Oliver and Grace took Annie to visit her Grandmother several more times over the next three weeks, in between train trips around the countryside, sightseeing and visits with Grace's family.

When Daddy Warbucks had adopted Annie, every single member of his household had taken her under their wing and treated her like a member of their own family. However, being in Ireland and meeting real family members gave Annie a sense of belonging she hadn't been sure she would ever find.

Ailis and Annie got on like a house on fire, they were very similar in their character and Annie loved learning about her biological parents through her Grandmother.

The Warbucks' went with Ailis to visit the place where Annie's Maternal Grandfather Warwick and Uncle Thomas were laid to rest. Annie took flowers and placed them on both of their graves. It was very emotional for everyone.

They saw where Annie's Mother had gone to school, the shop where she'd worked as a seamstress and the library outside which Annie's parents had met as young adults.

"As your Mother was walking past the library on her way home from work, she dropped her needles. Your Father, who was coming out of the library was carrying a stack of books in his arms but still, being the gentleman he was, tried to bend down to pick them up for her. Of course, he then dropped his books and they both laughed and helped one another exchange their belongings", Ailis smiled, recalling the account her daughter had given her long ago of the sweet and rather handsome young man she'd met.

Annie too, smiled at the thought of her parents' first meeting. She'd always had an image of a Father who liked to read and a Mother who liked to sew. Her heart swelled yet ached as she listened to her Grandmother speak about them and thought how lovely they must have been and how sad it was that they had both died so young.

Grace and Oliver took Annie and Ailis to afternoon tea at the beautiful Hayfield Manor, leaving the two of them to have some time together and to further forge their newfound bond.

The eleven year old was in floods of tears on the day she and her Granny bid each other farewell before the Warbucks' return to New York. After forming such a strong attachment to the older woman, it felt to Annie as if she were losing her parents all over again.

"Now, now, youngin'. That's enough of that", Ailis told her caringly but sternly.

Annie continued to sob against her Grandmother's coat. It broke Grace and Oliver's hearts to see their daughter so upset. Truthfully, they hated having to take her away from there, but neither of them could ever have left without her.

Eventually Annie turned from her Grandmother and went straight into her Mother's arms. As much as she'd connected to and had come to love her Granny, she could never imagine being parted from her adoptive parents.

Oliver discreetly handed a large wad of Saorstát pounds to Ailis who immediately protested. "Just consider it remuneration for all of the calls from America you'll be accepting over the coming years", Oliver said to her persuasively. The billionaire was not going to take no for an answer, even from the woman who lived humbly and liked it that way.

Reluctantly, Ailis took the cash and embraced Oliver warmly. "Thank you", she said simply. Oliver could tell by her tone of voice and the duration for which she held him that she was thanking him for more than just the money.

"It's my pleasure", he told her sincerely, patting her gently on the back before the two of them parted.

Oliver took his daughter's hand and Grace gave the older woman a hug as well. "God bless you, Ailis."

"And you, dear", Ailis replied softly.

The family waved goodbye out of the windows of the car and Ailis watched them drive away until they turned into the next street.

The farewell to Grace's family was just as emotional when they got to Cobh. The Maguires saw them off at the terminal after many hugs and tears and promises to come and visit the Warbucks' in New York someday, when Archie was a little older.

Annie and Elaine were both crying, not wanting to say goodbye to one another, and Grace and Mary were much the same. "Call us won't you? When you get home", Mary implored her cousin.

"We will", Grace promised, squeezing Mary's hands as they parted.

The journey home was a lot more somber than their inbound sailing had been for Mrs. Pugh and the Warbucks family. All of them were already missing their loved ones. Still, they tried to be jolly and make the most of the delights The Majestic had to offer.

On their first night of travel, they enjoyed dancing in the first class lounge after dinner. It cheered them all up immensely, all four of them laughing and prancing about the room until quite late at night.

When they eventually did retire to their rooms, they all felt a wave (thankfully not a literal one), of tiredness hit them as they readied themselves for bed.

Grace lay back on hers and Oliver's bed, still half dressed, clutching her head which was throbbing quite badly. She exhaled deeply and Oliver looked at her in concern. "Are you alright? You look a little peaky."

"Too much dancing, I think", she laughed lightly.

