Together At Last

Summary: Grace and Oliver grow closer through the loss of Annie, her subsequent return and life there after.

Rating: G

A/N: Ok so I've been studying chemistry all day and need a break, this story came to mind last night while I was watching Annie.

I didn't like the way that in the movie Annie's song was only about leaving Warbucks after all Grace had done for her, so I rewrote that bit a little.

Chapter 1

Grace looked at the couple standing before Mr. Warbucks there was something about them that just didn't sit well with her, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Annie's reaction to meeting her mother was not what Grace would have expected from the usually energetic and loving child, it was almost as if Annie didn't believe that these people were her parents. That was ridiculous though, they had her birth certificate, knew the orphanage where they had left her and, most important of all, not only did they know about the locket but they actually had the other half of it with them. Indeed these people, the Mudges, must be her parents.

"Will she be long getting ready we really must be going?" Mr. Mudge asked.

Oliver didn't particularly like the man's tone but said nothing about it.

"Miss Farrell, why don't you go see if she needs any help." Oliver said in a somewhat harsh tone.

Grace stared at Oliver for a moment, 'So that's it she's leaving and all we ever had, or were going to have is gone?'

"Yes sir!"

Grace watched from the closet as Annie began organizing her clothes, but the little girl was putting none of them in her case. Picking up that last few dresses Grace made her way back into the room, trying desperately to keep her emotions under control.

"Do you think the stores will take all this back?" Annie asked.

The question shocked Grace a little, why would she want to return all her lovely things?

"All your new clothes?"

The little girl nodded.

"Well I guess so Annie but.. don't you want to keep them?"

Deep down inside Grace felt as if Annie was trying to get rid of anything that reminded her of her stay with them, but she knew she was just being paranoid.

"My new folks, they're poor. All these clothes are going to make them feel bad."

She had a point.

"Could you maybe bring them back to the orphanage and give them to my friends?"

"Certainly," Grace said although the thought of it made her want to break down in tears.

Annie began holding up some of her clothes and said who they would look best on. She paused when she got to the dress she had worn when Grace first picked her up from the orphanage, then quickly folded it and put it in her case.

Within a few minutes Annie was ready to leave; Grace helped her with her case and left her in the foyer while she went to retrieve Mr. Warbucks and the Mudges. Annie said her goodbye's to Punjab, the asp and all the friends she had made during her time in the mansion, she would miss them all dearly but none more so than Grace and Mr. Warbucks.

"Bethcha my life is gonna be swell,

Looking at them it's easy to tell,

And maybe I'll forget how nice they were to me,

And how I was almost their baby.."

The servants who heard the young girl's song began to cry silently, knowing instantly who she was referring to. They all knew, given the way their manager and boss had been acting since Annie's parents arrived, that Ms. Farrell and Mr. Warbucks would miss Annie, their baby, dearly.

Annie walked up to the front door and looked back behind her at the life she could have had. There stood Grace and Mr. Warbucks both trying desperately not to break down in front of her.

"Come along baby," her mother said as she gently pushed her towards the door.

Annie stopped, turned again and ran to Grace and Mr. Warbucks flinging her arms around them.

"Thank you so much for all you've done for me, I will never forget either of you."

Grace and Oliver took turns hugging the little girl goodbye, Oliver went first and told Annie that should she ever need anything all she had to do was call. When Grace hugged her she began to weep softly.

"I love you Annie, never forget that."

Oliver Warbucks watched from his balcony as Annie got into the truck and drove out of his life forever.

"It'll be fine, nothing to fear,

She'll be as happy as she was here,

Things have worked out much better than planned,

It makes you smile when fate takes a hand,

And I know I'll forget how much she meant to me,

And how she was almost our baby,

Maybe."

Grace sat in the hall crying softly to herself, she could hear Mr. Warbucks singing and her heart broke remembering what it was that had first brought music into the large house. Her breath caught in her throat as she heard him sing "Our baby". Maybe he did still have feelings for her.

Oliver heard the sound of quiet tears as he left his room and he knew instantly who it was coming from. In all his worry, fear, anger and sadness he had almost forgot about what Grace must be going through. She loved Annie from the word go, it had been her idea that he should adopt her and it was she who caused his heart to open to the little girl and to the thought that there was more to love than money and power and capitalism. Quietly he sat down beside her and placed his arm around her.

"Grace…I'm sorry I was so harsh with you earlier."

Grace looked up into his eyes and the tears came once again.

"Oh Oliver what did we do to deserve this? We loved her, we gave her all she could ever need, she was our baby! Why did she have to be taken from us?"

Grace knew that she was being selfish and that Annie deserved the family she had always dreamed of, but she still wished that she and Oliver were that family.

Oliver didn't know quite what to say so he simply sat with her, holding and comforting her. They stayed that way for a long time until Drake came and informed them that there was someone on the phone for Mr. Warbucks. Silently the two rose and while they headed their separate ways their hearts remained together in grief and in love.