Hey y'all, I'm back again with more Annie-inspired fic and I'm so excited to share this one with you. It's a part of the story I've never written before and I'm really looking forward to exploring all the endless opportunities! I don't know how long it will be between chapters or how many chapters there will be. It did only take me two days to churn this first one out, but admittedly I've been sitting on the idea for several weeks now.

You may know that there have been several versions of a sequel to "Annie" in which Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks is told he must find a wife in order to keep Annie as his own, after which much chaos ensures - Annie running away, Oliver being duped by more con artists (how is a self-made billionaire so gullible?!) And at the end of the sequel, Oliver finally realizes that he and Grace belong together and that she is the best Mother Annie could ever have. (Yay!)

But, what if Grace had been his first choice? However, the two of them had not married because they were in love, but simply to keep Annie with them…

My friends, I hope you enjoy "Annie 2.5"

Peace and love,

Renee

There was joy and laughter all throughout the Warbucks mansion. Ever since Annie had arrived with them, there had been so much to celebrate and everyone had been so much happier.

Oliver was on cloud nine. He could not believe how much the little girl had changed his life and opened his heart.

He was watching her play jacks with her friends in the living room when an unexpected guest arrived to disturb their peaceful afternoon.

Mrs. Marietta Christmas from the "United Mothers of America" swept into the house and made the reason for her visit quite clear from the start.

"This child", she said, pointing her long, knobbly finger at Annie. "Needs a woman's influence, a woman's care."

"She has lots of women to care for her. Just look around", Oliver motioned around the room at Mrs. Pugh, Mrs. Greer, Annette, Cecile, Grace…

"That's all very well", Mrs. Christmas responded sharply. "but I'm meaning in a lawful sense. A single man cannot legally adopt a child. The girl needs a Mother, which means that you, Mr. Warbucks, need to find a wife."

"A wife?" Oliver paled at the thought. "I'm a very busy man, Mrs. Christmas, I haven't got the time to meet a woman, get to know her, woo her…I've only just got Annie and every moment I spend not working should be spent with her, don't you agree?"

"No I'm afraid I must disagree completely, Mr. Warbucks, as is the law. If you are unable to find a wife and a mother for Annie, she will, I'm sorry to say, be removed from your care and placed into a foster home."

Oliver glanced at Annie who ran up to him and took his hand, looking frightened. "You wouldn't let them take me to a foster home, would you, Daddy?"

He squeezed her hand gently. "Of course not."

Mrs. Christmas seemed unmoved by Father and Daughter's interaction. "Thirty days is how long I will give you to find a wife, Mr. Warbucks, and if by then you haven't found one; Annie will be taken into foster care."

Oliver bowed his head, feeling troubled. He couldn't bear to lose Annie, but he also couldn't fathom finding someone he could tolerate, who would also be able to put up with him and making sure it was going to work well enough long term, in just thirty days!

"I'll see myself out", Mrs. Christmas informed everyone, though she was escorted to the door by Drake anyway, and as quickly as she had arrived, she was gone again like a tornado leaving a wake of destruction within the Warbucks home.

"How does she expect me to find someone suitable to marry, to be my wife and a good mother to Annie within four weeks? It's ridiculous", Oliver rubbed the back of his bald head.

"Maybe it should be someone you already know", suggested Annie.

"But I don't know any women who…" he paused, his eyes locking on Grace.

Intelligent, poised, beautiful Grace. No woman in the world could be a better Mother to Annie. Of that he was certain. She and his child already had a bond. Also, he knew that Grace would tolerate him because she'd been doing so for several years already!

"Wait a minute…Grace!"

"Yes, Sir?" She eyed him cautiously.

"Might I have a word with you in my office…privately?" He asked her gently.

"Yes, of course, Sir", she replied quietly, then spoke to Annie. "Run along and play with your friends, Annie. We'll be back shortly."

