Life went on fairly normally for Grace and Oliver over the next few days. They managed to fall straight back into an easy working routine, successfully ignoring the fact that anything was different between them at all. It was only when they went out for meetings and other social engagements that they were reminded of their situation. Friends and associates who wanted to know how married life was treating them. The pair became quite well-practiced at using the phrase, "We're very happy, thank you."

One morning, after having attended a fundraising gala the night before for the proposed new wing for unwell children at Bellevue hospital, Grace was scanning the New York Times to find out how much money had been raised over the course of the night. She found the article pertaining to the event and was pleased when she'd seen the figure, which of course her husband had contributed a great deal to. What she read further down the column made her pause in surprise. She felt herself flush a little as she read the sentence:

"Billionaire tycoon Oliver Warbucks and his new wife Grace were in attendance, the glamorous pair looking unsurprisingly smitten with one another as they opened their hearts and their wallets to a good cause."

Grace sat down and thought back to last night. She remembered feeling happy to be there, swept up in the jolly atmosphere of fine food and good will. She felt immense pride in Oliver for his charity - something she knew had been inspired by their daughter. It was the first time they had been away from Annie since their wedding and it did feel quite strange being out in the public eye, just the two of them with no endearing child to help paint the picture of them as a happy family. Grace remembered making a conscious effort to dote on her husband as much as possible, in order to keep up appearances. She supposed it must have worked.

She knew journalists always sensationalized things, but she still couldn't help the odd twist in her stomach at being viewed that way with Oliver.

At that moment, the man himself stepped into the room and greeted her with a professional warmth. "Good morning."

"Oh, morning", she gave him a quick smile, glancing up from The Times. "I was just reading the article in the times about the gala last night. They managed to raise close to thirty-eight thousand dollars for the new hospital wing."

"Good result", Oliver nodded, taking his seat opposite her.

"Yes, thanks in no small part to your own contribution", Grace reminded him.

"Our contribution, Grace. Don't forget, what's mine is yours now."

Grace stared at him feeling rather fascinated and astonished. Several months ago she wouldn't have dreamed that he would share his fortune with another person so willingly, and never would she have thought that she would be that person.

"There was an uh, interesting observation of us written by the journalist as well", she smiled wryly, handing him the paper to read it.

He scanned the article quickly "Oh", he sniggered softly. "Well, perhaps we'd better audition for Broadway since we're clearly such talented actors."

Grace tittered, shaking her head. "The power of suggestion plays a big part too, don't forget. We're newlyweds, and people understandably have an assumption of what that means. They're going to see what they expect to see, right? Especially when there are reporters who will romanticize whatever they see to sell stories."

"Yes, quite", Oliver said softly, seemingly lost in thought.

He started when his telephone rang loudly beside him on his desk. "Goodmorning, Warbucks' residence", Grace answered the call as she usually did, though before they were married, she had answered the phones with "Mr. Warbucks' residence".

"Oh yes, good morning Commissioner Graves. Thank you very much, Sir…" She glanced at Oliver, gave him a thumbs up and pointed to her wedding ring which signified that Commissioner Graves had just congratulated her on her marriage.

Oliver smirked slightly in reply.

"Ah yes, Sir. We're both very happy to discuss Annie's education with you… Oh, yes, certainly you may speak with Mr. Warbucks. Just a moment", Grace reached across the desk to pass Oliver the phone with a slightly put out look on her face.

Even though she knew most women had no authority to make decisions for the family or their welfare, she at least hoped that Oliver would involve her in the discussion.

"Commissioner Graves", Oliver answered the phone astutely. "Thank you very much", he rolled his eyes slightly, obviously having received the same sentiment of congratulations that Grace had. "Yes, of course we'll be enrolling Annie in a formal education service….well, she's had quite a lot to deal with these past couple of months, it's been quite a transition and upheaval for the child…well, no, Sir, we don't. She had some minimal education at the orphanage but knowing what level she's at currently might not be so easy to pinpoint. She has a great amount of street smarts and is very clever, I feel, for her age…No, I know that doesn't mean much in terms of formal education, you're right." As he spoke to the Commissioner of education, Oliver became more and more flustered.

