My apologies for the delay in getting this one out. It required quite a bit of research to make sure I had timelines and things correct. I like to make sure my stories are accurate. Thank you for your patience and for continuing to read on.

Peace and love,

Renee

...

11 months later

With their relationship repaired and the war ramping up, Oliver and Grace were more productive than they'd ever been.

Despite the fact that they were extremely busy, Oliver had also been trying to be more diligent as a husband. He'd remembered how disappointed Grace had been over him forgetting their anniversary the previous year and he was determined not to make the same mistake again. Regardless of the troubles happening in the world, he wanted to mark the occasion in a special way.

So, with Annie in the company of Gordon, who had remained steadfastly loyal to her over the past year, and had slowly begun winning over both her parents, Grace and Oliver left 987 Fifth Avenue for the weekend and flew to California for a romantic getaway in the land of the stars.

The couple flew across the country in their private plane. The flight took only eleven hours and they only had to land three times! Both were very pleased when they finally landed in Glendale and stepped out into the bright California sun.

"Welcome to L.A, Mr. and Mrs. Warbucks. I'm Chuck, I'm your driver", a smartly dressed young man with a suit and cap covered head greeted them as they arrived inside the Grand Central Air Terminal.

"Good to meet you, Chuck", Oliver said, shaking the younger man's hand. He was very tired and ready to get to their hotel as quickly as possible, but he wanted to show, especially to Grace, that he was making an effort to be as friendly and as polite as possible during this trip.

Chuck drove them to The Beverly Hills Hotel and made arrangements with them for their travel and sightseeing plans over the course of the next few days.

By the time Oliver and Grace had been shown to their room and had tipped their bellhop, Oliver was dead on his feet and flopped heavily, face-down on the bed. Grace kicked off her heels and gingerly collapsed next to him.

No sooner had her head touched the luxuriously soft duvet when the telephone began to ring. Oliver raised his head and scowled deeply. He turned his head and glared at the object making the offending noise. He snatched it off the receiver and growled, "Yes?"

"Uh, excuse me, Mr. Warbucks, President Roosevelt is on the telephone for you." The desk clerk sounded quite flustered and overwhelmed.

Oliver sighed deeply before responding. "Tell President Roosevelt that I am on vacation with my wife and that I will be uncontactable for the next three days. Thank you and goodnight", he finished the phone call curtly and hung up the phone again.

Grace raised her head off the bed and looked at him in wide-eyed amazement as he unplugged the phone from the wall and promptly lay back down on the bed again.

With a grin from ear to ear, she leaned over and kissed his back, then lay her head in between his shoulder blades. The two of them, still fully dressed, were asleep within seconds.

…

The following morning, Grace and Oliver left the hotel to explore Hollywood.

As they were walking through the hotel foyer, a young female concierge attempted to stop them, "Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Warbucks, good morning! Mr. Warbucks, sir, I have a very important message for you from President Roosevelt."

Oliver, with his arm still around his wife, turned around to face the young lady with a roll of his eyes. "My dear, what is your name?" He asked her.

The young hotel worker looked surprised at the question. "M-Martha, sir", she stuttered.

"Well, Martha, you see this beautiful lady next to me, she and I happen to be celebrating our seventh wedding anniversary today."

"Congratulations", Martha blinked timidly.

"Thank you, so you see, we've both made a decision, and it's a very important decision, that we are not going to let anything, nothing in the world, distract us from doing anything but celebrating and honoring our marriage today."

"But sir…the President-"

"The President can wait until tomorrow", he gave Martha a reassuring smile before he turned himself and Grace around towards the door of the hotel and walked outside.

Their driver, Chuck, was already waiting for them at the entrance to the hotel. "Mornin' Mr. and Mrs. Warbucks! Where to?"

"RKO Pictures, Chuck, do you know it?"

Chuck laughed, "'Course I know it. It's one of the major film studios in Hollywood."

"What on Earth are we going to a movie studio for?" Grace questioned her husband with an intrigued look.

"There's somebody there I'd like to introduce you to."

"Why Oliver Warbucks, you mysterious man", Grace smiled brightly at him.

Chuck drove the 15 minutes to RKO and Grace and Oliver got out of the car. They passed by security easily. Grace was quite stunned that this surprise visit seemed to have been organized ahead of time, yet she'd known nothing about it.

They were taken to a sound stage where a large crew were filming. They were clearly between takes as there were crew members and actors milling about and talking.

"Oliver and Grace Warbucks to see you, Mr. Welles", the security guard who had brought them up the lot beckoned a young man with slicked back hair.

"Well, hello there, it's a pleasure to meet you both. Funny that we've both come from New York and we're only now meeting here in L.A.", the charismatic young man greeted the couple.

Grace was at a loss for words, completely starstruck over meeting the young stage-turned-screen actor.