"OK, Miss Farrell", Annie agreed, happy to continue playing with her friends.

Grace and Oliver walked to his office and Oliver closed the door behind them. He turned to Grace feeling decidedly anxious. "Grace, what I'm about to ask you is going to be quite an inappropriate thing for me to request but I feel the need to ask you anyway, because…well, because truthfully it's the most convenient solution for me, but also because I know that it would most certainly be the best thing for Annie."

Grace's face became more and more alarmed as he tried to forewarn her of the incoming request.

"Sir, please just ask what you need to ask", she told him calmly.

"Would you marry me, Grace? Would you be my wife and Annie's Mother?" He asked the question, looking resigned, almost forlorn. Not at all like a man usually would when proposing, because he knew that he was asking a charming young woman to give up her life for him and his daughter, and any chance at love and happiness she might hold for herself.

Grace stared at him, feeling stunned. She had assumed this was the question he was going to ask her, but at the same time she could hardly believe it.

"Just as a sort of business arrangement, you understand. I'm not expecting you to uh…partake in any of the usual things a married couple might do. You'll keep your room, of course, I'm not suggesting we share a bed or anything like that. It would be a marriage for the sake of legal purposes only, yours and my relationship would remain the same."

He had turned quite red, she noticed, while trying to explain his unexpected and unusual request.

"I know that it's an entirely unreasonable thing for me to ask of you", he said, looking and feeling both ashamed and hopeful.

"I…um", Grace swallowed, feeling quite bewildered. "Will you give me some time to think about it?"

"Yes, certainly, of course", Oliver said, trying to sound reassuring. "I wouldn't want you to agree to this in haste. I know it won't be an easy decision, and to be honest, I'm sorry to ask it of you."

Grace shook her head. "No. No, please don't be sorry. I…I understand why you are and I have to say, I'm rather honored."

His eyes lit up as they met hers.

"I just need a little time to consider things", she explained, feeling somewhat guilty for leaving him in limbo, but Oliver was more gentle and understanding than she'd ever known him to be before.

"Take all the time you need…well, within twenty-nine days that is", he said playfully yet regrettably.

She smiled at him tightly. "I promise you'll have my answer soon."

"Thank you", he said with a small sigh. She went to slip past him out of the room and he stopped her, "Grace…"

She turned around to look at him and he caught her hand. "Really…thank you", he told her sincerely.

She gave him a gracious nod of her head before leaving the room.

That night Grace slept fitfully. She spent hours in bed just thinking about what she should do, what her answer should be to Mr. Warbucks' proposal. She liked the man but she would never have entertained the thought of marrying him - and that wasn't a reflection on Mr. Warbucks, it's just that Grace had been so career focused for so long and so happy in her work for him that she hadn't even considered marriage, not for a very long time. And that was another thing - her job. She enjoyed it immensely, she was passionate about the work she did. If she and Mr. Warbucks were to marry, did that mean that her position would be expected to change? She was completely unsure what Mr. Warbucks expected of her and as she rolled over and huffed into her pillow, she decided she needed to speak with him again and to clarify some things with him before making her final decision.

There was of course another thing yet to consider. Something Mr. Warbucks had quite thoughtfully mentioned.

If she was to marry him, it would mean forsaking all other potential relationships and therefore any chance at ever finding romantic love. She would have a family though - an unconventional one perhaps, but she knew in her heart that the love she and Annie would share was a love many women longed for, and perhaps she could be happy enough with that.

She closed her eyes, dreams of having a daughter to call her own, already filling her subconscious.

The following morning, Grace went downstairs and was greeted professionally by Mr. Warbucks as usual.

"Good morning, Grace", he barely glanced up from the stack of papers in front of him.

"Good morning, Sir." Grace swallowed and stood looking down at him as he shuffled through endless paperwork.

It took nearly a full minute for him to realize that she hadn't yet sat down. He glanced up at her slowly.

Grace took a deep breath in. "I have an answer to your question."

