A/N: Hi everyone! I am finally getting around to fulfilling a request. Thanks to writerlikejo for the wonderful idea! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this first chapter.

Chapter 1 – Numbing the Pain

It was a cold and gloomy September morning. The clouds covered the sun and hung low. The air was thick with cold and the, normally; soft blue sky was painted a dreary gray. Gusts of wind were whipping the few tree branches in central park and daily commuters were having a difficult time driving, as they had to fight Mother Nature in addition to the traffic that they faced daily. To top it all off, rain looked as if it would be another contributing factor as the clouds began to open up and little droplets began to fall. These slow falling beads turned into rapid falling marbles soon enough and the umbrellas were immediately pulled out and blown inside out as the wind whipped under them.

Clearly, this dreary day was affecting the moods of many, for the citizens of New York City were even more pushy and obnoxious than usual.

C.C. Babcock was due to be at work at Maxwell Sheffield's mansion within the next hour. She got out of bed before throwing the curtain to the side and peering out her bedroom window. A spell was quickly cast upon her as a wave of impending doom flowed through her and she was instantly in a dreadful mood.

She had absolutely no desire whatsoever to commute in this horrendous weather and she decided to call Maxwell and tell him that she would not be coming into work this morning.

She immediately picked up the phone and dialed his number.

"Hello, Maxwell Sheffield speaking."

"Maxwell, I'm not feeling too well, I can't make it to work today."

"C.C. I need you here. We have very important contracts that I need you to look over and deliver. I know the weather is bad, but do you think you could make it here after lunch, at least?"

"Maxwell, I feel terrible."

"C.C. please, the success of our next run counts on you being here."

"Alright, Maxwell, just let me have a few hours to rest and I will be at the house after lunch hour."

"Thank you C.C., I can always count on you to come through for the company."

"Mmhm."

She was clearly annoyed and resented the fact that she had to go to work later on. Maxwell, however, didn't seem to notice.

"See you later, C.C."

"Bye Maxwell."

She hung up the phone and stared out the window a while longer before heading to the bathroom. She was about to begin her morning routine when she was struck by her appearance in the mirror. Although she had, no doubt, seen her reflection in the mirror every morning for the 40 years she'd been alive, it wasn't until this gloomy morning in September that she really took in every detail of her appearance.

This was the first time in all her life that she noticed every little tiny wrinkle and fine line etched on her face. The bags under her eyes from the hectic and busy career life she lived were quite evident to her as she gazed at her appearance in her large bathroom mirror.

C.C. had never been one to worry about aging before, for she knew it was a part of life and with age came wisdom and experience. Physically, her family had been known to age quite well and she figured that she would do the same.

However, as she stood there staring at every detail of her appearance, she began to notice the more pronounced wrinkles around her eyes, the fine lines on her forehead as the muscles in her face moved for expression, the bags under her eyes from the daily lack of sleep she experienced and the slight sagginess below her chin.

She had been through a great deal of emotional strain this last year or so with Nanny Fine's engagement and marriage to Maxwell and her stay at "The Place". She had gained a great deal of weight at that time in her life and although she lost the majority of it, she still had a few pesky pounds that refused to leave her frame.

So, on this gloomy September day would be the first time that C.C. would feel defeated about something, for even Nanny Fine's wedding to Maxwell didn't seem to completely sink into her brain.

On a sad note, she hopped into the shower and let the water run down her body, hoping that in some way her aging would be cleansed and her shielded youthfulness would be brought back to the surface.

But as she stepped out of the shower and padded herself dry, she saw herself in the mirror once again. It seemed as if all her imperfections were emphasized by the light film of dampness shown on her skin.

Of course, her mind immediately associated the signs of aging and the prospects of finding a man in the same train of thought. Her possibility of finding a suitable husband seemed to be dwindling with the time passed.

Although she had always wanted to find a husband before this point in her life, it was never a priority. She was dedicated first and foremost, to her career. Being fresh out of college when she started working as Maxwell Sheffield's secretary, she figured that she had ample time to find a man.

Now, however, she realized that she wasn't the same youthful, full of life and optimistic individual that she had been when she showed up, at age 22, on Maxwell Sheffield's doorstep.

She got dressed, putting on a white undershirt and her black business pants and blazer. She precisely put on her makeup, ending with application of her deep red lipstick.

She peered at herself in the mirror, once more. Her makeup was normally so successful in hiding the little imperfections on her face, but immediately she noticed the lines that she had before she applied the makeup. She thought about putting on more, but thinking that these efforts would prove to be futile, decided against.

She looked out the window once more. It was still raining and the sky was still cloaked in gray. She cursed to herself, knowing that she would have to leave for work in the next few minutes.

She looked at her golden wristwatch, sighed to herself, grabbed her Gucci umbrella and headed to the elevator. When reaching the base floor, she exited her apartment building and found the first open cab. Her cab ride was silent, and the sour look on her face gave every indication that she was not the type of person open for friendly chitchat.

She arrived at the Sheffield Mansion, paid the driver and rang the doorbell. Niles was immediately there, to answer it. She tried to put on her normal front of self assured business woman and managed to belt out her self confident and slightly condescending "Hello Hello" as came through the door.

"Miss Babcock, you are looking rather ancient this afternoon. It's great that someone took the time to polish you up."

"Can it rubber maid, where's Maxwell?"

"He already left, surely you didn't think he would wait around forever for your arrival."

"Well, I'll be in the office."

"Along with the other antiques, another piece to complement the collection."

She glared at him with a most menacing look that sent knives up his spine, before exiting the room.

She entered the office and although she didn't show it, his words stung harder than usual. It seemed as if she wasn't the only that noticed her decaying youth that day.

