She sat there in silence.

The same blank look on her face while she absentmindedly sipped her coffee.

I had no idea what to do, and quite frankly I don't think she knew either; So I just continued working in the kitchen, paying special attention not to leave her alone for now.

She had gotten a call about 3 hours ago from her brother Nigel saying her mother had died, and this time it wasn't a joke.

I never expected her to react this way; I mean just like Maxwell she was raised by nanny's, shipped off to boarding-school, and practically spent most of her adult life alone. I guess the difference was Max had gotten married, had a family, and knew he was loved whereas C.C. had none of that.

After the phone call was over she simply said her mother has passed and asked if she could be excused.
Max nodded and tried to ask if there was something he could do to help but she had left the room before he could even get the sentence out.

I waited roughly 10-15 minutes then went to go find her.

Luckily she was in the kitchen and there was work to be done so I didn't have to make up an excuse to be there. Or at least I didn't need a good excuse.

I was busy in my own head and trying to focus on cleaning the stove it took her nudging my shoulder for me to realize she was behind me.

I turned and was about to ask what she needed until I looked her dead in the eyes and was shocked by what I saw there.

She had tears just waiting to be released and she looked so lost.

"N…Niles…"

As I brought her into my arms I just whispered, "Shh… It's ok Babs…"

And at that point she lost it. She just started crying. She didn't sob, the reason I believed was she couldn't bring herself to completely loose it with the chance of someone else seeing her. With that thought crossing my mind I stopped dead in my tracks. If that was the case why was she letting me see her cry, let alone hold her while she did.

My mind started reeling with everything that had happened and the recent events. Ever since that heated and intoxicating kiss that we shared that night I had made her cluck like a chicken making her believe I was Maxwell, things had started to change.

Our zingers and one-liners ended with a small smile or a heartfelt laugh, not a glare or eye-roll like they had once done. We found ourselves in each other's company more often and we would actually chat about small things, that was until someone came along which cause us either to just quiet back down or one of us would throw and insult to throw everyone off. Hell I had even gone over to her penthouse several times the past couple of months just to check on her. With Sheffield & Babcock Productions busy on a show that could very well be a huge hit, she had been slammed with work and if she was away from the house more than a week I felt like I needed to go make sure she was safe and getting some sleep. And when I would go over there she would invite me in for a small talk, a drink, or even a dinner every now and then. It was nice; and I found myself falling for her more and more each time.

Maybe she was starting to notice this change as well. I found it hard to believe anything else since she was letting me hold her. Before I could think any further she pulled away sniffing and I pulled my handkerchief which she accepted with a small "Thank you."

After she was done she just relaxed back into me and one of my hands went to the small of her back and the other held the back of her head running my fingers through her hair just content in being there for her.

After a few minutes had passed I knew I needed to say something, "Babs? What do you need me to do? Max has given you the day off and tomorrow if needed, and I can make up an excuse to go help you with whatever you need… I just need to know what to do…"

We continued to stand there for a while and knowing her I knew she was just trying to think.

After several moments she finally spoke, "C…Could you just come over tonight?"

She looked up at me and there was no way in heaven I could say no.

"I can be over there as soon as I finish with the dinner clean up, maybe earlier if I can convince Mrs. Sheffield to take everyone out for dinner"

She nodded and I couldn't help but chuckle and gently hold her face, "Would you like me to bring the PMS package?"

At that point she let out a small laugh and nodded, "That would be nice. Let me know when you're on the way and I'll call ahead."

I smiled and thought back to when I figured out how to make her happiest when she was being visited...