A/N: This was just a brief idea I had this morning that turned into something a bit longer than I had originally imagined.
Thankful
"Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!" Fran called to a room of only Niles and C.C.
The brunette briefly wondered why the two enemies were alone together in what appeared to be comfortable silence while the rest of the family were in the living room, but a plate full of delectable cheese and crackers distracted her before she could profess her concern aloud.
Niles replied with "Happy Thanksgiving, Miss Fine," and C.C. with a look that distinctly said "Bah, humbug."
"What are ya thankful for, Niles?" Fran asked as she crunched on a cracker and snatched a few more from the tray.
Niles pretended to mull this over for a moment before replying "That your mother had other plans for Thanksgiving dinner."
Fran honked out a laugh.
"She'll still be here for leftovers," she assured him, popping yet another cracker into her mouth.
"I was afraid of that..."
Fran was about to reach for another cracker but stopped herself and instead announced "I'm taking this." Niles chuckled as he realized that "this" had meant the entire tray. C.C., who had been strangely silent until this point, sniffed disdainfully as the nanny flounced out of the kitchen. She found herself somewhat hurt that Fran had not asked her too what she was thankful for, but she would, of course, never admit such a thing.
C.C. watched as Niles continued alternating mixing the sweet-smelling ingredients in a large bowl, checking the oven for his turkey, and sprinkling bread crumbs onto a hearty casserole. She knew that he had already been working on this dinner for hours, and she wondered if his feet and back ached from his steadfast labor. She wanted to offer to help, but cooking certainly wasn't her forte...
"Niles," she said tentatively.
"Hmm," he replied, not looking up from folding in some ingredients into what would be an apple pie.
"What are you really thankful for?"
His eyes briefly raised to meet hers. He had not at all been expecting this. He cleared his throat and lowered the spoon he had been using, but he dropped his gaze again.
"I'm thankful for this family. Perhaps we're all a bit dysfunctional, but..."
He stopped, but C.C. could almost hear what he would have said next: "They're all I have."
"And I'm thankful to have someone who truly makes my days here worthwhile," he went on, with a lighter tone this time. "She prods and torments me every day, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world."
C.C.'s lips parted slightly and her cheeks flushed as she realized he was talking about her.
"You're really thankful for me?" she asked incredulously.
"It was a shock to me, too," he teased, admiring the fiery rose tint of her cheeks.
Thankful. Such a strange word, she mused; a powerful word when she stopped to think about it, and yet it still seemed inadequate to describe the way she felt... C.C. opened her mouth to reply that she was thankful for him too, but he cut her off before she had the chance.
"Would you like to help me with the pumpkin pie?"
She nodded with a genuine smile. Niles tossed her a clean apron and handed her a spoon.
"You know I'm not really good at this kind of thing..." she said hesitantly.
"Don't worry," he replied, pulling her close so that he could reach behind her to help tie her apron strings. "I'll teach you."
The End