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Fran Sheffield stood in her fluffy bathrobe as she fixed her husband's tie. With one last tug, it was in place as Maxwell Sheffield looked at her uncertainly. 'Are you sure you're fine about this?'

'Hey,' she laughed as she patted the garment. 'What did my last name use to be?'

'Mm.'

'Go,' she encouraged, brushing invisible lint from his shoulders. 'Be dazzling.'

'Love you,' said Maxwell as he pressed his lips to hers.

'Love you more,' she promised as she briefly deepened the kiss and then leaned backward. 'Gracie, get a wriggle on,' she shouted loudly. 'Your father's leaving now and if you're not down in two seconds flat, you're going to miss your movie.'

'Oy,' muttered Maxwell under his breath as he rubbed one finger against his ear and made for the coat cupboard.

He was handing his newly arrived daughter her coat when the first cry was heard from upstairs. He stood uncertain for a moment, torn between leaving and his daughter's cry.

His wife solved his dilemma by pushing at his chest. 'Go.'

The cries intensified, and then the sniffles of baby boy Sheffield could also be heard as she reached for the front door. 'Alright, alright,' Fran called as she shoo-ed her husband and daughter out the door.

Safely dispatched in the limo, Fran waved them off and re-entered the house. She swore her daughter's cry could be heard down the street. Maybe that was why that man on the corner had given her a funny look, although it also could have been the bathrobe she was wearing.

Nah.

'Sheesh,' grumbled Fran as she took the stairs, Eve's cries now almost matched by Jonah's. 'Wonder where they got that demanding streak from.'

She paused mid-way to think. 'Their father,' she agreed, nodding her head as she carried on to tend to her sick six month old twins.

Maxwell Sheffield stood at the table reaching for a springroll when his business associate made her presence known. 'If I get offered one more tray of pate, I swear to God that I will cut off the waiter's balls and feed them to Chester,' growled the heavily pregnant CC Babcock.

'Pregnancy has certainly mellowed you, hasn't it?' mentioned Maxwell drily, before he bit into his hors d'oeuvre.

'Don't start with me Maxwell,' spat out CC, flashing him a look – which to his credit he didn't back down from, but his adam's apple bobbled visibly as he swallowed – before she rubbed her side, pushing against her considerable girth. 'I'm so bloody uncomfortable.'

Wisely refraining from commenting, Maxwell watched as CC reached for a cracker, biting into it ferociously. 'There had better be a bloody good reason for the ...'

'Cecile!' a male voice interrupted from nearby behind them.

All complaints disappeared as CC plastered on a fake sugary-sweet smile, upheld her game face, and turned to the elderly man opening his arms in greeting. 'Walt!'

She briefly hugged him before standing back. 'Well look at you. Babcock's girl has certainly grown up hasn't she?' teased the man, still holding CC's hands as he ran his eyes over her form. 'You here with your husband?' Walter asked, his eyes drifting to Maxwell.

CC released a brittle laugh as she took a step back and slipped her hand into the crook of Maxwell's arms. 'This is my business partner Maxwell Sheffield – renowned Broadway producer and now sitcom extraordinaire.' Her jaws hurt as she continued to smile and complete the introductions. 'Maxwell, Walter Louth. Walt – Maxwell.' She elaborated as the Englishman shifted his napkin and extended his hand. 'Walt is an old friend of Daddy's who always had an interest in the entertainment business.'

'Right you are Cecile. The right type of entertainment that is,' laughed Walt as he shook Maxwell's hand. Dismissing his old friend's daughter, he cosied up to the producer. 'So you got a wife of your own hiding around here, or you going stag?'

'Ah no,' said Maxwell, feeling slightly uncomfortable, in addition to the the sharp nails that CC was digging into his arm. 'She's at home with the children who are sick,' he explained.

'Isn't that what nannies are for?' scoffed Walt.

'Well, she is the nanny,' replied Maxwell, amazed it was still his default answer. 'But I married her, the nanny I mean,' he quickly added. He did not need Fran to find out, though it would be his luck one of the waiters serving tonight would be her cousin's boyfriend's sister-in-law's son and he'd be sleeping on the couch.

Never one to be left out, an ever competitive CC put in her two pennies worth as she leant forward. 'And I married the butler,' she declared proudly.

Taking in the look of Walt's face, the reality of what she had just said hit her and she felt ill. 'Oh God.' Placing a hand on her swollen abdomen, she dashed for the bathroom.

Walt eyed the producer warily. 'Is that a British thing? Marrying the help?'

Grumpily stomping through the apartment door, CC Babcock attempted to tug off her coat. Niles looked up over his glasses from his seat, feet up, paper in his lap. Miffed at seeing him so comfortable, she pulled her jacket free without a care for the material and grouched. 'They're all vultures.'

'Then you would have fit right in!'

Slamming the closet door shut, she tried to reach her back zip as she glared at her husband. 'What are you looking at?'

'Couldn't be sure,' responded Niles conversationally. 'The label's fallen off.'

On any other day, she would have been up there with the best and had an insult of her own to shoot back, but the best she could do was look at him with a pitiful request for help.

Niles heaved a big sigh as he made a show of folding his newspaper, placing it on the side table next to his tumbler, removing his glasses and placing them on top of the paper before pulling back each leg and heaving himself out of the chair. Approaching his prickly wife, CC turned her back to him. 'Zip me.'

His arms ran up her bare arms and flittered across her thick shoulder straps. But instead of heading for the dress zipper, he covered the blonde woman's mouth in a zip.

'I'm not in the mood for this,' she whined.

'You rarely are,' fired back Niles.

CC opened her mouth to fire her own retort back, but nothing came out. 'Nrgh,' was the best she could offer as Niles finally unzipped the back of her dress. 'I need a massage.'

'And why would I deem that something I should be concerned about?' asked Niles conversationally as he followed CC to their bedroom.

'How about because it will be the difference between you sleeping in the bed or sleeping on the floor,' replied CC succinctly as she unclasped her bra and pulled on her night dress.

'Shoulders?' offered Niles in his best husbandly tone. CC took a seat on the edge of the bed, and he eased behind her to comply.

'You know, I really should expect some type of payment for this,' he brought up a few minutes later as his wife shifted her head from side to side.

'In your dreams,' snorted CC, even as she groaned in appreciation of his ministrations.

'Actually, I'd rather not,' responded Niles thoughtfully. 'I rather think they'd become nightmares.'

The elbow that CC thrust back almost reached its target. Shifting, the butler continued his efforts. 'Since when did you become so physically violent?'

'Since you took upon sharing a little piece of you that now means I'm carrying around an extra tonne,' she spat back, her tired face spinning to face her husband.

Niles smiled meekly in the best manner he could. 'Want me to do your feet?'

You'd never know it but CC Babcock was a snuggler. As she lay on her side half an hour later, she listened to the familiar sounds of Niles moving around getting ready for bed.

When he pulled back the sheet covers and slipped into bed, she scooted back with what little energy she had left until her back rested against his chest. She could feel more tension easing away from her sore body as she settled.

Niles' fingers found hers, and moving as one, his arm came to rest over her side as his entwined hands rested upon their unborn child. 'Love you,' he said softly, pressing his lips to her cheek.

The baby gave a firm kick as CC's eyes closed and she used the last of her energy to murmur words of her own. 'Love you too.'

Author's Note: The byplay between Niles and CC Babcock was one of the reasons I loved The Nanny so much. I hope that I have not done them an injustice here.