While Oliver ended up falling asleep quite quickly after they retired to the bedroom, Grace didn't—and, thankfully, it wasn't out of anxiety this time around. She simply didn't feel the need to anymore, though she knew she'd regret it later on once they got back to the mansion and all the girls were surrounding them. For the moment, though, she was merely content to watch her fiancé sleep, tracing lines into his chest, mesmerized by how simply wonderful it was to just be near him. Five years ago, if you'd have asked her if she would ever be in bed with Oliver Warbucks, not sleeping with him, but just reveling in his company, she'd have said you were insane. This was the stuff of books, to go from a secretary to a wife.

But it wasn't a book anymore. It was her true, every day life.

And she was so glad to play the part.

The sun slowly started rising the longer she remained next to him. After some time, being propped on her elbows ended up being a sore position, so she just curled in next to him, tracing lines into his arm now. If she had to guess, by how soundly he was sleeping, he hadn't gotten a wink since leaving. And she knew it'd be a while before he fully overcame his fears, the troubles that sent him running. Grief was an odd thing. For her father and mother both, there were times she fully thought she had made her peace with them being gone, and then the smallest thing would send her into another spiral. She had to imagine it was even worse for Oliver. Not only had he been so young when Jimmy passed, he never allowed himself to think much about it, either. He'd been shoving down all the heartache, but now it was here, and it was messy.

Their honeymoon period would not be as beautiful as maybe some other couples'.

She didn't care, though, so long as they had each other.

Around nine, he finally did stir. The sun was beating in quite harshly now, despite her drawing the flimsy curtains to try and block it out as much as possible. If he was annoyed with it, though, he didn't say as much—simply, he smiled, wrapping his arm around her.

"Have you just been watching me this whole time?" he asked, chuckling. "How much did you sleep last night? An hour?"

"Two, at most," she smiled. "I didn't want to sleep, I'm alright. Mrs. Pugh will have coffee waiting for me when I get back, and that'll be enough to get me through the day. How are you feeling?"

He rubbed his temple. "Blasted headache," he said. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."

"I'm afraid to say you shouldn't be," she sat up a little, kissing him. "Is it acceptable to have an even longer lie-in? I'm so comfortable here, I don't want to leave."

"Something tells me Annie wouldn't be too pleased with that," he shook his head regretfully. "I also hate to say it, but I'm rather eager to get back and beg for her forgiveness."

She caressed his cheek. "You already have it," she promised. "She loves you, Oliver. A great deal."

"Such a funny thing, children, isn't it?" he sighed. "We hold grudges so much when we're older. Annie, though… I still can't believe the sympathy she has for Miss Hannigan."

"Maybe she can teach us a thing or two," Grace set her lips together. "Life isn't all black or all white. There's a lot of gray."

"You're quite right. And, she's quite too smart for the both of us," he let out a groan now, sitting up. "Alright. I'm going to go take a shower, so at least I look somewhat presentable. Then, shall we get out of here?"

She also sat, wrapping her arms around him. "Is there room for two in the shower?" she asked, and he glanced over his shoulder, clearly surprised. She wasn't quite so sure what'd gotten into her, either. For a woman who'd only ever experienced romance through movies and novels, she was definitely a novice, and she absolutely hadn't imagined her first tryst at intimacy occurring in a hotel shower. However, after losing him, she didn't care much anymore about that 'perfect' first time she'd had hammered into her head since she was a young girl. Her wedding night was meant for this, she knew this. It was supposed to be special, planned for.

But what if 'special' only meant at a time that felt right?

What if 'special' was right now?

"Miss Farrell," Oliver shook his head after a moment, laughing as he just continued to stare at her. Clearly, he had no intention of declining the offer. "What a wildcard you are."

"Good for keeping life interesting, is it not?" she smirked, leaning in to kiss him. It was a much deeper one than all the other ones she'd initiated, and he wasted no time with returning the notion. He stood, and so did she, and as the two made their way towards the shower, together, Grace felt every weight lift right off her chest. She was a secretary, turned society woman? She didn't care. He was hurting, and it'd be a while until he was fully healed? That could be dealt with later. They had so much to sort through when they got back to the mansion? It was another worry for another time, and right now, all she wanted was to be fully present with her fiancé.

So, she was. So, she let herself forget about everything else.

As far as 'perfect' went, she couldn't have imagined anything better.

/

"Mr. Warbucks!"

