I was inspired to write this little fic after watching "Annie Live!" which I enjoyed immensely.

This story takes place during the last 30 minutes of the show, with some filler scenes in between, and is inspired by the televised Annie Live! production.

It mainly focuses on the relationship between Grace Farrell and Oliver Warbucks, which I think Nicole Scherzinger and Harry Connick Jr. did a beautiful job portraying in Annie Live!

I hope you enjoy my little story, and happy holidays to you all.

Peace and love,

Renee.

...

Everyone in the Warbucks mansion was overjoyed at the news that Annie would be staying with them and was, as Mr. Warbucks had put it, becoming part of their family.

As Annie raced excitedly upstairs to see the surprise that Grace had told her about, the billionaire addressed his staff sincerely, telling them all that he recognized their home had long been too quiet, and far too lonely. They all listened intently as he gave his heartfelt speech.

Grace Farrell watched her boss closely as he crossed the room, delivering his sentiment of gratitude to all his staff. When he came very near to her, she felt a rush of exhilaration wash over her, wondering what he was about to do. She stared at him in bewilderment as he extended his hands to her to take. Tentatively, she placed her own hands in his and jumped slightly as he took hold of them with determined intent.

"This", he began assuredly. "Is the happiest night of my life." His voice softened as it gave way to emotion.

Grace's smile changed from sincere and supportive to emotional and adoring within a second, and she swore she felt her heart beat a hundred times within that same instant. If she hadn't been aware of her love for him before this moment, she was certainly aware of it now.

She nodded at him, understanding what he was trying to tell her with his deeply searching eyes, and trying to convey it all right back to him.

He swallowed back the tears he had become so accustomed to hiding and she gave his hands a gentle squeeze, encouraging him to let himself be vulnerable with her.

Grace thought for a moment, as they gazed longingly at one another, that he might kiss her right there in front of the rest of the staff. No sooner had her lips begun to tremble at the thought of finally meeting his than Drake was gathering Oliver's attention, announcing young Annie who was standing at the top of the staircase dressed in the beautiful red and white dress which Grace herself had picked out.

She watched her employer dancing with the little girl who had stolen all of their hearts and felt her love swell to an ever greater height. She laughed in surprise and joy at how excited and enraptured Oliver seemed. Annie had done him a world of good - had done them all a world of good, as a matter of fact.

Everyone in the house was thrilled, the whole place buzzing with an air of excitement. That is, until the "Mudges" arrived and devastated everyone by announcing that they were Annie's parents, everyone including Annie herself, it seemed. Once the couple had quite ceremoniously left the house again, an absolutely shattered Oliver and Grace had tried to show their support to Annie by toasting the good news she had been waiting a lifetime to receive.

Annie though, was feeling an uneasiness about her supposed parents that she was afraid no one else could sense. Overwhelmed and scared, she ran upstairs to her room in tears.

The disheartened members of the staff filtered out of the room, leaving Grace and Oliver alone.

"The Mudges...There's something strangely familiar about them." Oliver's suspicious sounding voice filled Grace's ears.

Her heart bled for the man in front of her, as well as for herself. The man who, moments ago, was overcome with elation and now seemed so defeated.

With a shaking voice, Grace spoke somberly to him. "I'm so sorry, Sir. I know we had our hearts set on Annie."

She was trying to offer him some comfort, while also desperately hoping he might give her the same back. When she looked into his eyes though, she couldn't bear seeing the pain reflected there. His beautiful shining eyes which were sparkling and filled with such hope mere minutes ago, were now dim and filled with despair.

Quietly, she told him, "I'm going to go upstairs and help her pack and see if she's ok." She turned her head away quickly before he could see her tears.

Oliver sat down on the staircase, a fierce aching in his chest as he said despondently to himself, "I've lost her. I've lost Annie."

Something wasn't right about those two "Mudges", something he couldn't quite place. As a man who had played the stock markets and had done extremely well at it, Oliver had learned to trust his instincts. He didn't know what was off about the people claiming to be Annie's parents, but he knew someone who would help him figure it out. Never in a million years did he think he would approach this particular person for his assistance, but Annie was more important than his political convictions. She was more important than almost anything.

He called for his butler. "Drake, get me the President. I need his help."

…

An hour later, after helping Annie to pack her things and then sitting with her until she fell asleep, Grace trudged wearily back downstairs to Oliver's office.