"So soon?" He cleared his throat. "That was very quick. Are you sure you've come to the right decision?" He sounded nervous.

Grace nodded her head. "Yes, I'm sure."

He lay the stack of papers on the desk, forgetting them for the time being, and looked at her in anticipation.

"Well, what's it to be?" He enquired.

"I've watched these past few weeks and I've seen how Annie has changed your life. Well, she's changed mine too, and I don't think I could bear it if she wasn't able to be with us any more, and I don't think I could live with myself knowing I could have done something for her and for you to keep you together."

Oliver's eyes lit up more with every word she said.

"Now, I do have some questions for you before I can definitively answer yours."

"Which are?" He croaked.

"My job. If I were to become your wife, would I be expected to stop working?"

"Oh no, your duties would remain the same, unless of course you'd like to reduce your hours in order to spend more time with Annie."

"Well, actually I would hope we could both reduce our hours to make more time for Annie, or at least try to do the majority of our work while she's in school."

He drew a deep breath in, folding his hands together. "I think I could be open to discussing that", he gave her a wry smile. "As I said yesterday, Grace, nothing needs to change in terms of your job or your position here. The marriage would only be for legalities sake."

He stood from his chair and pressed his hands into the desk, leaning forward into them. "If you agree to this, Grace, I will ensure you have everything you want and need in life. Anything you desire."

She blinked at him, the reality of what being married to the richest man in the world would really mean.

"But somehow I can't imagine you ever wanting to be a kept woman", he smirked at her knowingly, to which Grace responded with a chuckle. "No." She bowed her head with a shy grin of her own before raising her eyes to meet his. "Yes."

He looked at her with his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Well which is it, no or yes?" He laughed.

Grace shook her head at him. "No, I don't want to be a kept woman. I still intend to work and to add value to the company, while also being the best Mother possible to Annie."

Oliver's face brightened ten fold as her words washed over him.

"And yes, I will marry you, Sir", Grace swallowed, quite surprised to find herself tearing up.

She supposed there was a lot of emotion attached to her decision, even if it wasn't emotions of love for her betrothed. There was a sense of mourning for a life she might have otherwise known, but alongside that there was an incredible amount of joy and pride in the knowledge that she was going to be keeping a family together by becoming part of it.

"Grace, I…I don't know how to thank you", Oliver breathed.

She stared emotively at him. "You don't need to thank me, just be the best Father you can be to Annie. To our daughter", her voice broke as she became overwhelmed by the thought of having a daughter whom she shared with her employer.

The two of them stood on opposite sides of his desk, eyes locked but otherwise unmoving. Oliver felt as if perhaps he should hug her, but he didn't know how appropriate that would be, especially considering he had promised her their relationship would remain the same.

"Well, I think we ought to tell her the good news, don't you?" He asked her with a shaky smile.

"Yes", Grace agreed, blinking back tears.

"Drake!" Oliver called his butler into the office.

"Yes, Sir?" He said as he entered and bowed dutifully.

"Please ask Annie to come and see us, once she is ready."

"Certainly, Mr. Warbucks", Drake bowed again and left the room.

"I suppose we'll need to discuss what kind of ceremony we're to have", Oliver said delicately to Grace.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Well, one that's as private as possible would be preferable."

"Here at home? With Judge Brandeis officiating", Oliver suggested.

"Yes, that sounds fine", Grace agreed. Internally she was shaking her head. She'd never have dreamed that planning her wedding would be such a clinical thing.

"Who shall we have as witnesses?"

"Well, the staff I suppose. I would suggest Drake and Mrs. Pugh but I hardly doubt we'll be able to keep any of the others away", said Grace wryly.

Oliver laughed lightly. "No. Um, what will we tell them?"

Grace shrugged uncertainly. "The truth I suppose. They all know about Mrs. Christmas by now and so I'm sure it will come as no surprise to them that we're willing to take every measure possible to keep Annie here."

