Hello fellow POstables! This story has been developing in my head since viewing 'To the Altar.' I finally decided to start writing it down. I do not consider myself a writer by any means, but I fell in love with SSD and love the stories and characters so much. I hope you enjoy this little bit of fiction as we patiently (...or impatiently) await the next installment. Thanks for reading! :)


{Friday Evening}

Oliver sat alone on a pew in the Denver Mercy hospital chapel.

His head was pounding, his hands were shaking, and his eyes were red. He came to pray, to plead, but breathing was proving difficult. He was oblivious of the whispering of two friends anxiously watching him through a crack in the door.

He glanced to his right and he could almost see her sitting there again. She had looked so beautiful, and the conversation that had ensued had made Oliver feel like all was right with the world. The memories washed over him. She set the rescue in motion that saved his life, and his father's life, that day. She set everything in motion.

The reality of her current situation consumed him once again, cutting through the happy memories like a knife. He felt sick. Nothing was right with the world.

Finally after a few forced deep breaths, his head fell forward and he clasped his hands together, a simple whispered request escaped his lips as tears escaped from his eyes once again, "Please...please not Shane...not my Shane…"


{The Monday Before}

Shane McInerney closed the door to her car and glanced at her phone. Two minutes left to go before she would be considered "late" for work. Plenty of time. It was January and freezing, but she smiled as she walked in just the same.

Oliver had been picking her up for work everyday since their engagement 3 months prior. Today he'd had an early meeting and she had opted for an hour of extra sleep. She missed him picking her up though, and was anxious to see him. She grinned as she thought of the look on his face as she inquired about the parking debates that had continued for more than a year. She loved this crazy, wonderful place that had brought so much meaning to her life.

She was halfway to the DLO when she heard Hazel's voice.

"Shane! Shane! Hi!"

"Good morning, Hazel. How are you?" Shane genuinely liked Hazel. Her exuberance was often overwhelming, but her friendship was sincere.

"I'm just wonderful, of course!" She gave Shane a serious look,"...but I was wondering about you? Have you and Oliver chosen a date yet?"

Shane smiled, "Not yet. I promise to let you know once I know." Shane gave Hazel a wink and wished her a good day as she continued to the DLO.

That was the 4th time Hazel had asked in the last month! She had discussed the date with Oliver a dozen times, but they had yet to come to an agreement. He wanted to wait until the fall, so they could take their time planning and making decisions together. Shane understood, but would much prefer sometime in the spring. Preferably May. Denver would be so beautiful in May. She wasn't worried at all about having enough planning time. Oliver O'Toole failed to realize that Shane had been imagining the details of their wedding long before they had promised forever and he had placed that beautiful ring on her finger. She glanced down at her hand and smiled. Everything about her life made her smile these days.

She walked into the DLO to find Mr. and Mrs. Dorman standing shoulder to shoulder, already sorting the days mail.

"Good morning!" she said, as she walked towards her desk.

They both looked up and said, "'Morning, Shane!" in unison, causing them to smile fondly at one another. Rita quickly turned to watch Shane with a giddy expression on her face.

Shane was just about to ask what was going on when she noticed the single yellow rose in a vase on her desk with a note carefully tied to it. She glanced at Rita and grinned. The handwriting was clearly Oliver's, evident from a few feet away. She quickly picked up the card. Her name was carefully written on the outside, the inside simply said: 'Good morning, my love.' Rita giggled and Shane knew she must have been smiling from ear to ear.

"You two are so adorable!" sighed Rita. "I can't wait until your wedding! Did you choose a date yet?"

Shane laughed, "No, not yet, but I told Oliver we need to decide by the end of this month, which gives him approximately 10 days to change his mind and agree with me, so…"

Just then the DLO door opened and Oliver stepped in. Shane walked right up to him, went up on her tiptoes, and placed a kiss on his cheek. Norman and Rita unsuccessfully pretended not to be paying attention. "Thank you for the rose," she whispered quietly.

Oliver looked pleased, but also uncomfortable. He cleared his throat, "Ms. McInerney, we are in the office...professionalism, please."

