Almost Perfect

by Running Lindsay

Oliver and Shane have returned from their honeymoon and are settling into married life. Of course there are a few bumps along the way.

Note from Author: This is the first fanfic I have ever written. I have loved reading other Signed, Sealed, Delivered stories so much over the past year that I thought I would give it a try myself. Enjoy

Shane smiled as she pulled the cookies from the oven. They looked almost as good as the pictures on the blog she had gotten the recipe from. She was trying out a recipe for lemon ricotta cookies that she was hoping Oliver would love. She was not an especially great cook, but she was ok, and she was trying her best because she was determined to be a perfect, ok maybe not perfect, but almost perfect wife for Oliver. He was so good to her, and he had been through so much heartache, plus she didn't want to remind him of Holly in any way so she was trying especially hard to be a good wife. She had read the recipe three times and followed the directions to a T, so she was thrilled with the way they looked.

Not all of her cooking adventures had turned out the way she had envisioned, in fact some of them weren't even edible at all. Just yesterday they had had to order Chinese food and eat on the porch swing outside because she had forgotten to set a timer and her burnt creation had set off the fire alarm and filled the house with smoke. Oliver hadn't seemed upset about eating takeout outside with her, and if the way he held her in bed later that night was any indicator, he definitely didn't seem to be getting sick of her. She felt the heat creep up her neck as she re-lived their lovemaking in her mind, Oliver made her feel so loved and cherished. She couldn't help the grin that appeared on her face.

No, Oliver definitely didn't seem sick of her yet, but despite her best efforts to be the perfect wife, that wasn't the only thing she had messed up in the 4 weeks since they had returned from their glorious honeymoon in London. She started to go over the list in her mind. There had been that blasted pen in the dryer. Shane couldn't believe she had forgotten to make sure there was nothing in any of their pockets. And of course it had been one of Oliver's dress shirts that had gotten ruined. He had assured her it was no big deal, and she had immediately gotten online and ordered him a replacement, but she still felt awful about it. Then there was the time she broke a glass serving platter, again Oliver assured her it was no big deal, but Shane was sure that it must have had some sentimental value that Oliver wasn't telling her about, why else would he have had it? Shane had tried to be as neat and tidy as she could be because she knew Oliver liked to keep everything clean and in just the right place, but of course the one time she had forgotten and left her shoes out he had tripped over them.

She had also woken Oliver up more than once when she had stumbled in the dark unfamiliar bedroom as she made her way to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Although once when she had climbed back into bed after her trip to the bathroom he had pulled her close and kissed her, then kissed her some more, then his hands started roaming... and well neither of them were complaining about some middle of the night lovemaking. But still he had to be getting sick of her waking him up.

She had made them late to work one day as well when she cut her leg shaving in the shower, she hadn't cut herself in years, but of course that morning she did, and for some reason she couldn't get it to stop bleeding. Oliver had lovingly helped her tend to it, even grinning as he gave her legs some extra caresses with his hands, but she knew he hated being late to work by even five minutes.

There was also the time she had finished off his last Yoo Hoo and forgotten to pick up some more. She knew she had messed up when she heard him open the fridge as they were settling in for the evening. He had called to her from the other room and asked her if she had taken the last one, she had squeaked out an, "oops" and an apology as she raced upstairs to avoid his wrath. His long legs gave him an advantage and he caught her just outside their bedroom door. He captured her in his arms and insisted that he still needed something sweet to satisfy his craving before he started to kiss her senseless. Then he had picked her up and carried her to the bed and... well maybe she would purposely forget to pick up his Yoo Hoo every once in a while. That is if Oliver didn't kick her out soon she thought with a sigh. She shook her head determined to forget that train of thought as she mixed up the glaze and spooned it over the cooled cookies, she couldn't wait to have Oliver try them.

