Title: Misery Loves Company
Pairing: Niles/CC
Rating: T
Genre: Het
Cat: Episode Tag, Humor, Romance
Spoilers: Tag to The Dummy Twins
Warnings: None.
Summary: CC realizes she has nothing to lose, so she returns to the house to find out the answer to one question: Why does Niles want to marry her?
Author's Note: I've had this finished for awhile now, but I've been nervous about posting, because this is my first fic for this fandom (though obviously not my first fic in general, lol). Silly, maybe, but there it is. I hope you guys aren't Dummy Twins fic'd out (I know I'm not! I'll admit to reading and rereading almost every Dummy Twins fic on here, because I still wonder what happened in-between) and I hope anyone who does read this enjoys it! I do have other Niles & CC ideas, so maybe you'll see more fic from me in the future. :)

C.C. stepped out into the cool New York night, fishing a cigarette from her purse and sticking it between her lips as she searched for a lighter. As she pawed through her purse, she found her vision blurring over and blinked a few times, sure it was just the dark playing tricks on her, but when she felt wetness on her cheeks, she was astounded to realize she was crying.

She wiped her face angrily, annoyed at herself. No, not herself. That damn butler.

Damn him. Damn him to hell. What right did he have, to talk to her that way? She was C.C. Babcock, famed Broadway producer! Okay, so maybe not as famed as she would have liked, but that wasn't the point. She was a socialite, someone whose wealth far exceeded her patience for overstuffed feather dusters. Ugh!

But the thing was, despite her irritation at Niles, she knew he was right. And that's what bothered her most. He knew her so well, he knew just where to hit where it hurt. He'd just embarrassed her, made her sound pathetic and not at all like the person she strove to be in her business pursuits, but he was right. She didn't know a single thing about being in love, how it felt to have somebody feel that way about her and honestly, it had never been foremost on her list of life goals.

She glanced up at the row of windows on the second floor of the Sheffield mansion, blinking to wash away more unwanted tears, and thought about tonight's events. She'd had a nice enough time at dinner; Niles was being quite lovely company, and if it hadn't been for him proposing every 15 minutes. . .

"What the hell does he want to marry me for?" she muttered to herself, finally lighting the cigarette dangling from her mouth and taking a deep drag. The more she thought about it, the less sense it made to her. They were completely different people, not only in occupation, but in personality. Yes, he was a total ass when it came to her, but to anyone else . . . he was practically Prince Charming, as much as it grated on her to admit it. And she, she was more like the evil stepmother. So why her?

She thought back to their dinner once more, remembering the look in his eyes when she ordered him to stop with the proposals. He looked crushed. She'd hurt him, and in the moment she'd been too focused on finishing her dinner to notice or even be gleeful about it, but now . . . she actually felt kinda bad. Not that she would admit that to anyone, of course.

She blew out more smoke and leaned back against the wall of the building. Nobody had ever had such an effect on her as he had, and that was something she could finally admit to herself. Even after all these years of torture, rude comments and put-downs, was it possible that he was being truthful with her? Was it possible . . . that he loved her?

Tears pricked at her eyes again and she closed them briefly, before flicking them open and throwing her cigarette to the ground, grinding the butt into the sidewalk before turning back to the mansion. She wasn't going to let him have the last word here. She never had before, so why start now?

She crept back into the house, careful not to make too much noise, lest Maxwell or Nanny Fine hear her entrance and come to investigate, and slipped up the stairs, pausing at the landing. What was she doing? What would she even say? Just wondering if you love me, okay bye? Oh, hell, it wasn't like she had anything to lose. She took a step closer to his bedroom door, then froze as she saw the exact door begin to open. A moment of fear overtook her and she nearly ran back down the stairs, but found herself unable to move even if she wanted to.

Niles exited after a few long seconds, only looking up after he was fully in the hallway. A multitude of emotions crossed his face – surprise, hurt, hope, anger. .. C.C. wasn't sure which one she wanted to see most.

"What, came back to humiliate me further? I don't think that is possible, Miss Babcock." His tone was clipped, angry, distant, as though . . . he were her servant.

C.C. swallowed, suddenly feeling very overcome with emotion. She simply held his gaze for a few moments, watching as his eyes softened and he finally sighed, looking tired. "What do you want?" he asked.

"Why?" was all C.C. was able to say, and Niles narrowed his eyes at her, trying to make sense of the question. She shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts. When she spoke, her voice was much quieter and more insecure than she wished. "Why do you want to marry me?"

Any anger Niles held faded at her words and he stepped closer to her, but not too close; he didn't want to scare her off. "I guess you put a spell on me, you witch," he said lightly, knowing it was more comfortable for them both than being honest.

"Niles, I'm trying to be serious here," C.C. responded, and one look into her eyes assured him that she was indeed.

He took another step. "Why not?" he said softly, and C.C. just stared at him, her mouth slightly parted. She could feel tears building again and willed them not to fall. That just wouldn't do. "I realized a long time ago that I couldn't live with you, Babs. It didn't take me long to figure out I couldn't live without you, either."

C.C. knew she was dangerously close to crying, but she found she really didn't care anymore. "Do you . . . love me?"

He gave her a gentle smile. "That is usually the emotion that goes along with marriage proposals, brunette." His smile turned into a smirk and C.C. felt a laugh building in her chest. The whole situation was absurd, really.

"Who would've thought I'd end up with the butler?" C.C. said once her laughter died down, and she watched as Niles' eyes lit up.

"Does that mean. . ."

She held up a finger. "I'm not accepting your proposal. Proposals. Plural. But," she sidled up to him, running a finger up his chest, "maybe you can convince me to at least consider it."

"And just how would I go about doing that?" He glanced down at her finger, then brought his eyes up to her lips, wanting nothing more than to kiss her.