"Oh, Mr. Welles, I'm such a great fan of yours", she gushed. "Your Broadway production of Julius Caesar was exceptional. I saw it five times."

"Thank you Ma'am, I'm so pleased you enjoyed it. I enjoyed it too", he grinned charmingly.

Oliver and Grace chuckled at his humor.

"Orson!" The film's assistant director called him and Orson flicked his head around before turning back to Oliver and Grace with an apologetic expression. "Excuse me, won't you? I have so much to do, but please feel free to stay and watch for a while."

"Oh thank you, Mr. Welles", Grace replied excitedly.

"Orson, please", he winked at Grace and she giggled, feeling rather girlish as he shook hers and Oliver's hands.

Oliver might have felt jealous if he himself wasn't quite so taken with the roguish young actor/director. "Remarkable young man", Oliver remarked. "You know, he's producing, directing and starring in this picture."

"Golly, what a talent", Grace shook her head in awe as they took a seat side of stage, underneath a large sign that read "Citizen Kane".

They spent a couple of hours at the studio, watching in absolute awe at how movie production worked.

After leaving the studio again, they went for lunch at The Musso and Frank Grill before Chuck gave them a full guided tour of Beverly Hills. They returned to the hotel early that evening and changed for dinner, tired yet happy after a day of leisure - something neither of them were accustomed to.

Arm in arm they walked into the hotel restaurant and were shown to their table. After ordering their food and drinks, Oliver reached into his jacket and pulled out a jewelry box. He placed it on the table and looked into his wife's eyes.

"Happy anniversary, sweetheart."

"Oh darling, thank you", she breathed, both moved and surprised.

She opened up the box delicately and gasped at the exquisite pair of Harry Winston earrings inside. "Oh my goodness, Oliver."

She stared at it wordlessly for several moments before reaching into her handbag to fetch a handkerchief as tears rolled down her face.

Oliver's face fell. "Grace, what is it? Don't you like them?"

"Oh yes, I do, I love them! It's just that…oh, I feel so ashamed. Here I am receiving expensive jewels, while some out there have no food to eat, worn shoes on their feet, no safe place to sleep."

Oliver sighed, placing his hand atop hers. "It is also because of you that many are safe tonight, Grace. Our funds are helping people in the greatest need. You are doing all you possibly can. You can't let yourself feel bad that you're in such a privileged position while they are suffering. All you can do is be thankful."

Grace dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief. "I am immensely thankful. For that, and for you."

Oliver's face softened. "Really? For me?"

"Of course. I know that, at first, due to my own personal reasons, I was hesitant about getting involved in the war effort, but we've provided a great deal of defense and safety to the allies and I know that's all because of you convincing me it was the right thing to do."

"Well, your idea to send financial help to hospitals and refugee centers over there has also been brilliant and exactly the type of generosity I would expect my kind and generous wife to show."

Her features softened, her heart melting a little at Oliver's sweet sentiment.

"I guess we kind of work well together, huh?" She chuckled.

Oliver chuckled in turn. "Well, after fifteen years, I should think so."

"Fifteen years? My goodness. Has it really been that long? I thought we were doing well to be married for six. I hadn't realized I'd been putting up with you for that long."

He laughed loudly in good humor. Even though he knew she was making fun, he was well aware what hard work he was for her at the beginning of their working relationship, and in more recent years as her husband.

She stroked the back of his hand with her thumb. "I am grateful for more than just the career opportunities you've given me though, I do hope you know that."

He smiled softly. "Yes, I do know. And I'm grateful for the opportunities you've given me in return. The chance to be a husband and a Father is something I never would have imagined for myself, not until you opened my eyes to just how grand it could be."

"I'm so glad you took that chance, for all of our sakes."

Their eyes locked across the candlelit table and the mood suddenly shifted. "Are you ready to leave?" He asked her.

"More than", she answered immediately.

He dropped a large amount of bills on the table and stood quickly, reaching for her hand and leading her out of the restaurant and into the foyer where they caught the elevator to the penthouse suite.

Oliver opened the door to their room and held it open for Grace who stepped inside, then turned to him slowly. The door clicked shut and Oliver closed the latch, turning back to his wife, meeting her expectant eyes.

They were both very passionate people, but Grace much more so in the bedroom. It had taken several weeks after they had admitted their love for each other for Oliver to even feel comfortable enough to touch her. Mind you, Grace knew he was also protecting himself as her former employer. Slowly, their trust began to build and they became more and more intimately acquainted, learning more about each other and becoming bolder.

Of course, they had not followed a very traditional route in terms of their relationship. They had become parents together before they'd ever been to bed with one another, and having a young, somewhat insecure child in the house wasn't exactly ideal for a flourishing sex life. Eventually, they had learned to become creative, moments together sparked more by opportunity than by desire, and holding their lovemaking to a schedule meant that carnal feelings had been suppressed and never really given into.

