Thank you to all who have sent messages or reviewed! Consider this chapter a brief interlude…it's wedding-themed ;)

Chapter 5: Interlude

"Oh, I could just KISS you!"

Grace arose early on the day of her wedding to the most wonderful sight: on her dressing table sat a magnificent bouquet of beautiful long stemmed white roses, and beside it, a small box, its color a signature Tiffany's blue. Sometime in the night, Annie had curled herself into Grace's side, and there she remained, fast asleep. Grace's heart fluttered endearingly as she recalled what had passed between them the night before, and she pressed a careful kiss to the top of Annie's head before rising gently so as not to wake her and crossing the room to her dresser.

She opened the card first; lowering herself onto her dressing room chair and bending to inhale the sweet perfume of the nearest blossom. Casting a glance over her shoulder to make sure that Annie still slept soundly, she slid the pretty card from its envelope and gently undid its clasp:

Grace,

I consider myself the luckiest man alive, to be marrying you today. I look forward to spending the rest of my days by your side.

All my love,

Oliver

Grace laid a hand over her heart with a soft smile and carefully propped the card against her mirror. Slowly, she lifted the lid from the Tiffany's box, and found another note written in Oliver's familiar scrawl.

I saw these and thought of you.

Beneath Oliver's note, nestled in their casing, lay a gorgeous pair of pearl earrings, perfectly round and polished to a soft sheen. Grace gently undid their clasps and held them up to her ears, touched by Oliver's generosity. Laying them carefully aside, she picked up her watch from where it lay on the dressing table beside her and looked at the time; it was early, and most of the household would only just be waking. With a wide smile, Grace reached impulsively for her robe and, checking to make sure that Annie still rested soundly, slipped quietly from the bedroom, intent on welcoming Oliver home.

The house was quiet as Grace made her way through its halls, and the marble of the staircase was cold on her bare feet as she flitted down the stairs. She blushed at her candor, for she had never been outside of her room in her nightgown before…and yet the anticipation of seeing Oliver on their wedding day drove her forward still. Descending the final step into the great hall, Grace hurried across its expanse and into the dining room, and there Oliver sat, taking his morning coffee with the newspaper.

"Oliver…" A smile bloomed across her face as the man she loved looked up at the sound of his name and lay his paper aside. He seemed surprised at her sudden presence before him, but his expression was amused as he stood.

"Good morning, Grace," Oliver smiled, a knowing twinkle in his eye, and Grace laughed out loud and threw herself into his embrace, standing on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck.

"Thank you Oliver. They're beautiful."

"Not so beautiful as you, my dear," Oliver insisted sincerely, pressing an affectionate kiss to her lips. Feeling suddenly uninhibited, Grace returned the gesture, parting her mouth with a content sigh and leaning into his touch. Oliver, though very much enthused, hesitated for the briefest of seconds…but he had not seen this woman for two long days and now here she was in front of him -on the day of their wedding- and it was with that thought that Oliver gave way to abandon. He allowed his hands to caress the line of her body, sliding them down until they rested against her hips as he relished in her kiss. He savored the feeling of her body so close to his- and yet still Grace pressed forward, her fingers tracing a delicate path against the back of his neck and along the sturdy line of his shoulders. Grace found herself becoming quickly caught up in the moment; the tie of her robe had grown loose, and the gentle swell of her breasts beneath her nightgown caught the cool air as her breathing grew heavy and mingled with Oliver's own, each of their hearts hammering within their chests.

Grace pulled away as suddenly as she had surged forward, snapping into awareness nearly as quickly as their innocent kiss had degenerated into something quite…overindulgent. She blushed deeply and pulled her robe around her shoulders, as Oliver, dazed, cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry…" Grace dipped her head, embarrassed by her brazenness. Her chest rose and fell heavily as she stared up at Oliver in the ringing silence…but he merely chuckled and stepped forward, reaching out to cup his palm against the line of her jaw and reclaim her mouth with his own, kissing Grace until her knees grew weak.

It was with great individual restraint that they finally broke apart, but as they did, something excited and unspoken passed between them:

It was their wedding day.

Today, they would become husband and wife.

Grace stood on a chair in the center of her dressing room as Cecil and Mrs. Greer smoothed out the fabric of her wedding gown, fussing over folds of cream silk as they prepared to slip it over her head. She shivered and clutched her arms more tightly across her chest as across the room Annie clamored off of the divan, trying unsuccessfully to tame the stiff ruffles of her own dress.

"Annie," Grace admonished, a laugh as smooth as velvet trickling amusedly from her throat, "Don't fuss."

Annie dipped her head guiltily. She smoothed her skirt and her bashful expression morphed into one of uncertainty as she drew nearer to the chair upon which Grace stood and gazed quizzically up at her.

"Mom?" Grace's heart thrilled at the endearment as Annie continued unsurely, "…Do I have grandparents?" Her voice rose hopefully: "Am I going to meet them today?"

Grace faltered and cast an uncertain look at the two women beside her as the little girl stared up at her expectantly. Though the absence of her parents on her wedding day had not gone overlooked by Grace, she was blindsided by Annie's unprecedented question and unsure of how to answer. Grace cleared her throat and stepped down from the chair, accepting her robe from the matronly Mrs. Greer with a solemn smile and reaching out to take Annie's hands in her own.

"Annie…" Grace straightened the little girl's sash, acutely aware of the pitying glance shared between the two maids as she struggled to find the best way to answer the question. The little redhead seemed to interpret the silence and she cocked her head with a tiny frown, watching Grace's expression.

"…Don't you have any parents?" she asked in a small voice, and Grace smiled sadly and shook her head.

"My parents died a long time ago, Annie."