Shane feigned confusion, "Oh, did you leave flowers for all of your team members?" He glanced down at her as her eyes danced with amusement. He wanted to scoop her up and kiss her, but instead a small smile showed at the corners of his mouth as he helped her remove her coat, placing it carefully next to his on the coat rack. He straightened his suit jacket and turned around to address his team.

"Today's meeting was mostly uneventful. However, there will be a vote taking place in one week to put an end to the parking debate once and for all. Consider your feelings on the subject carefully, and be prepared to cast your vote next Monday. We also discussed some procedures to handle the upcoming Valentine's rush in a few weeks. I think you will all be pleased, as the changes will improve our productivity immensely. We will discuss the details at a later date. Any questions?"

They each shook their head in response.

"Good. Norman, Rita, Ms. McInerney...shall we begin our work?"


4:55PM

Oliver sat back in his chair and sighed. It had been an uneventful, but productive day. They had emptied the dead letter bin, sending many letters off to their intended recipients. Work that always brought with it a quiet satisfaction.

Norman was busy perfecting a new formula to help decipher water damaged envelopes, while Rita looked on in fascination. He smiled. They were so good for one another. Oliver had never seen either one happier.

He shifted his focus to Shane. She was staring at her computer screen, completely engrossed in... something. He loved how her hair framed her face and how her eyes always revealed her quick mind working behind them. He glanced at the ring on her finger and smiled. From time to time he still wondered if this was all too good to be true. But she was there every morning with that ring on her finger, letting the whole world know she was his...

"Norman, look at the time!" exclaimed Rita, interrupting Oliver's thoughts.

"Oh yes," said Oliver as he stood, "It is time to adjourn for the day. Well done everyone."

Norman turned to Rita, "We've got to hurry! We don't want to be late for bowling!"

"Just let me grab our TEAM DORMAN shirts and we can be on our way!" said Rita.

Shane paused packing up her purse. "Bowling?"

"Oh yes, we are TEAM DORMAN. We have a perfect record so far. Two wins, zero losses, but we haven't actually competed against the other couples. That begins tonight," said Norman. "The trick is knowing which mathematical equation to use in order to determine the correct ball weight and throwing speed, while factoring angle thrown and pin location."

"Norman is a natural!" exclaimed Rita proudly. Norman smiled at her, very much embarrassed.

"When did you two take up bowling?" questioned Oliver.

"Right after our honeymoon. See, I have this cousin…"

"Well, that's wonderful that you found a past time that you both thoroughly enjoy." said Oliver, trying to be supportive.

Rita blurted out, "You should both join us sometime! They are always starting new competitions. We could be TEAM POSTABLES! I could make us shirts and everything!"

Norman nodded in agreement.

Shane glanced at Oliver, clearly amused with her eyebrows raised. Rita was holding onto the bowling shirts and the colors were quite bright. Shane almost snorted at the thought of Oliver wearing something similar.

"Oh um, that's uh, something to consider…" Oliver could feel his face growing hot. "I read recently that recreational companionship is important to any lasting relationship…"

Shane interrupted, "You mean like...the Postables that play together, stay together?" she tilted her head to the side, wondering where he had read that. "Well, I think it sounds like fun! I actually used to bowl all the time. It would be nice to compete again."

Oliver was surprised. Shane had a habit of surprising him quite often. "You used to compete? At bowling?"

"Oh, have I never mentioned that before? My mom forced my sister and I into it shortly after my dad left. I think she wanted us to know we were still a family, still a team. We resisted at first, but then we all got quite good and entered several competitions." She shrugged, as if it were no big deal.

"Astonishing…" said Oliver. He had been bowling once and it had not gone well.

"Well, we really do have to go, let's discuss details later!" Rita said, as she and Norman hurried out the door, waving as they left.

Shane walked up to Oliver chuckling, she reached out to touch his arm. "We don't have to bowl if you don't want to, but…"

"But what?" he said as he put his hands around her waist.

Looking extremely serious she said, "When will I ever get another chance to see you in tie-dye?"

He burst out laughing. No one could make him laugh like Shane could. She joined him in his laughter and then threw her arms around his neck for a quick kiss.