Now though, they were here. Seven years after saying "I do", in a very nice hotel after a spectacular day, just the two of them, very much enamored by one another and after a year of a lot of stress, which had brought them closer in many ways, they were finally alone together, feeling as if they were starting their relationship anew.

Grace was stunned into submission, quite taken aback by Oliver's virility as he took her face in his hands and kissed her wantonly as they backed up to the bed. Somehow he was gentle and demanding all at once as he tore her clothing from her and devoured her naked body, leaving her speechless and shuddering.

With a spinning head, determined to respond in kind to his steamy attack, Grace raised herself up off the bed and quickly unbuttoned his dress shirt, raking her fingernails tantalizingly down his chest, making him groan and shiver in response.

She removed his trousers and sent him halfway to the stars with her ensuing actions, eventually climbing up on top of him and taking him the rest of the way there.

Both exhausted and sated, Grace flopped down on the bed next to her husband. "Can we do that again?" She panted with a delirious smile on her face.

"Give me a moment to recover, Grace!" Oliver wheezed.

Grace laughed, "I don't mean right now! I just mean that it's so rare that an opportunity like this presents itself. After all, how often are we actually alone?"

"Rarely", Oliver agreed, "What with inquisitive maids all over the house and a teenage daughter lurking about."

Grace chuckled, then sighed sadly as she thought about their girl back at home. "Well, it seems like the teenage daughter isn't going to be around for too much longer. Soon she'll be following her own young love to NYU."

"Yes, I know", Oliver looked contemplative. "But she'll be back once she graduates."

"Yes", Grace nodded, though she was still a little unsure of Annie's plans for her future and whether or not they aligned with her Father's plans for her. "I must say though, the years with her under our wing have been far too brief."

"Well, I guess that's what happens when a child comes into your life at ten."

"Mm."

They lay there in silence for a moment, both thinking about their time with the daughter, how quickly the years had passed, how much they both wished they could have found her sooner.

"You know, I forgot to give you your anniversary gift", Grace suddenly realized. She stretched out her naked arm and reached over to her hand bag, pulling out a piece of paper.

"What is this?" Oliver asked her before unraveling it.

"A signed special invitation from Orson Welles inviting us to the premiere of "Citizen Kane"," Grace beamed at him.

He gaped at her. "How in the world did you organize this?"

"Well, Oliver, I am the personal secretary to one of the world's top businessmen, I'll have you know that my organizational skills are second to none", she smirked.

Oliver burst into laughter, pulling her into his side again.

Despite the value of their presents to one another, they both knew that his happiness and her sense of achievement were, without a doubt, the best gifts they could have given each other that day.

…

All too soon, their romantic weekend in California came to an end and they found themselves on their returning flight back to New York.

They were both positively giddy with love when they stepped out of the town car and walked into the mansion, though their faces fell when they were greeted by a very panicked looking Drake. "Sir, Ma'am, both Prime Minister Churchill and President Roosevelt have been trying to reach you urgently. Have you not received their messages? They've been calling the house non-stop, both of them, enquiring as to when you're coming home."

Grace swallowed thickly. She had appreciated Oliver devoting the entire weekend to them alone but she was beginning to get nervous now. "Did either of them say what it's in relation to?"

"They wouldn't tell me, Ma'am. They only asked that I ensure Mr. Warbucks calls them the moment he arrives home."

Grace glanced at her husband and nodded her head, "Go."

He broke his gaze from hers. He knew whatever the matter was, it was serious, and he also knew that he had pledged his allegiance to the cause, but still he found it difficult to tear himself from his wife's side. Their weekend together had been so wonderful and had reminded him how much he loved her and how lucky he was to have her in his life.

Setting his jaw as he sat down at his desk, he reached for the telephone quickly to call The President whom he knew had been trying to reach him in L.A.

"Oliver, thank the Lord! Where have you been?"

"I'm sorry, Franklin, I've been out of town, it was mine and Grace's anniversary, you see."

"Well, while I congratulate you, both Churchill and I have been going out of our minds trying to reach you."

"Why? What's happened?"

"I really do think Winston should be the one to tell you this, Oliver, but I also know how hard-pressed he is currently. Oliver, the German Luftwaffe have attacked a convoy of supply ships in the English channel. I'm afraid your own supply ships were among them."

"Oh my God", Oliver croaked. His instant thought was not of the millions of dollars of supplies he had lost, but of the crew members who had lost their lives.

"Oliver, I'm afraid that's not the worst of it", the President told him and Oliver's heart sank with dread.

"Two days back, Hitler issued a directive to prepare a landing operation he's calling "Operation Sealion".

Oliver's blood ran cold as Roosevelt added with a somber tone, "Oliver, they're about to desecrate Great Britain."

...

A/N: Fun fact - Orson Welles was very good friends with John Huston, who, of course, directed our beloved 1982 Annie!