"Yes, perhaps not the wisest activity when the room you're dancing in is already in motion", Oliver reasoned with a wry smile.

"Mm, exactly", Grace agreed, closing her eyes for a moment to try and stave off her headache.

Oliver could see his wife was exhausted and in some discomfort so he brought her nightdress to her and helped her change into it. Grace hummed tiredly. "Thank you", she croaked, smiling lethargically at him and pecking him on the cheek before she lay back down on the bed and promptly fell asleep.

She awoke the next morning to Oliver bustling about beside the bed. She squinted in the light, still feeling remnants of the headache from the previous night. "What time is it?" She asked her husband, her voice still somewhat croaky.

"Nearly nine", Oliver answered her,

"Oh I'm sorry I've slept so late."

"That's alright, clearly you were very tired."

Grace shook her head as she pushed herself up. "I suppose it has been a very exhausting and emotional few weeks."

"Yes, not quite the honeymoon I had in mind, though we have had some wonderful moments", Oliver smiled gently, sitting by her side and picking up her left hand which was now adorned with the sparkling engagement ring he had given her.

"I'll never forget this trip, and how lovely you've been", Grace told him with a loving expression.

He squeezed her hand softly, lifting it up to place a kiss upon it. He smiled wryly at her. "I'm starving. I'd like to go down to breakfast when you're ready."

Grace gasped softly. "I'm sorry darling, of course. I'll only take a minute to get dressed and then we'll go down." She leapt out of bed and changed her clothes hastily, not wanting to keep her famished husband waiting. "I must say I'm quite hungry myself", she confessed as she did up the top button on her blouse and curled her arm through his. "Let's go", she grinned at him before they walked down to the dining room arm in arm.

The hall had emptied out somewhat owing to the late hour of the morning, most of the passengers having already been for their breakfast.

"I wonder where Annie and Mrs. Pugh are. I daresay they'll have had breakfast already. Actually I'm surprised they didn't come to our room earlier to ask us to join them", Grace commented as they sat down at the table with their plates full.

"Perhaps they did but we were dead to the world", Oliver suggested.

Grace simmered guiltily. "I hope they weren't put out in that case, and I hope Mrs. Pugh doesn't mind looking after Annie."

"Of course she won't. She adores that little girl", Oliver smiled softly. "We'll locate them after breakfast", he assured her before picking up his knife and fork and hastily digging into his bacon and eggs.

Grace stabbed her own rasher of crispy fried bacon greedily and brought it to her lips but the ship must have hit a swell because her stomach lurched before she could take a bite.

She lay her knife and fork back down on the table and waited for the motion sickness to pass before trying again. When she brought her food to her mouth again, she felt her stomach lurch once more, only this time she recognized it wasn't the ocean making her queasy.

Frowning, she picked up a slice of melon and tried that instead. That at least didn't upset her like the bacon had but she could still only eat a little without feeling ill.

After some moments, Oliver, having been too ravenous to notice his wife's discomfort, finally glanced over at her and said, "I thought you said you were hungry. You've hardly touched a thing."

"I am…I-I was", Grace blinked. "My stomach doesn't seem to agree, or maybe it doesn't agree with the sea this time around."

Oliver looked at her in concern. "I think you must be exhausted, dearest. Eat what you can and then I'll take you back upstairs to rest."

"Oh but I want to find Annie first", Grace argued and after a moment of pause, Oliver nodded. "Alright. First we'll find Annie and then you'll go and rest."

Grace pouted. "She's not going to be very happy with me if I don't join her in the activities."

"She'll understand if you're not feeling well."

Grace continued to look forlorn and Oliver sighed. "Well perhaps you can join her if you can find something quiet and relaxing to do. Bathing in the pool, perhaps?" He suggested, knowing that had always been Grace's favorite part of the ship anyway.

His suggestion brought a smile to her face and he mentally patted himself on the back for chasing the look of disappointment away from her face.

He finished drinking his coffee and Grace managed to stomach a slice of toast before they went off in search of Annie and Mrs. Pugh.

They eventually found the pair up on deck, Annie enjoying looking at the wake of the ship as it cut through the water.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

"Good morning", Grace beamed at her child as Annie came bounding over to her. She kissed her daughter on the top of her head and breathed in the wonderfully refreshing sea air.

