The Wrong Brother
By CCandNiles4ever
In more ways than one, the holiday season plans for the Sheffield family, Niles and C.C. Babcock were completely out of the ordinary. It was as if hell had frozen over, for several unbelievable things would be happening this Christmas.
First of all, the Sheffield family would be spending time out of town. Niles planned on visiting his family, for Maxwell had completely let him off the hook this year. As strange as all of this seemed, it wasn't comparable to apocalyptic happening that was occurring in the life of C.C. Babcock.
It was the first time that she was actually excited for the holiday season. The reason being that she had a man and not just any man, but a man who was devilishly handsome, intelligent and treated her well. Was he the one? She wasn't sure, but she had plans to meet his family and hoped to make an impeccable first impression.
She was quite anxious as she packed up her suitcase, left her apartment and took the first open cab to La Guardia airport. As petrified as she was at the prospect of meeting his family for the first time, she was very much excited for the trip. She had only been to England once before and at that time it had been strictly a business trip. She couldn't wait to visit the beautiful countryside and share the experience with a man whom she cared about tremendously.
…
Niles knew very little about this man that Babcock was supposedly seeing. He thought about her as he stuffed his suitcase full of outfits to wear while visiting his family. Although he would never admit it, he was insanely envious of this mystery man that Babcock had been bragging about for several months now. He continued to fume in jealousy as he thought about this supposedly handsome and successful man stealing away his normally bitter and insensitive Babcock for the holidays. It just didn't seem right. Whoever this man was, he, quite frankly, had every urge to pulverize him at that very moment.
...
C.C. and David arrived in England quite smoothly in the middle of the afternoon on the 22nd of December. C.C. was extremely content as she silently sat in the backseat, David next to her, staring out the window at the snow glistening on the ground as the car drove them to his parents' house. She was aware that David's brother and sister would be visiting as well and so she would try with all her power to impress them. It just wasn't as easy when you were expected to be warm and genuine.
The car arrived at the house soon enough and the two of them stepped out of the vehicle and grabbed their luggage. David paid the driver and the two of them headed up the porch stairs and knocked on the door of the large, brick two-story house.
"I'll get it."
C.C. could slightly hear the deep baritone through the door and it struck her as extremely familiar. The windows, however, were a blurred texture and could not be seen through.
Soon enough the door was open. Two pairs of blue irises met one another before their mouths simultaneously fell open. Niles' cerulean eyes continued to bore into hers, trying to read any little spark of electricity flowing in her brain. David had no idea what was going on, but something seemed a little off to him. He didn't have time to ponder about it too much, however, as his mother; father and sister had headed down the stairs to greet them.
"Hi Mum, Dad, Bridget, Niles! I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, C.C. Babcock!"
Each of them extended out their hands to shake hers. Niles was the last one to do so and he couldn't help but revel in the feeling of her touch, as the two of their hands remained clasped together for seconds longer than was necessary for a simple handshake.
The clearing of Bridget Brightmore's throat shook them from their trance.
"Niles, why don't you show Ms. Babcock to her room."
He gave his sister an evil glare before turning around to look at C.C.
"Right this way, Miss Babcock."
He followed her up the stairs and led her to the guest room, where he dropped her suitcases on the floor before shutting the door.
"Rochester, what are you doing", her tone, clearly annoyed.
"Do you think I enjoy this anymore than you do, Miss Babcock? You're dating my brother, which means I have to spend these next few days not insulting you and pretending like we've just met. It is going to kill me!"
"Can it, Lysol! I actually really care for your brother. It is really unbelievable that the two of you share the same DNA."
"Well, believe it Babcock! He always ends up with what should be rightfully mine!"
"What is that supposed to mean, Butler Boy?"
Niles face flushed as he realized the implications of his remark. For the first time, he was having a hard time coming up with a retort where Babcock was concerned.
He fumbled for the right words.
"I just mean….career wise. As much as I love discussing this with you, Miss Babcock, I have to help my mother fix dinner."
With that said, he opened the door and scurried out of the room, running for his dear life. He scolded himself on the way downstairs at his loss of control. If Babcock was out of reach before, she was certainly light years away, now that she was dating his brother, he figured.