Oliver stood at the doorway watching Shane. She hadn't noticed him yet, so he just observed her for a bit. He couldn't believe that the beautiful woman in front of him was his wife. He had truly never been so happy, he loved having Shane with him in their home everyday, she was such a bright happy presence. There had definitely been some adjusting, they had both been used to living alone and it took time to get into a routine of doing everything together. They alternated cooking dinner each night, and while Shane was a bit messier when it was her turn, ok maybe more than a bit, he found that between the two of them cleaning up usually only took about 5 minutes more to get the space tidy. They had different taste in music and movies, but there was always a compromise in the middle that they were both happy with. He loved having her to converse with in the evenings, he loved having someone to share meals with, and he loved sharing his bed with her, not just the passionate lovemaking, though he was most definitely enjoying that, but he also loved holding his Shane as she fell asleep and seeing her beautiful face in the mornings, getting ready for work with her by his side. Oliver also loved the way he could smell her perfume now in every room whether she was there or not. He was a bit shocked to see how much clothing and shoes she had, but he loved seeing the decorations and small changes she had made around the house that were just so her. He especially loved the photographs she had printed out and put on display, ones from their wedding and honeymoon where their love for each other was written all over their faces.

He even loved the pajamas she wore, she looked adorable in them. He was pretty sure they were not all supposed to be so temptng, but he found them almost as alluring as when she put on lingerie selections for him, and he found he just couldn't keep his hands off of her no matter what she wore. Going back to work had been a bit more challenging than he had anticipated, it was hard having his lovely wife so close when at times all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and kiss her. They usually made up for those moments of desire as soon as they reached the privacy of their home.

Shane interrupted Oliver's reminiscing when she noticed him standing in the doorway.

"Oh Oliver, perfect timing, come try one of these cookies," she said smiling and holding out one of her creations.

Oliver walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist and quickly kissed her cheek. Shane moved the cookie to his mouth giving him a bite. Then she waited anxiously for his reaction.

Oliver smiled and pulled Shane even closer, "that is wonderful my dear...just like you," he moved in and kissed her lips. Shane blushed at his compliment and she couldn't help but smile widely, she was so happy to have gotten something right. Oliver noticed her faint blush and he couldn't help but kiss her again.

Shane and Oliver were snuggled up on the couch the next day. They had happily solved a few letter mysteries at work, then they had shared dinner at the Dorman's, (Norman had done the cooking). Now they were enjoying a movie together. Oliver noticed Shane had picked an older classic that would be more to his liking. Oliver was also noticing that Shane was starting to fall asleep. He watched as she tried to stay awake, but eventually her eyes closed and stayed shut. Oliver switched the television off, but he stayed where he was with Shane snuggled up in his arms. He smiled as he thought of how considerate she always was of him. He thought again how amazing the last few weeks had been, although he had noticed that at times Shane had seemed a bit tense when they were home together. He had asked her about it a time or two, but she had just smiled each time and assured him it was nothing so he had let it go each time. He held her close and placed kisses on her head as he again thanked God for this beautiful woman by his side. He was reluctant to wake her, but he eventually whispered in her ear, "Shane dear, should we head to bed?"

Her eyes fluttered open, "Oh Oliver, I'm sorry I didn't mean to fall asleep," she said groggily. Her arms automatically wrapped around his neck and she pulled him close. He smiled and pulled her up off the couch as they made their way to their bedroom for the night.

"Oh Sh##!" Shane muttered as the sharp knife she was using to chop vegetables went into the end of her thumb.

"Shane O'Toole!" she heard Oliver's teasing reprimand from not far away. Shoot, she hadn't realized he was so near.

"I'm sorry Oliver, I know you don't like swearing," she apologized, she quickly wrapped her fingers around her cut thumb and hid her hand behind her back as she turned to see Oliver coming towards her.

"Hmmm," he said, "you are right, I don't like swearing, but there is something about a dirty word coming out of your pretty mouth that makes me want to kiss you," he teased her. He was very close now and he leaned in for a kiss. Shane reciprocated the kiss as her uninjured hand moved up to his cheek. His hands automatically moved to her waist as he pulled her closer. He deepened the kiss, but that was when he noticed she wasn't using both hands to caress his face and neck as she usually did. He peered over her shoulder to see why her hand was behind her back, then he broke the kiss, "Shane you are bleeding!" he exclaimed. The blood from her thumb was spreading between her fingers and had started to drip onto the counter behind her, making the whole scene look worse than it was. Oliver pulled her hand to him and immediately started tending to her injury.