"Yes, I understand that but…" Oliver shared a look with Grace and sighed. "Commissioner, I need to discuss this with my wife, and as a matter of fact, with Annie. It has to be the right decision for her. I'm not going to force her into anything at this time, but I will speak with her and Grace about options. Yes, you may call back tomorrow. Fine. Goodbye, Commissioner."

He hung up the phone with a huff and looked across at Grace. "If it's not one thing, it's a blasted other."

"He wants Annie in school", Grace correctly assumed.

"Yeah. Sooner rather than later", he pursed his lips.

"Well, I suppose we don't want the truant officer coming around to investigate us, do we?" She half joked.

"No, but do you think Annie's ready for school? She spent her whole life in a miserable orphanage, being forced to work. I just want her to have some time to enjoy herself, to be a kid."

Grace smiled at her husband's words. Annie really did bring out the very best in him.

"I understand, but you know the longer we leave it, the harder it will be when the time does come to integrate her into a structured learning environment."

"Yes, I suppose you're right", he tapped his chin with his finger. "Do you remember the name of that pediatrician who was sitting at our table last night?"

"Doctor McIntosh?"

"Yes, that's it. Isn't his wife the headmistress of the Brearley school? She seemed like a kindly woman. I wonder if I could approach her about a late admission."

"Yes, that's right. But…Brearley?"

"Why not?" Oliver shrugged.

"Private school?" Grace asked dubiously.

"Naturally", Oliver answered, not understanding why she would have thought otherwise.

"Well aren't you worried that she won't fit in? The children there would be so different to her. Annie wasn't brought up wealthy, she's from a different world, Oliver."

"Annie is a very adjustable little girl. She had next to nothing growing up, but she's adjusted pretty well to living here, hasn't she?"

"Yes, but school is different. Other children can be quite merciless. What if she's teased because of where she comes from?"

Oliver frowned. "She could be teased at public school too, Grace. This is about what's best for her education. We can't be worried about the fact that she might be made fun of."

"Of course we can, and we should be!" Grace retorted, looking horrified that he would care so little. "Annie's had a lifetime of being trodden on and beaten down. Don't you think she needs an environment that will boost her self esteem? I mean, you said it yourself, it's about time she was allowed to be a child and enjoy her life."

Oliver released a slow breath, trying not to lose his temper. "Look, you and Annie are both welcome to have input but ultimately the decision will have to be mine."

"Why must the decision be yours? Surely it should be decided by both of us", Grace scowled at him.

"Women have no authority in these areas, Grace, you know that."

Grace was furious at him for saying such a thing, and it began to show in her tone of voice and on her face. "Oh come on, Oliver. Are you telling me the board of education won't listen to someone like you, or is what you're saying that you won't even advocate for my voice being heard in the first place?"

"It's not me who makes the rules, Grace! It's just the way it is. I'm Annie's Father, therefore I must have the final say."

Grace shook her head. "But you've said it yourself before on many occasions, out of the two of us, I'm the one with the most experience in formal education."

Oliver narrowed his eyes at her, becoming severely worked up. "Well aren't you fortunate? Some of us couldn't afford that sort of thing, which is exactly why I want Annie to have the best that money can buy."

Grace bowed her head, beginning to understand where he was coming from, though still quite angry at him for trying to exclude her from the discussion. "I'm very sorry your family never had the money to…"

"Oh, I don't need your pity, Grace. I need you to listen to what I'm saying!"

Her eyes widened at him, his harsh tone making her feel belittled. "I am listening, but I'm not going to be undermined or dictated to like I'm simply your secretary."

"You are my secretary!" Oliver barked, his face turning beet red.

"I'm your wife!" Grace growled at him. "And I'm Annie's Mother! Or have you conveniently forgotten that fact?"

"Well you wouldn't be her Mother if I hadn't asked you to be!"