The couple finally returned home a little after eleven, a sense of bliss having fallen over the both of them. Oliver, too, no longer seemed to care about all the worries that had been plaguing him, and as he and Grace made their way out to the back terrace, he sighed, further relief coming over him at the sight of Annie. How he'd come to care so deeply for a child, he still hadn't the slightest idea. But, as she came running up the steps towards him, he held his arms out to catch her, holding on tight once she had thrown her arms around his neck.

"Mr. Warbucks," she repeated, her face buried in his shoulder. "I missed you so much. You can't ever leave like that again, okay? The whole place was falling apart without you!"

He chuckled. "Was it now?" he pulled away as Annie did, and she nodded, decisively.

"It's like a ship," she said. "Mrs. Pugh and Mr. Drake and everyone else, they know what to do, most of the time, but without their captain, they're lost. Don't do that! Ever!"

"I suppose I owe Mrs. Pugh and Drake a hefty apology, don't I?" he sighed, smiling as he reached out to tuck some hair behind her ear. "I owe you an even bigger one. Annie, I should never have done that, especially without speaking to you first. It was cowardly. It was not at all how a father should act. I…" he shook his head. "I got scared, and I suppose I don't know how to handle such an emotion. It's not one I encounter often."

"That's okay, Mr. Warbucks," she smiled back at him. "The important thing is, you came back. Did Miss Farrell come swooping in, saving you from everything bad?"

He laughed again, glancing over his shoulder at Grace. "In a way, I suppose she did." He kissed Annie on the forehead. "Will you still consider letting me adopt you? Even though I messed up quite horribly?"

"I don't want anyone else being my dad," she shook her head. "You're the best, Mr. Warbucks. You know why?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"You're an adult who makes mistakes, and then you actually say you're sorry about it," she smiled. "A lot of adults just make mistakes, and then yell at us kids when we point out they did something that hurt us. You don't. Miss Farrell, either. You actually wanna learn."

He smiled a little wider. "That's a very wise observation, Annie. I'm glad we differentiate."

"Me, too," she hugged him again. "We're still gonna have a party on the Fourth, right? We have to start planning if we are! There's not a bunch of time, but there's a bunch we need to do to make it perfect!"

"Is that so?" Grace stepped forward. "What are you suggesting?"

Annie just smirked. "We'll talk when we have our party-planning meeting."

"Oh, we're penciled in, are we?" Oliver chuckled, rising back to his full height and wrapping an arm around his fiancée. "I think perhaps we should have that meeting right now. But, I think it's prudent that we have all hands on deck. And, for that to happen, we need to speak with everyone else, don't we?" he glanced at Grace, who smiled, leading Annie to beam.

"Leaping lizards!" Her eyes widened. "You're telling 'em right now?!"

"Shh," Grace laughed, putting her finger to her lips. "Yes, dear. We are. Go on, call your sisters up so we can all celebrate the good news."

Annie's lips stretched, quite literally, from ear to ear, and after she jumped up and down, so excited she couldn't even let out a squeal, she ran back down the steps. "Pepper! Molly! Duffy! Everyone! Get over here, fast!"

Each of the other six girls snapped their heads up at once, confused for a second until they noticed Annie beckoning them over. One by one, they all picked up speed, until they were in front of Oliver and Grace, Annie standing off to the side with about the biggest grin ever still on her face.

"Are we in trouble?" Tessie asked, wringing her hands. "I didn't mean to get a rip in my stockings—I can probably sew it back up. I'm really, really, really sorry."

"You're not in any trouble, darling," Grace shook her head, smiling gently before she glanced up at Oliver. He nodded, as though to tell her to break the news already, and she leaned down before all the girls. "Mr. Warbucks and I have a very important question to ask all of you, if that's alright."

Pepper folded her arms. "What, you wanna know if you can just ship us back already? You don't have to ask that, most adults just do it."

"Actually, we have no intention of shipping anyone back," Oliver shook his head. "Quite the opposite, in fact."

"We've both noticed how close you girls are the past several days," Grace continued. "We've also quite enjoyed your company. All of you have made an impression on us. And, well… I'm just not very pleased with the idea of you living elsewhere. Neither is Mr. Warbucks."

"Which is why," Oliver jumped in. "We were wondering if you'd mind too terribly if we adopted you."

Silence befell every single one of the girls. Molly's jaw dropped open, and Tessie just about immediately started crying. Duffy, meanwhile, went white, while July looked to Annie, as though convinced this were a joke. Kate and Pepper exchanged a glance, and then, before anyone could say anything, Molly raced forward, throwing her arms around Oliver's legs.

"You mean it?!" she asked. "You're gonna be my daddy, too?"