He was sitting at his desk, his head in his hands. Grace had never seen him like this. He'd always remained so stoic, even in the midst of the depression, she hadn't known him to crumble the way he was now. It was the price he was paying for loving someone. Grace knew the feeling all too well.

He must have heard her footsteps, as light as they were, because he raised his head to look at her. "Oh, Grace, there you are." He stood up to address her, shoving his hands casually into his trouser pockets.

"I'm sorry Sir, Annie's only just gone to sleep. I didn't want to leave her until she did", Grace murmured softly.

"Oh no, I-I'm glad you were with her. Thank you."

Grace nodded solemnly.

"Ah...how is she?" Oliver asked her, though he was quite sure he knew the answer already.

"She seems...confused. She'd just begun to get used to the idea of living here with us, and now that's changed. It's rather a lot for a little girl to go through in a short space of time."

Oliver hummed in understanding. "Yes, it's rather a lot for all of us."

Grace nodded gently, appreciating his sentiment. She had to agree. "I've been trying to console her. Well, truth be told, we've been consoling each other."

Oliver considered the woman in front of him. It would be most out of character for him to tell her what he was thinking of saying, but well, it was most definitely out of character for him to ask for help from Franklin Delano Roosevelt, yet he'd done that already tonight. For the first time in over forty years, he let his tough veneer crack.

"Well I can't fault either one of you", he croaked. "To be consoled at a time like this. I'm sure even I would find comfort in that." His eyes dropped to the floor, feeling instantly regretful for exposing his own fragility, especially to Grace.

What would she think of him now that she knew he wasn't as strong as he'd once have had her and everyone else believe?

He closed his eyes in embarrassment and a moment later heard the sound of her quick footsteps, presumably fleeing the room to avoid any further awkwardness.

He jumped in surprise when he felt her warm arms encircling his broad shoulders, pulling him into her strong embrace. After recovering from his initial shock, Oliver slowly drew his hands out of his trouser pockets and wrapped them tentatively around Grace's waist. She squeezed him a little tighter and he relaxed in her arms.

They held each other for a good many moments, neither one knowing exactly how long. They felt their bodies and their hearts give in to each other and it was equally the most frightening and exciting feeling for both of them.

Grace rubbed the nape of his neck tenderly, her actions more intimate than simply comforting. Just as Oliver began to draw her further into his arms, they heard Drake knock on the door of the office. "Excuse me Mr. Warbucks."

Grace and Oliver jumped apart, feeling caught out by Drake but he showed no sign of judgment, he only looked focused.

"What is it, Drake?" Oliver prompted his butler.

"Sir, Special Agent Ness has arrived. He and his men are waiting in the boardroom."

"Oh good, thank you Drake."

Grace looked at them both with a puzzled expression.

The butler bowed slightly and left the room again.

"Oliver, what on Earth is going on?" Grace immediately questioned him.

"I uh...I telephoned J. Edgar Hoover a short while ago because I was feeling uncertain and untrusting of the Mudges."

"You were?" Grace's eyes lit up in relief and hope.

Oliver nodded. "I asked him to send Elliot Ness and a few more of his best agents to the house immediately. Offered them a handsome sum of course, for arriving in a timely fashion on Christmas eve."

"What are you hoping they might uncover?"

Oliver inhaled deeply. "I don't know. The truth I suppose."

"And if the truth is that the Mudges are indeed Annie's parents?"

Oliver straightened his back, looking Grace directly in the eye. "Before I allow the Mudges to take Annie anywhere, I shall be informing them that by taking the fifty-thousand dollars, they must agree to remain in contact with us, allow us to visit Annie from time-to-time."

"Really?" Grace's face lit up. "Oliver…", she stared at him emotively and with gratitude.

Oliver touched her arm softly. "Come my dear, let's not keep the FBI waiting. It's time for us to get some answers."

…

Grace and Oliver showed Ness and his team the copy of Annie's birth certificate given to them by the Mudges, as well as the hand-written note Annie had carried with her, her whole life.

The agents took the documents back to their headquarters for further investigation. Ness stayed for a while longer to interview Oliver. As hard as the Billionaire tried to recall, he just couldn't place where he knew the Mudges from but he swore he had seen them before.

While Oliver was being interviewed, Grace decided to take the opportunity to go upstairs and change her outfit into something more elegant and more befitting of Christmas. It was two in the morning but Grace doubted very much that she was going to be able to get any sleep that night and she wanted to freshen up to be awake and present for Oliver throughout what she knew was going to be a difficult time.

