, in Animation. But before then, she helped us. Charlie came up with ideas for all the sets and the costumes." The memory made the musicians and the writer smile. It was only Charlie's second day when they first showed her the 'Nanny Song'. She'd swept into their lives and settled so quickly, it was strange to think that she was only supposed to stay for a month.

"She's awfully clever then," Karen said, a touch of awe in her tone. Dick grinned, feeling incredibly proud of his sweetheart.

"Yes, she is."

The prospect of walking across town had been too awful to Charlie, who was not having a good day at all. She hoped that across the city, Dick was having a good birthday. She hated not being with him but she had so much to do and with any luck, it would be worth it. Although, one thing had already gone wrong and she hadn't even made a dent in her To Do list. To try and raise her spirits, Charlie took the bus home. She'd almost got the hang of the new routes in Los Angeles but she had to pay close attention to make sure she didn't miss her stop. Unfortunately, Charlie hadn't had much sleep the night before and had exhausted herself lugging her shopping around.

She jolted awake when the bus suddenly screeched to an untimely stop. Charlie groaned when she realised she'd fallen asleep and wished her luck would turn. She glanced out of the window and suddenly felt a lot more alert. She thought that she'd just nodded off for a few minutes but when she looked out of the window and didn't recognise where she was, she knew it had been a lot more than a light nap. With a groan, Charlie stumbled to the front of the bus, grabbing onto the railing as the vehicle lurched around a corner.

"Sorry," she addressed the surly driver, who didn't seem happy about people talking to him whilst he was driving. "But what's the next stop?"

"Tuxford Street," he told her, his eyes never leaving the road ahead. Charlie didn't recognise the name and though she hated to do so, she had to ask the driver another question.

"How far is it to Victory Boulevard?" Her stop was just around the corner from Dick's house but she knew they'd long since passed it. Her suspicions were confirmed when the driver muttered,

"'Bout twenty stops back." Charlie closed her eyes and once again forced down her frustration. She thanked the driver and went back to her seat to gather up her bags. She got off at the next stop, then crossed a busy road to get the same bus going in the opposite direction. She'd planned her day with military-like precision. This would set her back by an hour, which really didn't help with the stress of organising a birthday party.

After the longest journey of her life, Charlie finally made it home. She tried to ignore her burning muscles as she heaved her bags up onto the kitchen counter. She didn't have time to put everything away, so she just grabbed what she needed to make the cake. Charlie was searching for her recipe book when she happened upon one of the spare invitations she'd had made. She'd thought herself rather cunning when she posted all the invitations a month ago. That way, everyone would be able to come and Dick would be none the wiser. Charlie smiled to herself as she glanced over the invitation then slipped it back into the drawer. She restarted her search for her recipe book when something in her mind clicked and she rushed to dig the invitation out of the drawer again. Charlie quickly studied the rectangular card. Then she saw it.

"Oh, no," she breathed. The date on the invitation was for 12th July, a month from today. "Oh, God." After all her hard work, nobody would be coming to the party. At least, not today. "Oh, bugger," she hissed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried to think of a way to fix it. But there was no way she would be able to corral all their friends and family at a few hours' notice. Charlie looked down at the invitation in her hand. She thought she'd been so clever. She looked around at the empty house and bit her lip. "Shit."

At the end of the session, Dolly came in to collect the children. Don and the Shermans waved goodbye to Karen and Matthew before they were taken to the reception to meet their parents. Don practically collapsed into a chair, immediately propping his feet up on another.

"They're a fun pair, those two," he said after he'd heaved an exhausted sigh. They'd all worked hard that day but that was nothing new. If he wasn't worn out by the time he got home, Don knew he hadn't done enough work that day.

"They're gonna run rings around us in filming, I know it," Bob agreed, laughing at the idea. Dick chuckled too, then added,

"They remind me of your kids." Don raised his eyebrows at him, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"They'll be reminding you of your own soon." Dick's heart thudded at his words and he straightened up in his chair.

"I wouldn't say 'soon'," he said hurriedly. It wasn't that he was opposed to the idea of having children, nothing could be further from the truth. It was just very early to be thinking about such things.

"Oh, c'mon, Dick. You've always wanted kids." Dick shrugged, his fingers drumming against the arm of his seat.

"I know, I know, but I wanna enjoy things as they are. Live in the moment, you know?" He told them. "I don't wanna miss all these good things because I'm too busy looking ahead." His friends seemed to understand where he was coming from, although his brother did raise an eyebrow.