He laughed a little, lifting her up. "Is that alright with you?"

"Yes!" she threw her arms around his neck, then pulled back, just staring at him. "Does this… does this mean I get toys? Dolls?"

Grace smiled, tears shining in her eyes as she rubbed her hand down Molly's back. "All the toys you could possibly ever hope for, and more," she promised. "We love you, sweetheart."

Molly just stared at her, tears welling in her eyes, too. "Leaping lizards," she whispered, holding her arms out for Grace. "You're an even better mommy than all the ones I've dreamt of."

"Is that so?" Grace chuckled, taking the girl from Oliver. Kissing her forehead, Oliver watched for a moment before he looked at the other girls.

"I have two 'yeses,'" he said, smiling at them. "What about the rest of you?"

"You really want us?" Tessie wiped at her eyes. "Even though we argue a bunch?"

"What's a home without some bickering every now and then?" he nodded, and now, Tessie, took a cautious step forward before throwing her arms around Oliver's waist. He chuckled, hugging back, then looking again to the four who'd yet to say a word. "Well, what'll it be?"

"Mr. Warbucks…" July clasped her hands over her mouth. "Really?"

"Really, really," he held his arm out to her. "Come along. Grace and I are planning that engagement party for the Fourth, but now, I think, the two of us are going to take the backseat so you girls can be in the spotlight. Whatever you want, just say the word. No request is too big."

July ran over now, Duffy following close on her heels before they both hugged Oliver just as tight as Tessie had. Meanwhile, Kate and Pepper remained off to the side, more than cautious, and as Grace took note of this, she set Molly back down before walking over to the two of them.

"We'd be honored to call you two our daughters," she said, smiling at the both of them. "I know, though, it's probably a little nerve-wracking to even entertain the thought. Annie's told us a lot about the adults who've let you down. I'm so sorry that you ever had to face that, especially at such a young age. It wasn't fair, neither of you deserved it. And I won't tell you that Mr. Warbucks and I are going to be perfect at this. We're bound to make our mistakes, and I apologize in advance for anything I ever do to hurt you. But I can promise this: I will always try to do what's right by you. Your best interest will be my very first priority, every single day. We want you to have the happy ending you deserve—and we'd be so happy if you chose us as the ones to help you achieve that."

Tears formed in Kate's eyes now, too—something that she very clearly was embarrassed by. Trying her best to blink them away, she couldn't quite hide them, and she folded her arms over her chest. "We're so old," she whispered. "You don't want us, we're not going to be cute like the rest of them."

"Which is exactly why we do want you," Grace reached out for her hand. "It's not just the 'cute' ones who deserve homes, sweetheart. You're all children, no matter how independent you think you may be. You've had to fend for yourselves for too long. We want to put a stop to that, finally allow you two to just… be kids, you know?"

Kate sniffled. "You don't have to do this."

"But we want to," Grace shook her head. "It's alright if you need a day or two to decide on this. Or, longer, even. We don't want you to feel rushed on any part of this. Just know, you have a home with us, and we have no intention of changing our minds on that—even for a second."

The girl nodded a little, arms still crossed over her chest. She stepped back a little, starting down the terrace steps so she could sit, as though deep in thought. Meanwhile, Grace looked to Pepper, whose face was unreadable.

"The same goes for you, honey," she said. "You can take as long as you need to think about this. We're going to want you no matter how long it takes."

Pepper lifted her gaze for a moment. Tears were in her eyes, too, and she opened her mouth, staring at Grace as though she was about to say something. Instead, though, she turned and raced into the house, openly sobbing. Grace was taken aback, immediately, glancing at Oliver, who was just as out of his depth as she. He gestured for her to follow, and she paused for a moment. It was the right move, she was sure. She couldn't just leave Pepper to be upset on her own. But what if Pepper didn't want company? What if she continued to overwhelm the girl?

She stood, frozen, for a solid minute, unsure of how to proceed.

Then, just as she was about to head inside the house, Annie stepped forward, stopping her.

"I'll talk to her," she said decisively. "She listens to me best, anyways."

With this, she wasted no time with running after Pepper, while Grace remained to the side, quickly starting to feel as though she'd made a mistake with announcing their plans for adoption to all girls at the same time. It was overwhelming, wasn't it? The girls never expected to hear they were going to have parents again, much less the same set of parents so they could grow up together. Then, they were asked, and it was expected that they agree right away. No wonder Pepper had had such a reaction.

The last thing she wanted to do was hurt them more.

Now, she was afraid she had.