"I know" she said, "That was why I swore," she tried to explain, but she noticed Oliver was not really listening to her, he was so intent on cleaning her up. He had pulled her to the sink to rinse all the blood, then he wrapped her thumb in a paper towel and applied pressure to stop the bleeding. He then pulled her to the drawer with the bandages and started to apply an appropriate one to her injury. Shane was watching his face the whole time, he was solely focused on taking care of her. Shane realized for the hundredth time how lucky she was to be loved by Oliver O'Toole. As soon as the bandage was in place she took his face in her hands and kissed him passionately.

"Thank you for loving me" she whispered in between kisses.

"Believe me, it is my pleasure," he replied, pulling her down the hall to the bedroom with him. Dinner was completely forgotten for the time being.

"Ummm it seems we are almost out of gas," Oliver said as they were driving to work in the morning. Shane's heart sank! The light had come on when she was driving to the grocery store the previous evening. She had meant to stop and get gas on her way home, but she had completely forgotten until now when they were already running slightly late for work. She had misplaced her phone that morning and had to retrace her steps back through the house before finding it in their bathroom, thus causing the slight delay. With a few well placed green lights they maybe would have still been right on time, but now with an additional stop, they would definitely be a few minutes late.

"Oh no, I'm sorry! I forgot to get some last night on my way home," she said sheepishly. A lot of good her apology was going to do now she thought.

"It's fine," Oliver said, "We will just get some now." He pulled the car off the main road and pulled up to the nearest gas station.

She looked at him and noticed he checked the time on the clock radio and gave a little twitch of his mouth.

She sighed as he stepped out of the car to fill the tank. She needed to get herself together, she couldn't keep being so forgetful and accident prone. Oliver was being so patient, but he had to be getting fed up, how could she make it up to him?

Oliver noticed Shane was a bit tense at work that day. "Is everything alright dear?" he asked her discreetly as he passed her desk in the afternoon.

"What?" she asked, clearly lost in thought.

"Is everything alright? You seem a bit worried about something?" he whispered, lowering his mouth closer to her ear.

Shane looked up at him, he thought she looked a little like a deer caught in the headlights, but she quickly looked away and said, "No everything is fine, I guess I am just caught up in this search." She gestured to her computer knowing that Oliver wouldn't ask for details about her technical stuff. She put a smile on her face to convince him. He smiled back at her before moving back to his desk, but he continued to glance over at her every so often when she wasn't looking. Was something bothering her? And if there was something, why wouldn't she tell him what it was?

That evening when they arrived home from work Shane mentally checked off a list in her head. She had put her shoes and purse away, they had stopped and gotten a fresh supply of Yoo Hoos, it was Oliver's turn to cook so she didn't have to worry about that. Everything was in order, nothing to mess up.

As he started preparing the meal she slipped to the couch with her tablet in order to search the internet. She had come up with an idea at work that day and she was excited to see if she could find just what she was looking for. Within minutes she had found it, the perfect dance club. The pictures showed a lovely place that was decorated with memorabilia straight from the early 1900's. The website boasted a classy atmosphere with the music of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, and many others. Oliver would feel right at home. It truly was perfect.

Over dinner Shane asked Oliver if he would like to accompany her to a dance club on Saturday night. He seemed a little hesitant until she told him all the details. Her excitement was infectious and soon they were both excited for the evening out together.

Saturday came and after spending the day doing some odd jobs around the house and some errands they hadn't had time for during the week, it was finally time to get ready for their evening out. Shane took extra care on her hair and makeup. She put on a flared red dress that she knew would look great swirling around her legs on a dance floor.

Oliver was all ready for their evening out. He was sitting in a chair reading a book as he waited for Shane to finish getting ready. He looked up when he heard Shane step out of the bathroom. His gaze traveled from her black heels, up her shapely legs to the tempting red dress hugging her curves, and finally landing on her beautiful face. She literally took his breath away with her beauty.

"Shane my love you look amazing." He immediately pulled her into his arms.

"You look quite dashing yourself," she told him as she wrapped her arms around his neck for an embrace. Oliver did look very handsome in his black suit.

"Are you ready to go darling?" he asked. She nodded and he led her out of the house to the car.