A couple of months prior, when Grace had convinced Oliver to host an orphan child for the holidays, she knew it was going to be a Christmas to remember. She had decided to buy herself a new dress to wear on Christmas day. When she'd bought it, she had envisioned the child happily opening presents before running up and hugging her and Oliver in gratitude. Oliver kneeling next to the Christmas tree, a wide grin on his face, barely able to keep his eyes off of Grace in this stunning purple dress. In some imaginings there may have even been some mistletoe which Grace had managed to lure Oliver under...that was a version which stemmed from the very wildest part of her imagination.

Grace sighed deeply. Nothing was turning out to be how she had imagined it could be. For a while after Annie's arrival it had been. Everything seemed to be falling exactly into place. Annie was sensitive and smart and oh so sweet, Oliver was becoming more and more jubilant, the staff were all ecstatic...why did those Mudges have to turn up when they did? Eleven years too late, Grace thought.

She knew she mustn't think that way. If they really were Annie's parents, she knew she should be supportive. Even though Oliver would, in Grace's mind (and perhaps with her help) be the most wonderful Father to Annie the young girl could ever hope to have.

Still, however the day turned out, it definitely wasn't going to be anything like what she'd envisioned. At least she still had this gorgeous dress to wear. She'd loved it the moment she saw it and she was so looking forward to wearing it. It would make her feel fantastic if nothing else.

She hurried back down to the boardroom, anxious to hear if there was any new information from the FBI. Oliver and Special Agent Ness were no longer in there however.

Drake was collecting the tumblers which the two men had been drinking from. He was chuckling to himself at the irony of a top law enforcement official enjoying an alcoholic drink during a prohibition.

"Oh Drake, where is Mr. Warbucks?"

Drake turned to look at her and blinked in surprise at her outfit before responding. "He's returned to his study, Miss Farrell."

"Oh. Perhaps I should give him some time alone. He must be dreadfully tired."

"Oh no Miss, he'll want to see you." He took a step closer and muttered pointedly, "especially in that dress."

Grace's eyes widened at Drake's statement.

The butler, with a small smile on his face, lay a gentle hand on her arm. "You look absolutely splendid."

Grace smiled shyly but knowingly at him. "Thank you Drake."

He lifted his hand off her arm, picked up her hand and kissed it softly. "Merry Christmas, Grace."

Grace nodded warmly in return, her smile widening. "Merry Christmas."

Grace walked around the corner to Oliver's study again. Oliver was standing in the far corner, staring out into the night sky. A million thoughts running through his mind.

Grace sighed lightly, wishing she could ease each one of his troubles somehow. She spoke softly to him across the room, not wishing to startle him. "How did it go with Ness? Drake tells me he's just left."

"Yes, he um…" Oliver turned around at the sound of her voice. When his eyes caught sight of Grace, he lost his words.

Grace stood self-consciously in the doorway of the study, blushing under his scrutinizing stare.

"My word...Grace, you're beautiful."

Grace's breath hitched at his words. He was gazing at her so intensely, she thought she might faint.

"Thank you, Sir", she murmured softly, a flustered smile dressing her face.

"Grace…" Oliver spoke in a directive tone as he sauntered towards her. "It's Oliver, remember?"

"Thank you…" Grace's voice faltered as he came to stand directly in front of her and lifted his hand to caress her cheek. "Oliver", she whispered breathily.

Her eyes slipped closed as he deftly brushed his thumb across her parted lips. Her breath became labored as she felt him move into her, his touch, his scent filling her senses.

Their noses bumped lightly and she shuddered in anticipation of his lips meeting hers for the first time.

Next to them, the telephone suddenly rang loudly, causing them to jolt apart. Grace gasped in shock and looked at Oliver wide-eyed.

Oliver stared at the phone, then back at Grace, his mouth open in astonishment at what had just happened between them. "I'm sorry", he apologized to her quickly, more for the fact they were interrupted than for his actions. He rounded the desk quickly. She shook her head, trying to appear casual and motioned for him to pick up the phone.

"Warbucks here", he answered formally. A moment's silence was followed by him saying, "Oh, Director Hoover."

"Yes, and what have they found?" Oliver spoke in a hurry.

He was quiet for several moments. Grace saw his worried expression become even more troubled. She took a step towards him as he spoke again. "Oh dear...I see."

She was feeling rather concerned, desperate to know what was going on. She reached out for Oliver's hand and he grasped it immediately, the simple motion making her want to cry and squeal in delight all at once.