"Let's go," she said, "I'm starving and there are some sensational Montaldo's leftovers waiting for us in my refrigerator!"

"May I escort you to your vehicle, Ms. McInerney?" he asked while offering his arm.

"Why, yes you may, Mr. O'Toole." She said with a grin as she slid her arm through his.

Oliver and Shane enjoyed their dinner and snuggled up on the couch, hot cocoa in hand. This had become a habit of late. They would have dinner together almost every evening, unless it was a girls night or poker night. Afterwards they would spend the evening reading together, playing Scrabble or Chess, or simply talking about anything and everything.

Tonight had been Scrabble night and Oliver had won by twenty-two measly points. Shane was fiercely competitive and was not happy about this. She had won the last two games and was looking forward to three in a row.

She leaned on his shoulder as she sipped her hot cocoa and stared into the fire. He began playing with the ring on her left hand.

"You know, I'm a little jaded from our Scrabble game. Swooping in and crushing me at the end like that was quite ungentlemanly of you."

He smirked. "Ungentlemanly? Is that so?"

"Do you want to know how you can make it up to me?" She turned to face him.

"Hmm, would it have anything to do with choosing a wedding date?"

Shane simply looked at him and smiled sweetly.

He sighed. "I don't feel that May would be the best time…"

"Yes, but we've already been engaged 3 months, which has been lovely, and I technically already have my dress…" Shane hadn't meant to tell him that. She could feel her face growing warm.

"You have your dress?" he said with raised eyebrows and a smile. "When did you get that?"

"Well, the Monday after we got engaged I realized Evelyn Rose would be retiring soon. Rita's dress was so beautiful, so I called her that day, made an appointment, and she made me the perfect dress. I picked it up 3 weeks ago."

He was listening intently, but had yet to say anything else. She took that as her cue to continue, and did so excitedly. "I know we could easily pull everything together, we just need to schedule the chapel and go from there…"

He gently grabbed both her hands, "Shane, how about June 1st?"

She just stared at him, blinked quickly a few times, feeling slightly stunned. She hadn't played her strongest cards yet. As a good debater, she had strategically organized her arguments. She was completely derailed. "Um...if the chapel is available, that could work…"

"I've already talked to the pastor and scheduled the chapel for 11AM on Saturday, June 1st. Your mother already arranged to fly in the Saturday before to help with last minute details." He grinned triumphantly. He had surprised her, which was not an easy thing to do. "I hope this makes up for Scrabble."

After she fully registered what he had said, Shane thanked him with a punch on the arm and said "Oliver O'Toole!" in her most exasperated voice. She sat there, grinning and shaking her head.

He laughed, stood up, and held out his hand, "Dance with me?"

He held her close as they circled her living room. "I've also chosen our first dance song, but I intend on keeping that a surprise."

He had already chosen a song too?! Shane was mentally kicking herself. Had she really thought he was trying to avoid planning their wedding? He'd wanted to enjoy every moment, wanted to make sure everything was just right. And it was. She thought of how he always seemed to love her in just the right ways. Her eyes began to fill with tears.

Oliver stopped dancing and lifted her chin. His eyebrows were furrowed with concern. "Shane, are you alright?"

"Yes. More than alright. These tears are the happy kind."

He smiled and gave her a gentle kiss followed by an embrace that completely removed her feet from the floor.

As he set her down, he abruptly announced, "It's almost 10 o'clock. Time for me to go."

Shane sighed. Oliver had set a curfew of 10PM whenever they were alone together. It had annoyed Shane a bit initially. He had made promises to himself, to her, and to God, and he intended to keep those promises. Ever the gentleman, she couldn't help but admire him all the more for it.

She walked him to the door. "Thank you for tonight, Oliver. I love you."

Hearing those three words from her lips still caused his heart to race and a lump to form in his throat. He swallowed hard and reached up to touch her cheek. "I love you too, my June bride. Good night."

He waited on the porch until he heard the door lock, knowing she was safe and secure. He smiled as he walked to his car.

She watched him from the window, smiling as well. One day they wouldn't have to part each night. One day in June.