"We wanted to know if you might like to go swimming", Oliver said nonchalantly, knowing his daughter's reaction would be anything but.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Annie screeched, bouncing up and down. Oliver, Grace and Mrs. Pugh all chuckled.

"Well come along then, I don't mean in the sea", Oliver kidded with her and Annie rolled her eyes at him. "Daddy!"

He swooped the girl up in his arms and she giggled as he carried her back to the bulkhead.

Mrs. Pugh and Grace walked side by side behind them. "Are you alright, dear?" Mrs. Pugh asked Grace observantly as she noticed Grace pressing her hand into her stomach.

"Yes thank you Mrs. Pugh. Just a little seasick."

Mrs. Pugh smiled gently and took Grace's arm. "Try some dry crackers. They're very good for…any kind of sickness."

"I will, thank you for the advice", Grace said gratefully as they descended the stairs, not noticing that Mrs. Pugh was holding her a little more protectively than usual.

They all enjoyed bathing in the pool, except for Mrs. Pugh who preferred lounging beside it. In fact, it became the preferred activity for the family for the rest of their trip. Then finally, one clear afternoon, their beloved New York came into view and they were home.

They joined the rest of the passengers in disembarking the ship, all of them anxious to get back onto dry land after days at sea. There was quite a frenzy for people to get to the front of the queue. For most of the passengers it was their first time to America, for many of them they were coming to their new home.

One young couple, in their haste to be first off the ship, bolted past The Warbucks and Mrs. Pugh and knocked Grace over. Mrs. Pugh turned to them with a fury in her face that none of them had ever known her to possess. "Watch where you're going!" She hissed at the couple who looked sufficiently scolded and apologized quickly before stepping back again to let the four of them go ahead.

"It's alright Mrs. Pugh, I'm fine", Grace said in surprise at Mrs. Pugh's outburst.

Mrs. Pugh held her head up in a dignified manner and told Grace, "It was rude, that's all."

"If I've ever shown you any rudeness before, Mrs. Pugh, I swear not to do so again", Oliver remarked comically while Mrs. Pugh shook her head.

As the four of them made their way down the gangway, Grace became a little lightheaded, swaying on the spot. Fortunately, Oliver reacted quickly and caught her in his arms. "Whoa, whoa easy now. What's the matter?"

Grace panted with worry. "I don't know, I just got a little dizzy."

"Are you alright Mommy?" Annie asked, feeling concerned for her Mother.

"Yes, I think so", Grace nodded once she'd regained her balance.

Mrs. Pugh took Grace by her other arm and spoke to Annie calmly, "She'll be alright, dear", then to Grace, "But you must take extra care." She gave Grace a caring yet quite serious stare which made Grace feel somewhat disarmed.

"Alright, I will", she replied to her quietly, allowing her husband and Mrs. Pugh to hold her as they walked to the car.

Once they had arrived home, Oliver ordered the others to go straight to their rooms to rest. Annie would be back at school the following day so she definitely needed to recuperate from the trip and Grace had him concerned with her recent symptoms of being unwell. He himself would get a good sleep that evening, but for now he knew he had a lot of business that needed taking care of. Despite the fact he'd stepped down from a fair bit of his work before leaving for their trip, he still had to oversee the company, and four weeks away from his office was a very long time.

"I'll come and help you", Grace tried to argue, but Oliver held up his hand in protest. "No. I want you to go and rest. Set a good example for Annie, there's a good girl", he winked as his wife narrowed her eyes at him.

"Yes boss", she grumbled and Oliver merely smiled at her and kissed her on the side of her head, patting her softly in the rump to prompt her to move and go upstairs.

Grace was more exhausted than she or anyone else could have even imagined as she did in fact sleep the whole night, and even in the morning, she struggled to get out of bed. Her body honestly felt like it had been hit by a truck. Not that she'd confess this to Oliver of course. She didn't want to appear weak or to admit that she was struggling, especially when she knew how much work needed to be done.

She went downstairs to join Annie and Oliver for breakfast. As Oliver took notice of her when she entered the room, he frowned deeply. "My God, you look like death warmed up."