"Very profound for a Wednesday afternoon," he teased over the top of his coffee mug. Dick rolled his eyes.

"Shut up," he muttered, throwing his pen at him for good measure. Bob caught the pen and used it to point at him.

"I'll put you in another headlock." Don frowned at them both.

"He got you in a headlock?"

"He surprised me!"

"2500 grams?" Charlie hated baking but she always forgot just how much until it was too late. She was covered in egg and butter, her hair was a bird's best, and she'd ruined her fiancé's birthday party. To be fair, Dick didn't know he was having a party, so he wouldn't be disappointed, but that was beside the point. Thankfully, Bob and Joyce were at their kid's dance recital tonight and so they'd made arrangements to come around tomorrow evening anyway. Charlie was glad Bob didn't know about her mishap, the teasing would never end. "That can't be right." She wiped a thumb over the old pages of her mother's recipe book and blew a strand of hair out of her face. Just because there wasn't going to be a party didn't mean there couldn't be cake, and Charlie wanted at least one thing to go right for her that day. "Oh, 250. Yes, that's much more reasonable," she murmured as she reached for the flour.

She was just in the middle of sieving it all into a mixing bowl when the telephone rang. Charlie swore under her breath as she tried to carefully put down everything she was holding and dash into the living room where the phone sat. Charlie went to pick it up but suddenly realised her hands were coated in ingredients. She quickly wiped them on the front of her apron before grabbing the phone.

"Hello?" She tried to make it sound as if she wasn't on the brink of insanity, although she wasn't sure how well it came across.

"Hello, this is Sally from 'Parties! Limited'. I understand you have an inquiry about your order?" A sweet voice answered.

"Yes, I asked if I could cancel my order and they said to wait for a call." Charlie had been waiting nervously for a few hours, which hadn't helped her already throbbing headache.

"Thank you for your patience, ma'am." The woman's tone was kind but the phone marred her voice, only aggravating Charlie more. "Let's have a look-see." She waited, foot tapping impatiently, whilst Sally checked over her logbook. "Okay, we'd be happy to cancel your order." Charlie breathed a sigh of relief and raised a hand to her forehead.

"Wonderful." She chuckled. "You know this' the first thing to go right for me today."

"No problem," Sally chirped. Charlie had been about to say her goodbyes but for some reason, the woman kept talking. "All I need from you is the $20 severance charge." Charlie almost dropped the telephone.

"I beg your pardon?" The poor woman on the other end of the line sounded quite nervous but Charlie was having far too awful a day to care.

"That's the set price of our cancellation-"

"That's ridiculous, I don't have that money to spend on bloody balloons!" The woman huffed.

"Hey, it's not my fault, hon. It's company policy." Charlie rested her head in her hand as she took a few deep breaths.

"Alright," she said eventually. "I won't cancel the order."

"Alrighty."

"What time will they arrive?"

"We have you down for 3:30 p.m." Charlie frowned and glanced down at her watch.

"But it's just gone five." This was also worrying as Dick would be home soon and the house was a state and nothing was ready.

"3:30 p.m on 14th June." Charlie very nearly ripped her hair out then.

"What? No, I need them for today!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but you have to allow for three to five business days when ordering-"

"Alright, thank you, Sally," Charlie interrupted her, not wanting to hear anymore bad news that day. "Thank you anyway."

The curtains were all drawn when Dick finally got home after a long day at work. From the outside, the house didn't look particularly festive. He hoped that Charlie had listened to him and the party would be minimal. He didn't like anyone making a fuss over him and he was exhausted after the day he'd had and just wanted to relax. When Dick stepped inside, the house was quiet and none of the lights were on. This was curious, he'd expected a loud shout of 'surprise!' as soon as he entered the room. He hung up his jacket and kicked off his shoes, all the while calling out to his fiancée.

"Charlie? I'm home." When he got no reply, he began to make his way down the hall. "Are you here?" He ducked his head into the kitchen and the living room, but found no one there. "Hello?" Dick called out as he finally entered the dining room. What he saw made his jaw go slack. The lights were low and candles sat on every available surface, illuminating the room. The table was set for two and in the centre was a large dish of lasagne, his favourite. Perhaps the most wonderful thing of all was the beautiful woman standing beside the table, wringing her hands as she watched him. Dick stared wide-eyed at her, his mouth still hanging open. "Charlie?" He breathed, his voice getting lost in his surprise. She smiled at him, although he could sense that she was nervous for some reason.

