This could be considered as an alternative, happy, AU ending to May Day. What it really is, though, is a birthday fic for Crazy Mary T without whom I would never have had 'minute 32', Bailey, or Bubble Bath Jim in my life.

June 14, 1902

Elsie turned around at the loud bang in the direction of the front door of their shop ready to scold whichever boy was being so careless, only to see her curly-headed giant standing with his hat tilted back on his head and a broad grin on his face. She clicked her tongue at him, "Goodness, Charles, you'll break the door. It's no wonder where the boys get their bad habits."

He merely lifted his eyebrows at her and grinned wider before turning to shut the door with exaggerated gentleness. Pausing for a moment, he turned the card around to indicate that the shop was closed. She started to protest, it was the middle of the afternoon after all, but he shushed her with a finger to his lips. With an equally exaggerated flourish, he drew the shades over the front windows and door and then turned back to her with a predatory gleam in his eye.

"Husband, whatever are you doing? It's the middle of the afternoon, there's still plenty of business to be done," she said, unable to contain her laugh as she could easily deduce his intentions.

He stepped to her in two quick strides and leaned down with hands clasped behind his back to whisper in her ear, "Have you forgotten what today is?"

She turned her head slightly to kiss his cheek, "Of course not. It's Friday, and one of our busiest days of the week."

"Nothing else special about today, then?" he asked, leaning back to look in her eyes with a smile playing about his lips.

Stretching to wrap her arms around his neck, she pretended to think carefully, "Well, I had hoped to reorganize the cellar tonight. We'll get a new shipment in a couple of days."

"Reorganize the cellar?" he asked in astonishment, wrapping his arms around her waist and drawing her closer.

She looked at him innocently, "What else would we do with our time?"

"Considering," he said before kissing her forehead gently, "that I," his lips moved down to her nose, "took the time to," a much longer kiss was placed on her lips, "make sure that Henry and Geoffery," he bypassed her chin to nibble at the skin beneath her left ear, "will be spending the night building a 'fort' at the Masons," he smiled at her sigh, "I would think we could come up with something much better to do on our anniversary."

She tilted her neck away from his distracting attentions, "And Gracie?"

"Is staying with your sister," he said, lifting his hands to the front of her blouse.

"What does she think?" she asked, reaching for his tie and pulling him back toward the steps.

He looked at her in confusion before becoming engrossed once more in an exploration of her lips, "Who?"

"My sister," she clarified when he finally relinquished her lips, "what does she think we're doing?"

"Working on Gracie's birthday present," he answered with another leering grin, as he reached for the fastenings of her skirt.

She grasped his hands and held them against her hips for a moment, "Charles, Gracie's birthday is nine months away."

"Exactly," he nodded, working his hands free and loosening the first few buttons on her skirt, "she asked for a little sister."

"Well, if that's what she wants…," she said before capturing his lips with a hungry kiss, "Happy June 14th, dear husband."

"Happy Anniversary, dear wife," he said seriously as her skirt fell to the floor.

Reviews are welcome as always.