"They might think we're a little nuts, of course", Oliver joked and Grace chuckled. "Quite possibly. But I know they'll be appreciative. Everybody loves Annie, Sir. No one wants to see her go."

Oliver gave her an amused look. "I know I said nothing was going to change between us, but I think you may need to call me Oliver from now on, Grace.

"Oh. Yes, I think you're right", Grace felt heat crawl up her neck as she blushed.

"Hello!" A little cheerful little voice sounded behind Grace and both she and Oliver turned around to smile at Annie.

"Hi honey, how did you sleep?"

"Like a log", Annie grinned happily.

The adults laughed softly. "Excellent", her Father responded. "Um, Annie. Grace and I have something we need to tell you."

Instantly, the child's face fell. She was terrified they were about to give her bad news. She had been waiting for the past several weeks for the bubble to burst, for something to happen that would break this magic spell she'd been living under. She just knew her new life was far too good to be true.

"What is it?" She asked them warily.

Grace knelt down in front of Annie and took her small hand in her own. "Annie, dear. Your Father and I are going to be married."

Annie's eyes bulged as wide as saucers. She gasped violently and then let out an almighty holler, bouncing up and down on her tiny feet. "You are? You really are?!"

"Yes, we really are", Oliver laughed at her excitement.

"Oh this is the most wonderful news in the world. I'm so happy!" She hugged them both tightly and then grinned up at each of them. "I knew it, I just knew ya loved each other, I could tell!"

Grace and Oliver looked at each other quickly with surprised expressions before turning back to Annie. "Oh, no, no, no, Annie-" "Ah, you see, dear, it's not quite like that." They began explaining and Annie looked at them with her brow knitted in confusion.

"Annie. We both decided that we just couldn't let Mrs. Christmas and the ladies of the United Mothers of America take you away from us, but you heard what Mrs. Christmas said about Daddy Warbucks needing to get a wife and for you to have a Mother?"

Annie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I heard. I still think them rules are daffy, oh but if you're gonna be my Mother, then I'm all for it!" She grinned up at Grace.

"I'm very pleased you feel that way, sweetheart", Grace smiled lovingly back at her.

Oliver clapped his hands together. "Well now, I have to get on with work, but why don't you take the day off" - he looked at Grace. - "And you and Annie go shopping for something nice to wear for the wedding."

"Oh, thank you, S-...Oliver", Grace pursed her lips at her own slip up.

"You girls have fun, I'll see you both later", he winked at her and Annie before leaving the room with an extra bounce in his step.

Annie took Grace's hand and shook it enthusiastically. "Oh, I'm so excited. This'll be my first wedding I've ever been to!"

Grace beamed down at the enraptured child. "What would you like to wear?"

Annie thought for a moment. "Gee, I don't know. But one thing's for certain, you have to wear white. That's tradition."

Grace smiled gently at her. "Yes, I suppose I ought to, but please remember honey, this is not really going to be a traditional wedding."

Annie squinted for a moment, pondering Grace's statement and then nodded slowly. "I understand, and I'm awful grateful that you and Daddy Warbucks are getting married just so I can stay…" the child narrowed her eyes in thought again. "But are you sure you don't love him, even just a little?"

Grace laughed softly at the innocence of the child's question. "Well, I admire your Father a great deal, I respect him very much, and I suppose if I didn't have any feelings towards him I wouldn't have agreed to be his wife." She took the girl by her shoulders and looked into her eyes wearing an adoring smile. "But it's you that I love Annie, it's you."

Annie felt her heart swell at Grace's words of affection. "I love you too Miss Farrell."

"Miss Farrell?" Grace questioned her with a raised eyebrow and Annie's eyes widened in realization. "Mommy!" She grinned and leapt forward to wrap her arms around her new mother in a hug.

Mother and daughter held each other tightly and Grace sighed contentment knowing that the choice she had made had been the right one.