Epilogue:

"Oliver! Shane! You don't know how happy I am to see you!" Joe exclaimed happily, with his characteristic cheerful grin. He promised to pick up his son and daughter from the airport, and a promise was a promise.

"Oh Joe, it's so good to see you!" Shane wrapped her arms around her father-in-law, giving him a bear hug. Joe missed those hugs. He missed his children more than words could ever convey. Their happiness was all he wanted and he was thrilled to see them treating each other so lovingly. They looked carefree… he'd seen it in Shane before, but certainly not in his son. He rarely let his guard down. It was refreshing to see his son behaving in a more laid-back manner.

"Shane, remember it's Dad now," Joe said, as he gave his daughter-in-law a wink.

"Dad, would you please not flirt with my wife?" A hint of a smile followed the question.

"Oliver!" Both Shane and Joe blurted out at the same time.

"Come here, Dad, let me give you a hug." Oliver said as he went over to hug Joe.

Joe couldn't be more pleased with the way Oliver was behaving. He looked at Shane, "Apparently marriage to you agrees quite well with my son."

"I couldn't agree more, Dad."

"Son, I was talking to my daughter."

"Yes, but she's my wife, Dad. You can't have her."

"Gentlemen! As much as I love having two gorgeous men argue over me, there's more than enough of me to go around." Shane said, laughing. "But Oliver, seeing as this is the man who raised you, got you the ugly green tie to propose to me, and in general, pushed you in my direction, I must also give some attention to him. He's my dad too."

"Awwww, you crazy kids, you have no idea how much I missed you."

"Come on, Dad, let's go grab some lunch," Oliver said. He had to admit he missed his Dad. He didn't know what he'd do without his support. When he found himself without a compass, it was Joe who helped him find direction.

"We can swing by your new place after we eat. What do you say?" Joe asked, looking at his children.

"Sounds great! Mailbox Grille?" Shane asked.

Joe and Oliver nodded their agreement and the threesome hopped into Oliver's Jaguar, making their way back to familiar surroundings.

###

"SURPRISE!" A chorus of happy voices cried out as Oliver and Shane entered the Mailbox Grille.

"Oh, my goodness!" They exclaimed in unison, never expecting this kind of welcome.

Shane found herself wrapped in Rita's arms. "Shane, I missed you guys so much! You look so beautiful! So European! Wow! I could never pull off what you're wearing." Rita admired Shane's flared pants and flowy royal blue top that bared one shoulder.

"Rita, oh how I missed you! We must plan a girls' night out soon so we can catch up."

Rita's eyes sparkled at the suggestion. She loved spending time with her best friend, just the two of them, commiserating and having a great time. "Will you tell me about your honeymoon? I have never seen Oliver this way before. It's like he's cast all his burdens aside."

"It was entirely amazing, Rita. Words fail me… these few weeks were absolute perfection. I have to thank you, dear friend!"

"Me?" Rita was perplexed. "But why?"

"I know you did all the online research and booking for Oliver." Shane smiled in gratitude to her friend as she squeezed her hand.

"Oh that! It was nothing, Shane. Somebody had to do it and I was more than happy to be the one! You should have seen Oliver. He was so excited about his ideas! When everything started to take shape, he literally had to hold himself back from bouncing on his toes every second of the day." Rita and Shane giggled at the mental picture. "The most important question is…. Are you ready to go back to work?"

"Not really," Shane said, letting out a throaty laugh. "But I know once we get back into the swing of things, everything will be okay."

Oliver and Shane were caught up in a whirlwind of friends wanting to congratulate them once again and make idle chatter about their honeymoon trip and the places they visited. Noticing their friends were starting to show signs of fatigue, Norman and Rita led them out to where Joe was waiting to take them home. They were very appreciative since the long trip home had really taken a toll on them.

They decided to visit the new house the following day after they had a chance to rest. Joe dropped them off at Shane's house. Oliver was sure the move to Shane's would be temporary. He was confident the new house would be ready in just a few weeks. Joe had already started packing up Oliver's house for its future restoration into a museum. Rita and Sharon had given Shane's house a once over and brought part of Oliver's belongings.

Both stood on the porch, looking lovingly at the porch swing, thinking about how far they'd come since that night Shane had caught Oliver setting it up.

"Ready to go in? Married life starts now." Shane asked flirtatiously.

"Yes, but first things first, Mrs. O'Toole." Oliver replied, as he scooped her up, ready to carry her over the threshold.

And so, he did! After stepping inside the house, she slid down oh so slowly over his delectable body. Oliver sealed the moment by molding his lips to hers, devouring her in a kiss now they were finally alone. Shane dashed off to the bedroom, with Oliver close behind. Their exhaustion was quickly forgotten as they found bliss in each other's arms once again.

After a nap, a restorative shower, and a strong cup of coffee, they sat on the couch watching an old movie on TV.

"You seem far away, Shane. What's on your mind?"

"Nothing really. Just wondering how we'll navigate work on Monday. It'll be the first time for us working at the DLO with Charlie." She replied.

"Not to mention it'll be the first time we'll be surrounded by so many people since our wedding night. How on earth will I wait until the evenings to touch you or kiss you, Mrs. O'Toole?"

"I'm sure we'll figure something out, Mr. O'Toole," she said convincingly, her lips curving into a mischievous smile.

Oliver smoothed her hair with one hand and tucked a strand behind her ear. He kissed her sweetly and cuddled her as they continued to watch Scarlett O'Hara navigate the trials and tribulations of Tara. However, Shane's mind was indeed far away. It wasn't due to work or any misgivings she might have about their reincorporation to the DLO. She took a look at her phone calendar, which she never once looked at during their honeymoon trip. And it was there, in black and white. She was late.

THE END.

Author's Note: So, this is the end of one journey and the beginning of another! I hope you've enjoyed reading as much as I've relished writing this series. What started out as a 5 chapter story that I never intended to share, became an 18 chapter series with an epilogue! I am deeply thankful to Rhonda Wronski for giving me the push to share Contemplations, and her help as my editor. You are my Jordan Marley, and never forget it! Also, I wouldn't be here without the support of Veronica Fernandez and Marta Philip. Thank you, ladies, for being the wind beneath my wings!

My heart is full of gratitude for those who took a shot at reading, reviewing, and following an M rated SSD fanfic. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I wanted to explore Oliver and Shane's relationship this way, because we all know how those looks they gave each other could've set our tv's on fire! Their honeymoon was incredibly fun to write, and to know quite a few of you have enjoyed following their shenanigans….well, it's been exhilarating!

I will continue writing more stories, so if you want, please follow me as an author so you can be notified when new content is uploaded. Thank you so much… and let us all always trust the timing.

*(SSD canon and characters are the property of their creator and writer, Martha Williamson. No copyright infringement intended.)