"Well, thank you for informing me so promptly. Goodnight J...Oh, yes, Merry Christmas to you as well." He put the phone down and Grace immediately questioned him, forgetting their interrupted moment from before the phone call for the time being. "What did he say?"

Oliver sighed deeply, leading Grace by the hand he was holding to his leather couch. "Come and sit down, Grace", he requested gently.

She followed him without objection and sat close to him - their still joined hands resting on top of his knee.

Well, it turns out we were right to be suspicious of the "Mudges". The handwriting on Annie's note is not a match to either one of the signatures on the birth certificate they gave us for Annie. Furthermore, that birth certificate has been found to be a fake."

"Oh my God, Oliver." Grace covered her mouth with her free hand. "We almost let those people take her."

"I know", Oliver voiced, sounding haunted. "I'm afraid that's not all, Grace."

Grace's heart sank even further with dread. "Oh no, what else did he say?"

Oliver swallowed thickly before continuing, his voice sounded fragile when he spoke again. "He was able to trace the handwriting on Annie's note to some other documentation from the early twenties. The handwriting belonged to a Mrs. Margaret Bennett, the wife of a Mr. David Bennett."

"Annie Bennett…", Grace whimpered then inhaled sharply. "That's her name?"

"Yes, that's her name", Oliver nodded solemnly. "Sadly, Mr. and Mrs. Bennett passed away in December of nineteen-twenty-two, not long after they had taken Annie to the orphanage."

"No", Grace sobbed. "Oh, Annie. Oliver, she's going to be devastated."

"I know she is", he agreed wearily.

"The poor child", Grace sniffed and Oliver gave her his handkerchief. She dabbed her eyes and wiped her nose with it.

Oliver's telephone began ringing again and Oliver excused himself once more to answer it.

"Warbucks here…Oh, yes Mr. President."

Grace's eyes shot up at the mention of the commander in chief, whom she would never have expected her boss to be speaking with so willingly.

"Yes Sir, I've just finished speaking with him...No, it's not the news any of us had been hoping for but at least we have some answers...Well I-I appreciate that, Mr. President, and I appreciate you being so willing to assist me with this investigation, especially on Christmas."

He glanced at Grace who was watching him intently.

"Uh, Mr. President...Franklin...I hope you'll join us for Christmas breakfast tomorrow so I can thank you properly. I know it will cheer Annie immensely to have you there. Of course I understand you'll already have a very full schedule, but...Oh, you will? Thank you Franklin, Annie will be delighted to see you."

Grace looked at him in awe, hardly able to believe what she was hearing.

"Wonderful. We'll see you in the morning, Franklin. Goodbye."

When he'd set down the receiver again, he noticed her looking at him with a starry-eyed expression.

"Oliver…", she said, sounding amazed. "You really asked President Roosevelt for his help?"

"I did, yes, and well, I never thought I'd say this but...I'm very glad that I did. We may not agree politically, but he is a fine man and I owe him a great debt of gratitude."

Grace shook her head in disbelief at the statement. Oliver continued.

"Without his help, we may not have discovered the truth about the Mudges until it was too late."

Grace cast her eyes downward at the terrifying thought

"I just knew he'd do everything in his power to convince Hoover and his men to fast track their investigation so we would learn the truth before the Mudges arrived in the morning. You should have seen Annie at the cabinet meeting the other day, Grace, she had the President eating out of the palm of her little hand." Oliver chuckled fondly at the memory.

"Sounds like our Annie", Grace smiled proudly and Oliver returned her warm smile for a moment before his expression became serious again.

"Annie is safe and she will be from here on in. I know nothing and no one can replace her parents, but no longer will she be that same poor child. From now on, her life will be filled with riches and joy overflowing. I vow to protect her and to give her all that she wants and needs for the rest of her life, and most importantly…" he paused and waited for Grace to meet his heartfelt gaze again. "Most importantly to give her all of the love she has missed out on for the past eleven years."

Grace's eyes welled up with fresh tears as she looked at him and croaked, "Oh you dear, sweet man."

She took another step towards him and placed both of her hands on each side of his face. After locking eyes with him for several moments, connecting silently through her adoring gaze, she surged forward to finally, finally press her mouth to his with not a single thought in her mind other than how much she loved him.

Oliver responded to her kiss instantly and enthusiastically, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her whole body tightly to his.

She felt so wonderful in his arms, despite all the emotion of a very trying night, he was soaring.