...
The family and C.C. had dinner together. Everything seemed to go fairly well and C.C. believed that she had made a good impression. They family was still gathered around the table, finishing up when David opened his mouth to speak.
"Niles, our neighborhood friend Rachel is in town and was asking about you. Would you two like to double date with us later on tonight?"
He thought about his response carefully. He wouldn't have minded doubling, that is, if C.C. Babcock were his date. He thought about Rachel and remembered her as a pretty brunette with a happy go lucky personality. What the hell, might as well enjoy myself a little bit with a pretty woman, God knows that doesn't happen for me too often.
"Sure, I would love to."
"Great, be ready by 8:00, I'll drive. We will pick up Rachel on the way."
"Sounds great, Dave. I'll go freshen up", C.C. said before kissing him on the cheek and heading up the stairs. "
"Well, I have to go take care of a few business related matters before we go so I'll see you later Niles?"
"Of course."
With that, David stood up from the table, pushed in his chair and headed out the door. Niles, his sister and their mother began to clean up the table and start the dishes. Both Bridget and Mrs. Brightmore had sour expressions on their faces as they soaked the dishes in the sink.
"So, Bridget, what do you think of David's new girlfriend", the tone in her voice clearly conveying a sense of distaste.
"Honestly, mum, I couldn't stand her. I could immediately tell she was a coldhearted person before she came through the door. Did you see how much she had to drink? The woman drinks like a fish!"
"My thoughts exactly! I don't know, she clearly has her nose up the in the air at everyone. She so stuffy and did you see the dirty look she was giving Niles'. My God, she's never even met him and already she thinks she can order him around!"
"I know….."
"Ahem", Niles cleared his throat.
He couldn't believe they were talking so badly about her. Sure, he had done it a number of times, but for some reason, hearing them say these things about her outraged him tremendously. He was the only one that was allowed to criticize Babcock.
"She really isn't that bad. Both of you shouldn't have been so quick to judge her. She is from a different background than us, so her way of dealing with things may be different. And criticizing how much she drank? She is a guest after all and on vacation. Not to mention, with you two so quick to judge, she was probably nervous about making a good impression."
The two women were completely taken aback by his sudden outburst and clear defense of C.C. Their mouths hung open as Niles turned back to the work of washing the dishes.
"Well, I just want my son with a woman who appreciates him and treats him well. Surely, that stone cold woman doesn't know anything about being a good housewife."
Niles barely managed to suppress a laugh. He loved his mother, but clearly she was living in the Stone Age, thinking that all women should be this way. Truth was, he loved the strong, independent, bread winning Babcock. He wouldn't change a thing about her.
Niles finished up the dishes and headed upstairs to freshen up for the evening. The prospect of doubling with his brother and the woman he loved wasn't the most exciting thing he could think of to do with his night, however, he would try his best to enjoy himself.
...
David, Niles and C.C. got into the car and headed over to pick up Rachel before arriving at the nearest diner in town. It was a quaint little place, with very few people there, however, it would no doubt be a nice place to spend the evening. Music played lightly in the background as the 4 of them ordered drinks. David paid for the first round, Niles paid for the second.
A couple more rounds and the 4 of them were all a little happier as they sat around one another. Suddenly the music became louder and the song was faster and more upbeat.
"C.C., let's hit the dance floor!" David said happily.
"Sure", she said before smiling lightly at him.
C.C. met eyes with Niles before she turned around and headed to the dance floor. As brief as the contact may have been, it was, no doubt, evident there was something brewing between these two.
"Niles, would you like to dance?"
He didn't hear her as his eyes continued to follow C.C.'s every move on the dance floor. He admired her the way her jeans hugged her curves and fit her butt perfectly. He had the desire to spoon with her and the image of the two of them lying together flashed through his mind. He scolded himself for thinking this way before bringing his eyes back to her.
She appeared somewhat uncomfortable as the two of them swayed back and forth. Niles immediately thought of the Broadway Guild Awards. Surely, she wasn't this uncomfortable dancing with him.
"Niles?"