Shane gave Oliver directions to a restaurant near the club where they had a nice dinner before making their way to the evenings main event. As soon as they were nearing the entrance Shane knew something was wrong. She could hear loud rock music already and there were neon signs framing the door and the windows. When they reached the large black double doors they both read the sign taped to the front.

-Under new management-

-Newly Remodeled-

Shane looked up at Oliver who shrugged back at her telling her that the decision was hers to make. Not wanting to give up on her perfect evening yet she took his hand and led him through the doors. The club was smokey and dark and there were neon decorations everywhere. Maybe they could start with drinks. She practically had to yell in his ear to let him know she was going to lead him to the bar. It took them quite some time to navigate through the crowds of people and just when they were near the bar a drunk young man in his early 20s bumped into Oliver and spilled his drink all over the front of Oliver's shirt. Shane winced as the guy stumbled off and she saw the large stain spreading across the front of Oliver's shirt. It was clear that they were not going to be able to dance together here, and it had been a complete mistake to even come in at all. Shane grabbed Oliver's hand and pulled him along as she wove between the crowd to the exit. They couldn't get out the doors fast enough! The lowered noise level and fresh air was such a relief to their senses as they came out onto the street. "Oh Oliver I'm so sorry! The website didn't say anything about new management."

"It's alright Shane, you couldn't have known."

"It is still early, do you want to try to go somewhere else?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Um" he said looking down at the front of his shirt, "Actually I would like to go home."

She nodded and sighed as he led her down the street to their car. She had such high expectations for the evening and she felt terrible that it had gone so badly. She sat in the car and sulked as Oliver drove home humming quietly along with the soft music playing from a playlist Shane had made for him.

When they entered the house Shane insisted Oliver take off his shirt immediately so she could treat the stain. Oliver removed his jacket and Shane moved in and started undoing the buttons on his shirt. He just stood and watched her face as she concentrated on her task. When she finished he shrugged out of the shirt and she took it from him and draped it over her arm. She noticed the wet stain had spread to his undershirt and she quickly pulled it over his head as well. She glanced at his muscular chest, she wanted to run her hands all over him, but instead she planted a quick kiss on his lips and focused on the task at hand. Oliver watched her as she carried the soiled clothing to the laundry area to tend to it. When she finished he took her into his arms. Shane finally gave in and started running her hands all over his chest and shoulders.

"I have an idea," he whispered as he pulled her to the living room. He left her embrace briefly as he switched on the record player. Soft rhythms floated through the air, music along the lines of what they were hoping to sway to in the enticing atmosphere of a classy dance club.

"May I have this dance?" Oliver held out his hand for her.

"Of course," Shane answered

Shane immediately gave him her hand grinning as they stepped out into the middle of the room.

They moved together around the room, spinning and dipping to their hearts' content. Shane loved the feeling of Oliver's warm skin under her hands, and Oliver loved pulling Shane right up against his body, much closer than he would be comfortable doing in public. He also couldn't resist planting a few kisses on her tempting red lips as they swayed together, something he definitely wouldn't have done at the club. Shane leaned in and kissed his neck, then she trailed kisses up to his ear where she whispered, "I'm really sorry about the club, I wanted this to be the perfect evening."

"Who says it isn't?" He asked, holding her tightly. "I still got to dance with the most beautiful woman in the world." Shane smiled at his compliment. She knew, to him she really was the most beautiful woman in the world, and he made her feel like the most cherished woman as well. Their lips met again, but this time the kiss wasn't brief, this time they lost themselves in the passion and feel of each other. Oliver lifted Shane in his arms and carried her to their bedroom, the rich sounds of Dean Martin still dancing in the air.

On Sunday Shane and Oliver attended church together. Shane was getting a little more comfortable joining Oliver for the worship services. She had struggled a bit at first attending with him. Part of her sometimes worried that all of Oliver's church friends thought he should have ended up with someone else, namely Dale... but really anyone who had more in common with him than she did. But that was back when they were engaged, now that they were happily married and Oliver was stuck with her. If the older ladies, who sometimes gave her looks when they passed by, couldn't see how much in love they were, well that was their problem. She did still have to ask Oliver questions when she didn't know what the speaker was talking about, but he always seemed happy to clarify things, and he didn't hesitate to share spiritual insights with her. She had learned so much from him and she was glad they could share these things with each other now. The message shared that day was about loving thy neighbor and Shane did leave with a desire to be a better person.