When their lips separated again, they remained holding each other close. Oliver's hand moved delicately up Grace's back, making her shiver. He brought it to the side of her neck, grazing her skin intimately with his light fingers. "I've been waiting all night to do that", he told her earnestly.

"I've been waiting five years to do that", Grace replied with a coy smile.

"You have?" Oliver asked her in astonishment.

Grace nodded shyly and a grin took the place of Oliver's surprised expression. He sat down on the couch and pulled her into his lap and for the next few hours, they made up for the last five years.

...

When morning came, Oliver and Grace broke the sad news to Annie about her parents. She was understandably upset and was about to run to her room crying when she was halted by Oliver telling her that he loved her. Annie realized that although her ideal of having her real parents might never come true, there were people right here in this house - lots of people, who loved her very much. None more so than Mr. Warbucks himself.

"I love you too", she replied meekly before jogging back down the staircase and crashing into his arms.

Grace looked at them both proudly and adoringly. She sent up a silent prayer of thanks that the two of them had found each other.

Ever level-headed, Annie posed the question they themselves had been thinking throughout the night - who the heck were Ralph and Shirley Mudge?!

No sooner had this question been asked than Drake brought Oliver a letter from the FBI, clearing that up as well. They were crooks, but not only that, the man happened to be Miss Hannigan's brother.

The couple arrived to take Annie and were about to be exposed when Miss Hannigan and the children from the orphanage arrived to denounce the couple and tell everyone there their real identities in an effort to save Annie's life. It turned out Miss Hannigan had a conscience after all. She may have been a rotten, mean woman but she would never be responsible for the murder of one of her charges.

Oliver thanked her for stepping in, and informed her that they did in fact already know the truth. President Roosevelt arrived right on cue to out the pair and state their real identities before ordering that they be arrested. The criminal couple quickly informed everyone that Miss Hannigan had been complicit in the act also, but Annie, in all her grace and with a gargantuan amount of forgiveness, convinced the authorities not to arrest her as well.

Miss Hannigan stepped forward and threw her arms around Annie in gratitude, screeching "My baby!"

Annie yelled in discomfort and Grace stepped forward to intervene, wanting nothing more than to tell Miss Hannigan "No...she's our baby."

She smiled in delight when Oliver suggested to President Roosevelt that Miss Hannigan be one of the first to be recruited to work in a labor-intensive job now that she certainly wasn't fit to continue running the orphanage. She nodded in satisfaction when Miss Hannigan was then carted away to another area of the house, away from them.

The children embraced Annie happily, knowing that she and all of them were now safe.

When Annie introduced Oliver to her friends as "Daddy Warbucks", he grinned widely and opened his arms to her for a loving hug. Meanwhile, Grace, who was standing behind Oliver and Annie, clapped her hands together in elation, turning to the other staff to share in their absolute joy.

Oliver was going to be a Father. It was incredible and it only made her heart burst with love for him even more.

The children celebrated their liberation and all the possibilities for their futures, cheering rapturously.

Oliver felt a feeling of optimism surge through him. He promised that for all of them, this Christmas would be the beginning of a wonderful new life.

Of course, there was only one person he had eyes for as he made that pledge. The person he was promising not only a new life to, but promising his life to. He reached for Grace's hands and she took them while looking at Oliver with an absolutely amorous expression.

As the children reunited with Annie, Grace and Oliver snuck away to the back of the room for a moment alone.

They stared up at the twinkling lights of the large Christmas tree, their arms around one another.

Grace looked up at Oliver as he cleared his throat. "Annie's...going to need a Mother."

Grace's eyes bulged as he turned to her and added, "And I need you desperately as my wife."

Her lips parted in shock. Oliver smiled a nervous looking smile at her, his eyes twinkling as much as the lights on the tree.

"Would you do us both the honor?"

Grace's voice shook as she responded to him tearfully. "Oh Oliver, I love you, both of you so much...Of course I will."

Oliver grinned at her, absolutely besotted and overjoyed. "I love you, Grace."

He leaned forward to kiss her as tears cascaded down her face and Grace could only think to herself that this Christmas had turned out to be far better than anything she could have ever imagined it to be.

He didn’t like to sink into a routine too much. That's how you got into trouble. People realized who you were and what patterns you lived in. He didn’t like the thought of anyone having enough dirt on him to hold it over him.

"Why is a pot talking to a kettle and how does it know it's black. What if it's white. ITS TOO LATE FOR THESE QUESTIONS."