She searched the desk, and found the contracts that Maxwell had mentioned earlier. She sat down and briskly read through them, marking up the areas that clearly would not benefit the company in any way. She would definitely need to speak to Maxwell about renegotiation of this contract.

Her palette was getting quite dry and she decided to page Niles for a bottle of water. He groaned through the intercom but immediately granted her request, nonetheless.

"Thank you, Niles, I was parched."

"Well, we wouldn't want you to shrivel up and die, now would we Babs", he said sarcastically before patting her on the head like a dog. Even though brief, he loved the feeling of her soft blonde locks in the palm of his hand and it took of the strength he could muster to stop his hand from lingering there for a little longer.

"Very funny. Do you have any idea when Maxwell plans on coming back? I have read through these contracts and there are demands that are just outrageous."

"Well if he's seen you, then I would expect that he doesn't plan on coming back at all", Niles smirked at his insult.

Although she tried to remain collected and confident, his words started to eat at her as she thought about her epiphany in the mirror earlier that day. She would no doubt need a good cry later on, but she refused to give the help the satisfaction of seeing her upset.

Niles met her sky blue irises for a brief moment. Although she appeared all right from a distance, he thought for a moment he saw hurt captured in her irises as his own cerulean eyes bore into them. He instantly regretted insulting her. He would have apologized if it weren't for the fact that she instantly snapped at him.

"What are you still doing in here, toilet brush? I have work to attend to. Leave, and make sure the door doesn't hit your ass on the way out!"

She immediately returned to her work, for the truth was she couldn't look at him as she sat there, every wise crack he made about her age and appearance rising to the surface. Insults that didn't have any effect on her before had suddenly popped into her mind and hurt her feelings. Truth be told, she took to heart what he said about her appearance more so than any of the other men in her life. It was about time, she had a good stiff drink.

She poured herself a glass of scotch and quickly dumped it down her gullet, wincing slightly as it burned the walls of her throat. This had become a habit of hers over the years and she realized that she had been driven to drink countless times by that rotten excuse for a man. It was the only way she knew how to relieve the sting of his insults. Unfortunately, it was like adding salt to a wound, for she just felt worse after doing it. And yet, she could think of no better solution, for enough drinks in her might numb the pain she felt.

She downed several more glasses of scotch one by one. No more work would be getting done today as the words on every page she read became blurry. She figured at this point, it was late enough to leave, for Maxwell must have had no intention of coming back anytime soon.

I haven't heard that voice all day. He is probably out with Nanny Fine! Thank God someone is here to keep this company afloat!

She stood up from Maxwell's desk and stumbled a little before gaining her balance. She had no intention of staying here any longer. She downed yet another glass of scotch for the road, before stumbling out of his office.

Niles was in the living room vacuuming when he noticed C.C. walking towards the door. He could tell immediately that she was extremely inebriated, for he had seen her like this countless times. He was confused, however, as to why she would get drunk at work on a completely normal day.

"Miss Babcock, stay away from that candle, or you'll start the whole house on fire!"

Her mind was fuzzy and she was having a hard time coming up with an insult.

"Shut up, boilet trush and get my coat."

Hearing her slur her words, he was immediately concerned about her welfare.

"Miss Babcock, as much as I would love to see you walk off a bridge in your drunken stupor, I really don't think you should be leaving by yourself. Stay here a while longer and sober up a bit."

"I am fine, Niles, now bring me my coat!"

"At least let me give you a ride to your apartment."

"Ok…"

He helped her to the town car and she crawled into the back seat. Before he even started the engine, she was completely sprawled out, asleep in the backseat. He stretched back there to check on her. Determining that she was asleep and breathing normally, he pulled the car out and headed to her penthouse.

He arrived there with incredible timing. She was still asleep in the back seat and he opened the back door and shook her lightly.

"Miss Babcock, we've arrived at your building, wake up."

She was in such a heavy sleep that his light shakes were having no effect on her. With all the strength he could muster, he scooped her up in his arms and used his backside to push the door shut.

He walked to the front of the building and again used his body to push the door open. He walked to the elevator and pushed the up button. The door opened soon enough and shut with them inside. At this point, his arms were extremely tired and he lightly put her on the ground as they rode the elevator up to her floor.

During this short elevator ride, he took in everything about her. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep and if he didn't know any better he would have sworn she was an angel from her beautiful porcelain cheeks. He tucked her hair behind her ears, making sure it didn't get caught on anything.

Oh C.C., you have no idea how beautiful you are. What made you drink so much tonight?

He was lost in his thoughts as the elevator arrived to her floor. He scooped her up once more, until he arrived at her door

He lightly put her down again, before searching her purse for the apartment key. He quickly found it, and opened the door. He picked her up again and walked her to her bedroom, where he lightly put her down on the bed. He took off her shoes and threw the covers over her, trying to make her as comfortable as possible, for surely she would feel the effects of her inebriation in the morning.

He ran to the kitchen, grabbed a large glass of water and a couple of aspirin and left them on her bedside table. He took her in one last time as she slept peacefully on the bed.

He whispered one last remark to her; however, he knew that she would most likely never hear it.

"Miss Babcock, if it was something I said, I really truly am, sorry."

He planted a kiss lightly on her forehead before leaving her bedroom, shutting the door behind him, walking out of her apartment and locking the door with the spare key.

He rode the elevator and headed to the town car, where he drove home completely lost in his thoughts.

He couldn't help but worry, as he wondered what exactly made Miss Babcock drink a tumbler full of Maxwell's scotch.

Surely if he would have known it was on his account, he wouldn't have insulted her so readily.