Oliver held her hand as they walked together out of the church and towards their car.

"What would you like to do for the rest of the day?" Oliver asked as they pulled out of the parking lot heading for home.

"Hmmmm..." she drew out her answer, "I want to spend the whole day with you."

"Well that can definitely be arranged," he answered as he pulled her hand over and kissed the back of it tenderly.

They ended up inviting Joe over for steaks that evening, he happily grilled them on the BBQ while Shane set the patio table with dishes and drinks. Oliver prepared a salad and laid out some bread and butter for the meal. The trio laughed as they conversed well into the evening. To Shane's delight Joe shared a few stories of Oliver's childhood. Oliver laughed good naturedly, although he insisted Joe was exaggerating if he told any stories where young Oliver misbehaved in any way. Shane was enjoying herself immensely as she sat on the porch swing between the two most important men in her life. Oliver had his arm resting behind her and every so often he would run his fingers through her hair. She felt safe, loved, and so so happy. It was well past dark when they finally called it a night. Joe hugged them each before he left. Shane smiled watching him go, she was so happy that both she and Oliver had a Father back in their lives.

The next week started very busy. There were department meetings, rerouted packages to attend to, and new mysteries to be solved.

By Wednesday Shane was already exhausted. She slipped her tired feet out of her heels as they entered the house together that evening.

"Shane dear, you have a letter from your mother," Oliver said as he handed her the envelope, as well as some other mail she had received.

"Oh thank you," she replied, taking the mail. She was halfway up the stairs on her way to change into some comfy clothes when she remembered her shoes and hurried to retrieve them before Oliver could trip over them.

After a delicious chicken alfredo dinner made by Oliver, he really was an excellent cook, the happy couple sat down on the couch to relax.

"Would you like to play a game of Scrabble my dear?" Oliver asked. He gave her a wicked grin as he waited for her answer.

They had a running score sheet attached to the game box keeping track of who won each game; they had been keeping track since their engagement days. At first it had just been for fun and bragging rights, but now that they were married the stakes were much higher.

"Ok my love," Shane replied, giving him a flirtatious smile, "But I do not intend to go easy on you."

He chuckled at her as he grabbed the game from a nearby cupboard, "I would expect nothing less."

Actually Oliver was ahead by three games, but Shane was itching to close that gap.

They settled in on the floor with the box on the coffee table between them. Oliver spread out the board and they each picked their pieces, then the game was underway.

Soon Shane was on a roll and feeling pretty confident. Oliver leaned back against the couch and loosened his tie.

"Are you preparing to pay the victor?" Shane asked, smirking.

"No my love, I am simply making myself more comfortable." He replied, giving her his signature smolder.

Shane almost melted into a puddle every time he gave her that look, but she shook her head, she had to stay focused.

The game continued on, and soon much to Shane's dismay Oliver had taken the lead. She held on, but in the end he won by just 2 points.

"No no no no no," She pouted.

Oliver couldn't help gloating a little, "Aren't you going to congratulate the winner?" he said smirking.

"What about a rematch?" she pleaded.

"Oh my love, it is getting pretty late, besides I think it is time for you to pay the victor." Oliver had placed all the pieces back in the game box and he moved to put it away in the cupboard.

Shane wrapped her arms around her legs and pushed out her bottom lip.

Oliver thought she looked adorable in her pajama shorts and matching button down top, he couldn't help but smile as she pouted up at him.

Oliver took her hand and helped Shane to her feet. He grabbed her hips and pulled her up against his body.

"Are you unwilling to keep up your end of the deal?" He whispered into her ear in a deep husky voice.

Shane looked up into his eyes as her hands went around his neck and she pulled her body even closer to his.

"No, I will pay the victor, you won fair and square." She went up on her tiptoes and pulled his lips to hers for a sensual kiss that made Oliver's heart race.

"But," she teased in between their kisses, "Next time you are going down!" She led him out of the room, both of them grinning. There really were no losers in their game.