Grace was livid. "Oh don't you dare use that like it's an excuse. I did you a favor, Oliver Warbucks, a monumental and un-repayable one at that. Besides which, Annie wouldn't even be here if it weren't for me! It wasn't that long ago that she arrived and if you recall, Sir, you were quite clear about the fact that you didn't even want her here."

The pair of them froze when they heard a quiet sniveling beside them.

"Annie…", Grace grimaced at seeing her daughter beside them, clearly and understandably upset by her Mother's words.

The girl ran off and after a worried and annoyed glance towards her husband, Grace followed her.

Oliver cursed internally. His first thought was that he really should get his daughter a bell to hang around her neck so that he might be able to tell when she was nearby. His second thought was how mad he was with Grace. Since when did she argue with him so fiercely? When did his faithful secretary suddenly decide to become argumentative and challenging? And then it recurred to him - she wasn't just his secretary anymore. She was his wife, and she deserved his respect.

He kicked himself for speaking to her like some tyrannical monster but Grace should not have responded in that way, and now because of his words and hers, they'd all been hurt - Annie included.

He'd only ever thought that having Grace as Annie's Mother would be a help to him but now he realized that co-parenting with someone so strong-minded could have its downsides.

With a deep sigh, he walked out of his office and in the direction his daughter and wife had gone, hoping that together they could smooth things over and sort out this mess.

He found them both sitting on the staircase. Annie had her head bowed and Grace was apologizing and trying to cheer her up.

"I shouldn't have said that, Annie, I'm so sorry."

"But it's true. He didn't much like me when I first got here. It's not much of a secret", the girl said somberly.

"But he loves you so much now. You know that don't you?"

Slowly, Annie nodded. "Yes, I know."

"And you know why, don't you?" Oliver spoke as he approached the stairs and sat down on the step below Annie and Grace. Annie raised her head at the sound of her Father's voice.

"It's because you're so special, Annie. It's not that I didn't want you, I didn't want any child. But you made me change my mind."

The corner of Annie's lips twisted upwards slightly. "I'm really glad you changed your mind, Daddy, but it's not really that that's upsetting me so much. It's what you both said about other kids teasing me. What if nobody wants to be my friend at school?"

Oliver and Grace shared a concerned look before Oliver wrapped his arm around their daughter.

"Listen, you are a terrific child and anyone who befriends you is going to be the luckiest person to have you as their friend, and any kid who decides they don't want to be your friend? Well, they don't deserve you, do they?"

Grace felt her heart swell at her husband's touching sentiment. She was quite amazed and impressed at him for his degree of thoughtfulness. It made her realize that he did truly only want what was best for their daughter. Both Grace and Oliver had overcome a lot in their childhoods, but Oliver'd had to be incredibly strong and resilient and he'd learned from experience that one could go on to achieve incredible things even in the face of such significant adversity. No one was better proof of that than Oliver Warbucks, in fact.

"Thanks Daddy", Annie wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tightly.

When she pulled away again, she looked between her parents. "So when am I going to start school?"

"Do you think you'd like to start school soon?" Grace asked her.

"Well, I do love being here with everybody, there's a lot of interesting stuff to do, but I also miss being around other kids every day."

"Well, we want you to be able to go to a school where you will get the greatest benefit for your education, but also somewhere you'll be happy", Oliver assured her with a flick of his eyes towards Grace who acknowledged him with a thankful smile.

"So I can help you decide where I'm gonna go?" Annie asked excitedly.

"Well, I think whichever school we choose should at least have some attributes that will appeal to you. What do you think you most want and need from school, Annie?"

She blinked in surprise that her Father was asking her for her opinion on the matter. "Gee, I don't really know. I'd like a nice teacher. Not someone like Miss Hannigan, anyway."

Both adults nodded in complete understanding, then Grace spoke. "Well, we met a headmistress named Mrs. McIntosh at the gala last night who runs a school called Brearley and she was very nice indeed. Perhaps we could arrange an interview with her?"

Oliver looked over at his wife in surprise at her change of heart regarding private school.

"Sure", Annie said brightly, becoming quite excited by the thought of starting school.