Grace huffed, sitting down lethargically in her chair next to him. "And here I'd thought you'd gotten better at giving compliments", she ribbed him but Oliver wasn't smiling, he looked far too concerned for her. His consternation only increased when she turned around to eat and balked at her food.

"You're still feeling unwell, aren't you? Grace, it's been days now. That's it, I'm calling the doctor."

Grace sighed wearily. "Oliver, I'm fine. I'm still recovering from the trip is all."

"Drake, please make sure Annie gets to school and then telephone Doctor McIntosh and ask him to call in at his earliest convenience."

"Oliver, you're overreacting, I don't need a doctor."

"Daddy, I don't wanna go to school, I wanna make sure Mommy's OK."

Both Annie and Grace spoke at once and Oliver held up both his hands to quiet them. "Grace, it's just a check up, I just want to make sure you didn't pick anything up while we were abroad, and Annie you are going to school and your Mother will be fine, I just want the doctor to come and do an examination and give us some advice, that's all."

Annie sluggishly hugged both of her parents, telling Grace, "I hope you feel better Mommy."

Grace smiled softly at her daughter. "I'm fine, honey. Your Father's just a worrywart." Oliver didn't look so impressed at that but at least it made Annie crack a smile before she followed Drake out of the room.

Annie went off to school and Doctor McIntosh arrived at one o'clock that afternoon. He was a very busy man but he had a lot of respect for The Warbucks' and knew how important and influential they were in the community. He skipped lunch in order to make the house call.

Oliver waited nervously in his office, trying to focus on the mountain of paperwork he had to catch up on while Grace was being examined. In all her years working for him, he didn't think he'd ever known Grace to be sick. He was so worried about her. It was quite possible that she was simply overwhelmed by all that had happened the past few weeks in Ireland - it had certainly been a huge emotional upheaval for all of them. Then of course, Oliver tried to think about whether there was a chance she might have picked up some disease from somewhere. He only hoped that it wasn't something serious or God forbid, terminal. What a cruel twist of fate that would be, for him to finally get his act together after all these years of knowing her, to realize he was in love with her and to tell her so, and for them to be so happy with their new family, only for Grace to become gravely ill.

Oliver sat at his desk with his head in his hands, praying, until he heard a soft knock on the door. He looked up to see Doctor McIntosh standing there.

"All finished Mr. Warbucks", he told him calmly.

"What's the prognosis, Doctor?" Oliver asked him anxiously.

The doctor bowed his head a little and said, "I think you'd best go and talk to Mrs. Warbucks, Sir. She said she'd prefer it came from her than from me", he pursed his lips, setting Oliver's heart into overdrive, panic rising up in his chest.

"Ah, of course, um, please go and see Mrs. Pugh in the kitchen before you leave and she'll fix you some lunch", he said distractedly as he hurried out of the room.

"Thank you", Dr. McIntosh called out after him, happy that he would get his lunch after all.

Oliver raced upstairs to his and Grace's room where Grace was lying down. At least that's what he thought she'd be doing, but when he arrived there and flung the door open, he found her standing right in front of it, waiting for him.

He looked at her and his heart sank with dread. There were tears streaming down her face.

"Good heavens dearest, what is it? Please tell me", Oliver implored her. His wife took several calming breaths before she could speak. Oliver grew increasingly concerned. "What's wrong? Whatever it is, we can deal with it."

"I know we can", she choked, still weeping. "But nothing's wrong, Oliver. Nothing's wrong at all. Darling, I'm pregnant."

Oliver was sure he must have gone quite pale with shock as he felt all of the blood drain from his face.

"We're going to have a baby", Grace reiterated, wondering if he needed help to process what he'd just heard. She was smiling now, a great big grin from ear to ear on her face and Oliver felt all the blood rise up again, along with his heart which lifted in his chest like a great big balloon.

"We are?" He breathed in awe, dropping his eyes to her stomach. "You are?"

Grace nodded her head and reached for him to hug him tightly with all her might. He hugged her back, though gently and cautiously, overwhelmed and surprised by the protectiveness he already felt.

She kissed his cheek then whispered in his ear. "Thank you."

He laughed softly against her, actually feeling as though he should be thanking her. She had changed his life in much greater ways than he could ever imagine he had changed hers.