On Thursday Shane had the house to herself for a few hours. Work had been busy that day, and after a quick meal together Oliver had rushed off to choir practice at the church. After the busy week they had been having Shane was looking forward to a relaxing evening with a little self pampering. She spent some time putting the kitchen back in order, then she turned on some music, a more modern and upbeat playlist than Oliver enjoyed. Next she gave herself a fresh manicure and pedicure. Once that was done she snuck a few pieces of serious chocolate and then changed into her pajamas. She thought she might have enough time to apply a face mask and binge watch a show on her tablet before Oliver got home. As she headed to the hook by the front door where she kept her purse with her tablet in it, she glanced into Oliver's study and noticed his antique letter opener was missing from the red velvet holder where it usually sat. Her stomach dropped. Oh no, she had used the letter opener just yesterday to open the letter from her Mother. Oliver always put things back exactly where they belonged and she knew she had a habit of wandering off with things in her hands and leaving them around. She must have misplaced it!

Shane had been known to talk to herself when she was home alone. At that moment she verbally assured herself, "It's Ok, there is no need to panic," she had time before Oliver got home, she just needed to find it and put it back before he noticed. She started to search the house room by room, the kitchen was already tidy, but she double checked the drawers and all the counters, she even checked the pantry shelves. She moved to the living room and checked under every chair and couch. Shane checked every corner of the downstairs with no luck. Now she was starting to panic.

"Where could it be?" she asked out loud.

She had checked every obvious place where she might have casually set the letter opener, and even not so obvious places where she was sure she hadn't even been. She moved upstairs and continued her search. At this point she was starting to really panic as she checked the top of her nightstand where she had placed the letters she had received yesterday, then she opened the drawers and started frantically emptying the contents onto the floor. At this point she started talking to herself again, "Oh Shane what have you done?"

"Where could it be?"

She started emptying the laundry hamper to check the pockets of the jacket she had worn to work yesterday.

"How could I be so careless? Uhhhgg this is just one more thing for Oliver to add to his list." she said frustrated as the hamper came up empty.

"Shane?"...She froze when she heard Oliver's deep voice behind her.

"Have you lost something?" he asked as he took in the disarray of the bedroom around her.

"Oliver," she squeaked as she slowly turned around to look at him. She realized the music she had turned on was still playing and she hadn't heard Oliver arrive home.

"You're home early!" she stated.

"Uh yes, it was the Choir Director's anniversary and he wanted to head home a little early to have a dessert date with his wife.

"Oh that's nice," Shane replied.

"Do you need help finding something?" Oliver asked as he again looked at the chaos around them.

"Um," Shane stalled.

What could she say? She had looked everywhere in the house, and there was no way she could just get online and find a replacement for his letter opener. Oliver would most definitely notice it was missing soon anyway. She also knew she couldn't lie to him. She sighed, she might as well face the music.

"Oliver, I'm so sorry, you know your antique letter opener that you keep on your desk? I.. I ... lost it, I mean I misplaced it, I mean I can't find it, but I will keep looking..." She was speaking quickly and was on the verge of rambling when she looked up and finally met Oliver's eyes.

"You lost my letter opener?' he clarified.

"Yes, the one from your desk downstairs," she looked down again and spoke to his shoes, "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Oliver pulled Shane into his arms, and she slowly looked up into his face.

He was just smiling at her, then he reached into the attaché case that was still hanging from his shoulder.

"Do you mean this letter opener?" he asked as he pulled the letter opener in question from his bag.

Shane looked at him confused, "How? ... What? ... Where did you...?" she stuttered.

"Shane," Oliver said, "I took this letter opener to work with me today. I keep a polishing glove in the DLO to polish my collection. Every so often I take this one in to give it a shine."

It took Shane a minute to comprehend what he was saying. She hadn't lost his letter opener, he had had it the whole time.

"Oh I am so glad you had it" Shane said relieved, she was trying not to cry as the frustration she had been feeling and the relief she now felt warred inside her.

Oliver noticed, and he pulled her into his arms again, "Why on earth did you think you had lost it?" He asked as he wiped the tears that traitorously had started to fall down her cheeks.

"Well I used it yesterday, and then I noticed it was missing, and since you always put everything back where it goes, I thought I must have misplaced it," she said quietly.

