As fast as the prospect of Annie joining the Warbucks household came, it went.
She had parents somewhere. She didn't want a brand-new locket; she wanted the other half of her old one. Oliver couldn't deny her this wish, setting out immediately to organize a search.
Grace's task that first night was to comfort Annie. Comforting Oliver came after and was not so readily accepted. A glass of brandy a permanent fixture in his hand, he put up a brave and stoic front. It was what he needed to do to get through the dozens of phone calls. When there was nothing left to do, emotion crept in. The hurt he felt seeping through the surface.
He dangled the locket in front of him, looking through it rather than at it at this point. Grace watches from the doorway, willing him to snap out of it on his own. On one hand, she knew she needed to give him his space, but on the other, she was struggling with the news herself. She couldn't bear the thought of Annie leaving any more than he could. It was Annie who had been able to open his heart. She knew if her parents could be found, it would once more be shut, closed tighter than ever before. She wouldn't just lose Annie, but what she'd been building with Oliver as well.
"May I come in?" she finally voiced as she took a step further into the room.
Snapping out of his trance, Oliver put the locket back in the blue box. "Sure."
"How are you doing?"
"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "All of this was a surprise."
Grace nodded as she took her seat. "I can't believe she never mentioned having parents. She's told me so much about the orphanage but in hindsight, the focus was on her friends and Miss Hannigan. She didn't speak much of herself. Then again, I figured being in an orphanage she didn't know that much. For heaven's sake, she doesn't even know her last name."
"How much easier it would be if she did…"
"Do you really think her parents are out there? Eleven years is an awfully long time."
"Not a clue. For her sake, I hope so. For mine – for ours – I hope not."
She had to agree. "Is that selfish of us?"
"Probably."
"I guess we'll make our peace with it eventually. And if they can't be found, maybe Annie will be content knowing we tried."
"I fear she'll still choose to go back to the orphanage if that's the case."
The same worry plagued her, too, though she decided to keep that to herself. "All we can do is wait and see what happens in the next few days."
Oliver nodded. "I think I blacked out at some point tonight… I booked an appearance on the Hour of Smiles."
"Are you serious?" she nearly laughed.
"Unfortunately, yes."
"You hate those variety programs."
"I know, but the rest of the city loves them. It will reach the most people. They want Annie to perform."
"Perform? Doing what?"
"Beats me," he shrugged. "The producer said anything from a sob story to a song or a joke if she has one."
"I've heard her sing to herself a little bit and she seems to be able to carry a tune."
"Now we have to hope she doesn't have stage fright."
"Our Annie? I highly doubt it."
They both chuckled, though the sentiment was bittersweet. Chances were she wouldn't be 'theirs' much longer.