"Well, what about your tiredness and dizziness?"

"Doctor McIntish says that's all quite normal". Grace reassured him. "And it explains why I've been off my food, too."

Oliver let out a deep sigh, feeling immense relief.

"He has no concerns at this stage but he'll be monitoring me closely throughout my pregnancy just to be sure."

Oliver nodded, a million thoughts running through his mind. A baby. This was going to change their lives, possibly even more significantly than adopting Annie had. He did wonder how his daughter was going to take the news - would she be thrilled as much as they were?

Grace seemed to sense his thoughts and voiced them. "I suppose my only concern is what Annie might feel about this. Do you think she might feel left out? Or like she's less important to us?" Grace asked, the joy on her face giving way to worry.

"I couldn't say, dearest, I suppose we'll just have to ensure that she knows how much we love her and that we will never love her any less than this child."

Grace smiled emotively and proudly at her husband. His sensitivity and his compassion astounded her. He had grown so much from the man he was a year ago.

Before Oliver returned to his work, Grace asked him if she could tell Mrs. Pugh their good news. He agreed but they each decided not to tell anyone else just yet. Except for Annie of course. They only hoped their daughter wouldn't be upset by the news.

"Mrs. Pugh!" Grace called as she entered the kitchen.

Mrs. Pugh turned around from the stove where she appeared to be brewing some rather interesting smelling concoctions. She took one look at Grace and gave the younger woman a broad smile. "Congratulations."

Grace blinked in confusion until it dawned on her. The protectiveness and care she had shown on board the ship, her caution to Grace to take extra care - she knew about the pregnancy already, she'd known before Grace had.

"H-how?" Grace queried in astonishment.

Mrs. Pugh chuckled. "I've had four myself. The signs become very easy to recognize." She turned and picked up a cup of something stewed with an abundance of fragrance and gave it to Grace.

"Ginger and lemon. It'll help with the cramps and the nausea. Don't overload yourself with too much liquid, but do keep hydrated."

Grace teared up, feeling ever so grateful. "I'm so glad you're here, Mrs. Pugh and to have you in my life."

She embraced the cook and they shared a warm hug.

When Annie arrived home from school, Grace and Oliver were waiting for her in the sitting room with great anticipation.

"Annie, come here for a moment dear", her Father called her in and motioned for her to sit on his lap. Their faces and tone looked so serious, Annie began to fret.

As she clambered onto her Father's knee, she looked at her Mother, her bottom lip trembling. "Are you dying?"

Grace's stomach dropped. Her poor girl! Is that what she'd been thinking all day? "What? No! No darling, of course not."

Annie blinked, allowing her tears to fall and Grace wiped them away with her thumbs. "Actually Annie, the Doctor has given us some good news, we'll at least your Father and I think so and…we hope you agree."

Annie tilted her head to the side in curiosity. "What is it?"

Grace held her daughter's hands in her own and took a deep breath. "Annie. I'm going to have a baby."

No two eyes have ever gone wider than Annie's did in that moment. She spun around and looked at her Father for confirmation, then back at her Mother, both of them wore matching smiles. Annie leapt off of Oliver's knee and began jumping up and down, hollering. "We're going to have a baby! A little brother or sister! I can't believe it! I'm gonna be a big sister! Yaaahoooo!"

Grace and Oliver laughed, relieved at her excitement but shushing her to keep quiet as they'd just agreed not to tell anyone else for now but they were sure the whole of 5th avenue had heard their daughter's cheering.

"Annie, Annie. This is going to be just between us for now, OK? It's going to be our little secret for a while", her Father informed her.

"Well, us and Mrs. Pugh", Grace reminded him.

"Right."

"I can keep a secret", Annie assured them confidently.

"So you're…happy?" Grace smiled tearfully.

"Are you kidding?! I'm over the moon!" Annie exclaimed and wrapped an arm around each of her parents.

Oliver and Grace both sighed with contentment and such utter love for their growing little family.

...

A/N: I'm sure you were all astute enough to figure out what was going on quite early in this chapter, which is why I why I saw no sense in dragging it out for too long!

This is not the final installment, but we're definitely in the fourth quarter of the story now - another two or three chapters to go, I think. :)