"Oh Shane, I am so sorry, did you spend your whole night looking for it?"

"Well not the whole night," she said sheepishly, even laughing a little now that the situation was resolved. She looked around and said, "I better get this mess cleaned up." Oliver smiled at her and started helping put the laundry back in the hamper.

Later they were getting ready to go to bed. Oliver sat on the bed watching Shane as she was removing her earrings and placing them in her jewelry holder.

"Shane?" he asked.

"Hmmm" she answered casually as she removed her necklace.

"Earlier you said something about me adding something to my list, what were you talking about?"

Shane froze, shoot why did she have such a big mouth? She was really hoping that Oliver hadn't heard her frustrated ranting.

"Oh it was nothing, I was just talking to myself," she said turning around. She was trying to sound casual, but she wouldn't meet his eyes.

He was not going to be deterred that easily.

"Shane," he said, pulling her over to him so she was standing between his legs, "what list, my love?"

"Oliver" she whispered pleading with him. He didn't budge.

"You know, the list you are keeping," she tried to sound casual again, still hoping he would let it go. No such luck as he waited expectantly, "the one of all the ways I keep messing up." she finally confessed quickly and practically in a whisper.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"You know," she paused, she desperately did not want to remind him of all the ways she was failing as a wife. He waited and she had no choice but to continue, "your ruined shirt, and the broken platter, the dance club, and the... the smoke detectors..." she stopped not meeting his eyes.

Oliver's heart clenched, was this what had been bothering her? She was worried that he cared about a few mishaps?

"Shane" he said tenderly as he pulled her onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and waited until she looked at him, "Sweetheart, I don't have any lists of that sort. Why would you think that?"

"Oh Oliver, I wanted to be the perfect wife for you, but I just keep messing things up. I'm surprised you haven't kicked me out of the house yet." she admitted feeling defeated.

Oliver pulled her closer, "That will never be happening," he told her looking into her eyes.

"Shane my love," he slid his hand into her hair to cradle her face and neck," I don't expect you to be perfect. We are both going to mess things up, we are human after all, and I love you just the way you are." He kissed her cheek quickly then continued, " I have never felt happier than these last few weeks with you, and I expect it will just keep getting better and better." He gave her another kiss, this time on the lips before continuing, "But I don't expect everything to always be perfect." he put his forehead to hers and paused...

"But just the other day I did find myself making a list."

She looked at him curiously.

"I was making a list of all the ways that you make me happy every day just by loving me." he answered.

"Will I ever get to see this list?" Shane asked her curiosity piqued.

"Maybe someday," he answered, "but I will warn you now, it is about a mile long."

"Oliver, I love you so much." she said before she leaned in to kiss his lips.

He pulled away briefly to whisper, "Shane, I love you more than you will ever know."

He found her lips again and then they both fell back onto the bed completely immersed in each other.

Monday morning Shane was stumbling around the kitchen getting her coffee and breakfast before it was time to head to work. She was not a morning person and she was trying to hurry and get some caffeine into her system so she could wake up fully in order to make it to work on time. She took a few swigs of her coffee as she moved around the kitchen preparing a bagel for breakfast. She had just applied a good amount of cream cheese to her bagel and she didn't hear Oliver come into the kitchen behind her. He was intending to wrap his arms around her and give her a quick kiss on the cheek, but before he could, she turned abruptly. The bagel she had been holding got squished in-between them, the cream cheese sticking nicely right to the middle of Oliver's tie.

"Oh, no no no no no no!" Shane cried. She looked mortified and she hurriedly grabbed some napkins and started wiping at the white mess.

"Oh Oliver, I am so sorry." She had gotten the majority of the white globs off with the napkin, but the tie was a complete mess.

Oliver looked at her face, and before her mind could go where he knew it was going, he gently grabbed her chin and made her look at him. "Shane, it's Ok love, I will just change my tie," he paused before emphasizing, "It's really ok." Shane looked up at him and saw the love in his eyes, he was right, it was ok. She smiled at him and then they both started laughing about the whole ordeal. Oliver leaned down and gave her a brief, but passionate kiss before dashing upstairs to quickly change his tie. Neither of them were perfect, but their love for each other was, and everything was indeed OK.