"Hi," she said softly, raising a hand and giving him a little wave. Dick stepped further into the room and smiled at her.

"Hi," he responded, just as quietly, settling Charlie's nerves a little. She gestured to the spread on the table and the room she'd transformed.

"Happy Birthday." She broke the stunned silence, trying not to think about how disappointed he must feel. Dick gazed at her, his lips still parted in disbelief.

"Charlie..." he began, but his fiancée got there faster.

"I'm sorry, it's not much," she said, feeling impossibly guilty about the whole thing. She'd tried to piece together a romantic night in for two but it wasn't exactly a birthday party, was it? "There were going to be balloons and streamers and all your friends were supposed to be here but I, um..." Charlie trailed off and Dick finally managed to overcome his shock. He shook his head and crossed the room, wrapping her in a tight hug.

"It's perfect," he murmured by her ear. Although Charlie was very much enjoying the hug, she couldn't help but frown at his words.

"It is?" Dick pulled away and took her hands in his out of habit.

"All day I've been worrying that you'd gone overboard with a huge party." He began to laugh. Charlie twisted her lip and dropped her gaze slightly.

"That was the plan but a series of extremely irritating events led me here." She looked over her shoulder at their dinner, still feeling extremely bitter about the awful day she'd had. Dick squeezed her hands, recapturing her attention.

"Charlotte, this is incredible," he said, much to her delight. "Thank you," he murmured, before leaning forward and kissing her softly. Though Charlie was more than happy with the appreciative gesture, she couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

"You're welcome," she replied quietly, beginning to smile. She thought he would be disappointed, she'd been worrying about it all day but only now did she realise how stupid she'd been. Dick would never be disappointed with her. He was the most wonderful man she'd ever met, how could she think that he would be upset? As if he'd read her mind, Dick wrapped an arm around her waist and beamed at her.

"I've got my best girl and I've got chocolate cake. What could be better?" He said brightly, kissing her again on the cheek. Charlie laughed at his words, then was suddenly reminded of something.

"Oh, speaking of, you need to blow out your candles," she said as she carefully lifted up the cake. The one she'd attempted to make had tragically burnt to a crisp while she was setting the table, so she quickly nipped around the corner to buy one from the shop. It didn't matter much, it would taste just as good. "Make a wish." She beamed at him as she raised the cake. Dick chuckled then closed his eyes. After a second, he blew out the candles. Charlie cheered, which Dick found simply adorable. She carefully put the plate back down on the table, then looked up at her fiancé. "You really don't mind?" She asked nervously. "Are you sure you'd rather not marry me anymore." Dick's eyes flew wide and he gawped at her.

"What?" Charlie shrugged slightly, beginning to wring her hands again.

"Well, after the day I've had, I think I'd make a pretty terrible wife," she mumbled, only half joking. Dick shook his head in disbelief and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him gently.

"Nothing could stop me from marrying you, Charles," he told her, soft but firm. Charlie couldn't help but smile.

"Good." She gave him a quick kiss before unwrapping his arms from around her waist. "We better eat, the dinner's getting cold." Dick hummed as his hands found hers again.

"We could always skip dinner and go straight upstairs," he suggested, eyebrows raised to match his wicked smile. Charlie let out a loud snort and took a step back.

"Not after all the effort I've put into it," she shot back. Dinner was the only thing that had gone right for her, she'd be damned if she let it go to waste. Dick chuckled at her expression and pulled out a chair for her at the table.

"That's my girl," he murmured, placing a kiss at her temple before sitting down across from her. Charlie was so relieved she could hardly stand it. The last time she'd seen Dick this happy was when he realised he could shorten her name even further to 'Chuck', which he adored and she tolerated. Charlie couldn't put into words just how happy she was.

After dinner, they reclined in each other's arms on the sofa. They were both absolutely stuffed from the birthday feast and decided to watch a late movie on the television. Halfway through, a thought occurred to Charlie. She rested her head on Dick's shoulder and said,

"Oh, on 12th July, we're going to have a lot of people around the house." Dick frowned down at her, not entirely sure where this had come from.

"Okay..?" There was a long pause wherein neither of them said a word, but then finally, Charlie added,

"Also, rather a lot of balloons."