C.C. smirked. "Let's see how good of a servant you really are, Butler Boy."

Niles gathered her into his arms, causing her to gasp. He muttered, "What changed your mind?"

"Maybe the fumes from your Lemon Bowl Fresh finally got to me," she replied, not meaning a word of it.

He raised an eyebrow. "Maybe that's what happened to me all those years ago."

C.C. punched him on the chest, but gave him a lazy smile, saying, "I don't know how long this high will last, so you better prove to me how much you want to marry me."

"You mean," he muttered, moving his mouth so it hovered over her neck, and he smiled as he felt her pulse quicken in anticipation, "how much I love you?"

She sucked in a deep breath at his words and found herself saying, "Say that again," before she could stop herself. Niles gave her a surprised look and she smiled shyly, a look he was certainly not used to seeing on her. "I don't think I've ever had someone say that to me and mean it."

"Surely you're not being serious?" he asked, and when she looked away, let out a sad sigh. "Oh, Miss Babcock." He nudged her chin with a finger, making her look up at him. "I love you. I've loved you for years, since the first moment I saw you. All these years, I was just trying to get you to notice me."

C.C. gave him an incredulous look. "By torturing me?" she squeaked.

He gave her an innocent look. "What? No good?"

She rolled her eyes and her voice turned serious again. "I don't know how to have a relationship without being a cold-hearted bitch." She sighed.

"Well, then it's a good thing I'm used to you, demon spawn," he said, nuzzling her neck, but then he pulled away, looking surprised. "Did you just admit we have a relationship?"

"It's pretty twisted, but yeah." She gave him a crooked smile. "I don't think I could be happy with anyone but you, Rochester. Of course, I'll also be miserable, but you know what they say about that."

Niles let out a dramatic sigh. "Look at us, a couple of big masochists."

"Who you calling big, Doughboy?" C.C. patted his stomach, receiving a dirty look.

"Oh, you're so right, CaCa. 'Big' is such an understatement for a female Godzilla."

C.C. matched his glare and pressed herself against him. "Shut up and kiss me, you disgusting troll."

"With pleasure, pond scum's uglier cousin." His eyes twinkled as he reached for her, his fingertips brushing her cheek as he gazed at her. C.C. looked away, unnerved by the scrutiny of his gaze, but he directed her eyes back to his, before leaning in and doing as she bade him and kissing her senseless.

The kiss seemed to last for ages, and when they broke away, no words were needed as C.C. pushed Niles backward into his bedroom. She had the sense to close the door quietly, so no one would hear, then locked it behind her, turning back to find Niles giving her a heated look.

This time, it was C.C. who initiated the kiss, which led to more intimate acts, the likes of which neither of them had previously experienced. Niles gathered C.C. in his arms as they caught their breath, and she closed her eyes, snuggling into him.

"That was amazing, Bellboy," she purred, laying her hands over his. "If only I'd known you were so . . . talented."

"Yes, I'm surprised it didn't fall off the moment it touched you," he murmured in her ear, and heard her low chuckle in return.

"It's been attached to you all these years without falling off, hasn't it?" She turned so she was facing him and watched as his eyes opened and he focused on her, his expression soft, yet teasing.

"I think you just insulted yourself there, Cruella," he said, nuzzling into her neck and pressing a kiss against the soft skin there. Now that they were finally together, he couldn't keep his hands – or mouth – off her.

CC moaned and tipped her head back to give him better access. "You've turned my brain to mush, servant. Forgive me if I'm not up to my usual high standards."

"Me, forgive you?" Niles muttered against her neck, and continued to kiss her, but CC froze. He pulled back, realizing his gaffe. "Oh, Miss Babcock, I didn't mean. . ."

CC shook her head. "No, you have every right, Niles." She sighed. "I was terrible to you! I don't know what you see in me."

She had looked away, but Niles saw the tears building in her eyes. "Now, no crying, CaCa. You'll melt." He saw the hint of a smile on her face and smiled himself. "That's better. Now look at me." She cautiously returned her gaze to him and found him giving her such an adoring look that her shoulders drooped once more.

"Niles, I don't deserve you," she whispered.

"Nonsense," he replied, reaching out and caressing the side of her face. "We're perfect together, love. Just imagine the havoc the two of us together could wreak." He looked into her eyes again and saw the hesitation in them, something he wasn't used to seeing from her, and remembered her comment wondering what he saw in her. "And as far as what I see in you that makes me want to be with you, love you, marry you. . ." CC knew she couldn't feign nonchalance now and looked at him with hope shining in her eyes. Niles smiled. "You're beautiful, powerful, you don't let anyone stand in your way of anything, you're smart, and you can certainly hold your own in an argument with me. I think that's qualifications enough for me to want to be with you for the rest of my life."

CC held his gaze for a few moments, then closed her eyes. "Niles, can we just take this one day at a time?" she asked, her voice soft. "I'm not used to this, and marriage is a big step. I promise I won't go anywhere." She opened her eyes again, relieved to find him smiling back at her, and let her own lips creep into a seductive smirk. "Especially now that I've seen what you're capable of."

"You ain't seen the half of it, Babcock," Niles muttered, and CC gave a smoky chuckle.

"And here I thought I'd seen all of it," she said, letting her hand sneak further under the covers.

"Oh, Babs, you are just as much of a she-devil as I thought you were," Niles said, rolling over to cover her, grasping her wrists gently and holding them away from her body. "Ready for round two, trollop?"

CC grinned up at him, her eyes sparkling. "As long as there's more than that."

His expression echoed her own, with just a bit more unbridled enthusiasm, and he muttered, "So many, you'll lose count," before lowering his lips to hers and continuing the dream come true his life had suddenly become.

THE END!