Hello friends! Happy New Year and welcome to my new venture "Those star you wish upon songs". A collection of drabbles and vignettes based on the stage version of Annie - specifically the recent televised event "Annie Live!" produced by NBC. There have been many, many wonderful productions of this beloved musical however, and you can draw your images of these characters from any one of them.

These chapters will be in no sequential order and will all be unrelated to each other. I've just decided to put them all in one tidy little box and to add to it whenever inspiration strikes me!

I have borrowed the name for this collection from a line in the song "A younger man" from "Annie Warbucks", the lovely (though sort of unnecessary if the original is done right) sequel to "Annie". It's essentially Oliver's song of longing for Grace. Sigh!

So, I hope you will enjoy this collection of short stories. I don't know how long it will be between updates but this production is beautiful and I'm quite inspired by it and therefore already have a few ideas in mind!

Enjoy chapter 1 - "Eleven"

Peace and love,

Renee

...

Once Annie and all of her friends from the orphanage had opened their gifts and the staff had received theirs from Mr. Warbucks, he and Grace left the others so that they might have a moment alone together.

They snuck out of the great foyer and down the hall to Oliver's office. They walked hand in hand, no longer needing to hide their affection from one another, or from anyone else.

"Well, that was quite the eventful Christmas morning", Oliver supplied as he swung Grace into the room.

She laughed airily. "Yes it was. I don't think we've had a more exciting Christmas in quite some time."

"Or a more exciting week", Oliver added, smiling fondly.

"Mm", Grace agreed with a warm smile.

"Quite a lot has changed this past week, hasn't it?"

"For the better my dear, all for the better." He gently squeezed the hand he was already holding, continuing "I know there will be new challenges to face, a new kind of chaos about the place but honestly I wouldn't change a thing."

Grace stroked his cheek with the back of her hand. "I'm so pleased to hear you say that."

Oliver stared at her emotionally. "I never thought I would be a Father. Never thought I wanted to be one until you brought Annie into our lives. I thank God every day that you did. You make me a better man, Grace, and Annie makes me better still."

"She makes us all better", Grace concurred with a starry gaze.

Oliver blinked rapidly. "You know I still can't quite believe we now have a little girl out there who's depending on us."

Grace laughed lightly and shook her head. "Oliver, did you not see? We now have eleven little girls out there depending on us."

Oliver leered in her direction. "You're not suggesting we keep them all, are you?"

"Well, we certainly have the room", Grace responded with a smile, only half serious.

"Grace…", Oliver chuckled in disbelief.

"Well, honestly I couldn't think of a better place for a child to be raised than right here. Think of all the opportunities they'll have that they wouldn't be afforded elsewhere. Those girls have grown up together, I don't think it'd be right to separate them now."

"What do any of us know about taking care of that many children?" Oliver asked her, his argumentative tone only half-hearted.

"Well they're hardly tots. Most of them are quite grown up. I think they've had to be in that orphanage. I'm not suggesting you adopt them all but rather keep them and care for them as your wards. They all seem fairly self-sufficient, so they won't need a lot of looking after, just support and reassurance, encouragement and a little love", Grace shrugged shyly.

Oliver gave her a helpless look. "It seems to me that there's enough love in that heart of yours for the whole world."

Grace looked back at him with a watery expression. "It would make Annie very happy."

She knew she'd won when Oliver shook his head and said, "That Pepper is going to be a handful, I can see that already."

"She's thirteen. That can be a difficult age for a young lady. Trust me, I remember."

"Well, it wasn't all that long ago for you, was it?" Oliver asked her suavely.

"Flatterer", Grace grinned at him in response, looping her arm through his.

Her grin widened further when he raised his other arm up and draped it around her shoulders.

"That Tessie seems to be a sweet kid. Though perhaps a tad melodramatic."

Grace laughed lightly but smacked him softly on his chest. "She's a dear wee thing."

"And how about that little Molly, hmm?" Oliver was smiling wistfully now which made Grace's heart so light.

"Oh, isn't she delightful? I know Annie has spoken about her a lot, in a very fond way." Grace looked at Oliver searchingly, wondering if it was too soon to be telling him that she thought he should at least adopt Molly as well. She knew that Annie would dearly love her to be her sister.

"She's just so darn cute", he shook his head in hopelessness.

Grace craned her neck forward, resting her head on his shoulder with a wide grin on her face. She pressed her mouth to his ear. "You're so darn cute."

Oliver pulled his head back to give her a mock glare. "I am not cute." He shrugged his shoulders as if to puff himself up in a manly fashion. "Handsome perhaps."

"Mm, oh yes", Grace quickly agreed with him.

"Strikingly debonair", he continued as she grinned up at him coyly.

"Oh absolutely debonair", she told him in a far too agreeable tone.

He narrowed his eyes at her again. "You're mocking me."

Grace gasped in false horror. "I wouldn't dream of it...Sir." She bit her bottom lip teasingly.

Oliver's mouth opened in surprise at her playfulness. He'd never known her to have so much fun with him - he was enjoying it tremendously.

He tackled her to the couch, making her squeal in delighted confoundment. He laughed as she squirmed from ticklishness.

The moment he ceased his attack, Grace looked at him right in his eyes and smiled. "I was right all along...you are cute."

"Oh shush", he told her shortly and pressed his mouth against hers to ensure it was done.