"But…how?" the little girl struggled to comprehend Grace's answer, "Does that mean that you're an orphan, too?"

"My mother died when I was a little girl, younger even than you," Grace explained, laying a hand to Annie's cheek. She swallowed painfully, determined to keep her voice light, "But my father didn't die until I was all grown up," Grace chose to leave out the painful recollection of her father as he had slowly degenerated into alcoholism, and finished gently: "So I wasn't an orphan. And neither are you," she added buoyantly, forcing a smile, "Not anymore."

The two gazed at one another in the ringing silence, and Grace quickly thumbed away the empathic tear that had slipped its way down Annie's cheek, pulling her into an embrace that was as much for her own benefit as it was for Annie's.

"Now, enough about that," she straightened, holding Annie out at arms length and smiling kindly, "You look much too pretty today to be sad. Let's finish your curls."

The hem of Grace's wedding gown skimmed the pathway as she ducked low, following Oliver as they slipped away from the lilting music of the reception and into the dark recesses of the garden. He led her by the hand, pulling her close and pressing kisses to her at every opportunity, every word weighted with promise as he murmured that he loved her. Grace giggled -told him to prove it- and so he kissed her again, pulling her close as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Looking back, Oliver would remember many things about this day: how happy he had been, how finally complete Grace had made him feel. He would remember much of it in pieces, as the day had passed as many wedding days do: disjointed and full of periods of time during which the minutes passed like hours, and still others in which time seemed to slip away from him under the most wonderful of circumstances. Oliver would come to find that he could no longer recall the nerves that had wracked him as he paced in the great hall before the start of the ceremony…though the joy he had felt as he had slipped the wedding band upon Grace's finger was one that he would never forget.

The ceremony had been beautiful, just as Grace had been. She was every bit the blushing bride in a gown of French silk, with a flowing, lace bodice that draped over her shoulders and fitted at the waist. She wore her hair down, the way Annie liked it, its soft waves styled into curls that perfectly framed her face, and beneath which her new pearl earrings gleamed with a lustrous opulence. She was the most beautiful thing that Oliver had ever seen.

The stars -it seemed- had multiplied during the time Grace and Oliver had spent in the gardens, and they glittered high in the sky above them as they made their way hand in hand back up the path the way they'd come. Fireflies drifted in lazy paths about their heads, alighting upon the shrubbery and seeming to wink cheerfully at them as they passed, and steadily, the music from the party grew nearer as they made their way back towards the house, their pace leisurely. Oliver raised their clasped hands to press a kiss to the set of rings on Grace's finger, and far too soon they were back at the edge of the terrace.

Everything appeared differently now, though all was as they'd left it. Where once there had been only a madly-determined gate, a cheerful bounce now permeated Oliver's step. Grace's face shown with a beautiful, glowing happiness. And on top of it all, they had Annie.

"The fireworks are about to start," Oliver mumbled, pressing another kiss to her hand and leading her out of the shadows and into the bright glow shining through the windows from inside the house. Across the terrace, Annie and the rest of the orphans chased after Sandy, and the little redhead paused long enough to grin and cast them a wave. Grace and Oliver returned the gesture with contented smiles.

The first of the fireworks burst into the night and scattered; showering a multitude of blue and white stars across the sky above them. Their guests oohed and ahhed, clapping their hands as they thrilled at each new explosion of light. Oliver kept Grace's small hand clasped in his own, and she rested her other against his arm as they stood at the top of the terrace and gazed out over the festivities. Soon the repeated clink of silver on china signaled the call for toasts; the guests raised their glasses and the cake was cut and before either of them had a spare moment to notice it was nearing midnight and the celebration was drawing to a close.

Nearly an hour passed before Grace and Oliver accepted the last congratulation from their departing guests; the children had long since been sent to bed and though Grace knew she should be tired, a nervous anticipation for what was to come left her feeling wide awake. They dawdled for a rather long time in the great hall, thanking the staff and pretending to direct the cleanup as each attempted to muster the courage to suggest bed. Finally, it was decided for them, as Mrs. Pugh shooed them towards the stairs with a knowing wink, declaring that -despite their sudden desire to help- she could oversee the cleanup process just fine without them.

Without quite meeting her eye, Oliver held out his hand, and Grace took it shyly, allowing him to lead the way up the stairs. The house grew quiet as they ascended, until soon only the mingled sounds of their breathing disrupted the silence. A combination of nerves and habit had Grace turning down the West Wing towards her rooms as they reached the third floor, until she realized that Oliver was heading the other way. He chuckled endearingly at her mistake, and her exhale turned to nervous laughter as she allowed him to right their way.

Grace hesitated as they neared the hall leading to Annie's room, a natural instinct to check on the little girl pulling her subconsciously off course, but when she turned to suggest the notion she noticed for the first time a smoldering heat in Oliver's dark eyes, one that curiously muddled her thoughts and drew her nearer to him. He kissed her then, gently, and almost without her realization Grace found her arms wound tightly around his neck as she opened her mouth to his, inviting him closer. Oliver's hands slid over her body and she gasped, leaning into his touch. He gripped her shoulders, kissing her until her head swam, and then in one fluid moment he lifted her in his arms.

His touch was warm on her skin, and Grace's heart hammered within her chest, a deep blush suffusing her face with color as they drew near the double doors to Oliver's suite. She gazed up at him then, cupping his face in her hands and leaning forward to kiss him softly on the lips. And it was with that affirmation that Oliver stepped across the threshold, carrying Grace into the dark shadows of his rooms.

In the quiet of the large house, the doors clicked softly closed behind him.

So I'm not very happy with this chapter…Also, the link to Grace's wedding dress is on my profile.