Grace smiled at her daughter's enthusiasm. "In the meantime, why don't you make a list of things you'd like to ask Mrs. McIntosh about Brearley, and perhaps think of what's important to you in regards to your education and what you'd most like to learn?"

Oliver nodded in approval at Grace's suggestion and Annie did too. "OK", she beamed at her Mother, glad to have a part to play in choosing her own school. She reached over and hugged Grace before standing up and skipping down the stairs. When she got to the bottom, she turned and looked at her parents hesitantly. "You know, there was one other thing that upset me earlier. Actually, I think it was what upset me the most."

Both her Mother and Father gave her looks of care and concern. "What was it, dear?" Grace asked softly.

"The two of you arguing, fighting", she said, looking downcast.

The adults looked at each other and sighed. "We're sorry you heard that, Annie and we're sorry that it upset you", Grace apologized again.

"We were only arguing because we both love you so much and want to get things right for you", her Father shrugged lightly. "We're both new at this, you know and I hope you can be patient with us because well, we're still learning too."

Annie smiled wisely at her Father, "Well then I guess we're all going to learn new things together."

Her Mother and Father smiled proudly at her for her maturity and understanding as she bounced through the house to her Father's office to begin working on a list of questions for Mrs. McIntosh.

Once she was gone, Oliver and Grace turned almost awkwardly to each other.

"Look, Grace-"

"Oliver, I-"

They both began at once and then both paused and laughed quietly at themselves.

"Ah, all I was going to say", Oliver started again timidly, "is that Annie is right. It's not very nice when we argue and it's upsetting to me as well as her. It wasn't really fair of me to yell at you or dictate to you when I was only your boss and it certainly isn't fair of me as your husband. I…I apologize."

Grace swallowed, feeling taken aback. "I'm sorry too. I understand now why you feel private school is the better option, and I know she'll get a tremendous amount out of it. I've been trying to wrap Annie in cotton wool, to keep her safe and shield her from any more misfortune, but I need to realize that the realities of life are going to find her eventually, just as they find everyone, and if anyone is well-equipped enough to face them head on, it's Annie."

"She's a tough one, our girl", Oliver reminded her with a glint in his eye, and Grace smiled at him. "I know." She bowed her head and a cloud crossed her face. "I'm also terribly sorry for what I said about you not wanting her when she first arrived here. It was incredibly insensitive of me."

Oliver sighed deeply. "You weren't wrong, Grace."

"But things are so different now."

"Yes, they're different for all of us, you and me included. As much as we could pretend that our relationship needn't change, well it's not really true is it?"

Grace tilted her head in thought. "I suppose I'm realizing that in order for us to parent Annie together in a way that makes her feel secure and loved, we both need to be on equal ground and to treat each other with commensurate respect."

He nodded slowly. "You're right. Things need to be different between us professionally and personally. I need to stop thinking of you and treating you as my secretary."

Grace looked at him warily. "I don't want to give up my job, though."

"Well, I couldn't do without you in any case. I just have to change my own mindset and think of the two of us as allies and comrades. Both in business and in parenthood...That's it", he remarked, snapping his fingers.

"What's it?" Grace asked in confusion.

He raised his head to her and said with assurance, "You no longer work for me."

Grace's face fell. "But I just…"

He held up his hand and expanded on his statement. "You work with me."

Grace paused thoughtfully and then nodded. "OK."

"I mean it, Grace and I'm going to make it legal in terms of the company too. From now on, when it comes to Warbucks industries and when it comes to raising Annie, you and I are partners."

"Partners", Grace breathed in awe. She was becoming a partner in the most successful company in the world. She knew that by being his wife she had a certain stake in the company already, but to be recognized by him in such a significant way was astounding and so telling of how much he had grown as an individual.

He extended his hand to shake on their deal and Grace stared at it for a moment before laughing and pushing it away softly, and instead wrapping her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you", she whispered into his ear.

His only response was to hug her in return and pat her gently on her back. He smiled to himself, feeling glad to have resolved things between them and even more so, to have made his wife happy.