He continued to ignore her, as he watched the object of his affection awkwardly dance with his brother.
Rachel waved her hand in front of his face before finally getting his attention.
"Oh, I'm sorry, what were you saying?"
"Too busy staring at your brother's girlfriend I see."
"Am I that obvious?"
"Well, to the trained eye. How long have you felt this way?"
"Longer than he's known her, that's for sure."
"Not an answer, my friend."
"Since the first day I saw her. Almost 20 years ago, she entered my life and I have been smitten every since."
"Niles, I know it's none of my business, but you really need to tell her how you feel. I understand she's your brother's girlfriend, but they have only been together a few months and clearly this feeling has inhabited your being for years."
Niles was about to say something, when David and C.C. approached the table. Rachel flashed Niles one last wide eyed look, clearly conveying her thoughts as she stared him down.
"I'm sorry everyone, I have been called away on business. The three of you will have a marvelous time together, I'm sure."
Before C.C. could object, he was out the door.
Rachel knew it was her cue to leave as well.
"You know Niles, I'm quite tired. I think I'll take a cab home. Catch up with you two later?" she flashed Niles another exceedingly obvious look.
"Wait, you're leaving too?" C.C. said, annoyance clearly evident in her tone.
"Yes, I am quite exhausted and I have errands to run in the morning to prepare for Christmas with the family. I must get going."
"Well, Rachel, I am glad you could make it. It was nice seeing you again."
"You too, Niles. Nice meeting you Ms. Babcock."
And with that, she was out the door, leaving Niles and C.C. at the table alone with one another.
"Well, talk about a waste of money!"
"What do you mean, Miss Babcock?"
"I spent thousands of dollars on this trip and I am sitting here spending time with you. If I wanted to do that, I could have saved my money and stayed in New York."
"Well, at least you are paid well for your services", he chuckled to himself.
"Can it, Rochester! " She paused, taking in the smirk on his face before continuing.
"You know, I don't think your family likes me very much….actually I don't think they like me at all."
Niles had to use all the strength he could muster to remain nonchalant as she pinpointed this fact dead on.
"Oh Ms. Babcock, I'm sure they do."
But the look on his face clearly said otherwise.
"Oh look at you Niles, I can tell just by the look on your face that they can't stand me. How did I expect to impress such a warm and loving family, when clearly I am not a warm and loving person at all?"
"Miss Babcock, I think there is more than meets the eye with you. My family hasn't seen that yet. Just give it time."
"I think I need a drink."
"You never struck me as a beer drinker Ms. Babcock."
"Well I am, tonight."
She flagged down the bartender and ordered a beer for herself and Niles.
The two of them downed the beers soon enough and C.C. ordered several more rounds for them. They consumed those quickly enough and before they knew it, the two of them were quite plastered.
Music was playing throughout the diner. There were very few people in the place and the floor space was spacious enough for several groups of people to hit the dance floor at once.
Slurring slightly, C.C. happily put her hand on Niles shoulder before opening her mouth to speak.
"Butler Boy, shall we dance!"
"Would love too, Babcock!"
The two of them quickly stood up and hopped onto the dance floor. Stumbling slightly, the two of them used each other to hold themselves up. Niles put his hands on the small of C.C.'s back and C.C. wrapped her arms around his neck as the two of them swayed slightly unsteadily to the beat of the music.
Niles was clearly enjoying the closeness that the two of them were sharing, however, he figured that it was the only the alcohol talking. He was taken by surprise, however, as C.C. pulled him closer to her.
They were pressed against one another now and the two of them continued to sway together cheek to cheek. C.C. released several sultry laughs, which made Niles lower body twitch in desire. He hoped, desperately, that she didn't notice how flustered he was becoming from there close contact.
He was interrupted in his worrying as the music stopped and the lights brightened slightly. The two of them were still pressed together, however, and remained this way for a few seconds longer before C.C. quickly broke apart from him.
She was clearly flustered as well, as her cheeks were reddened and her breathing had quickened.
The two of them stared into one another's eyes, breathing heavily as they realized how close of proximity they shared the last few minutes.
"Miss Babcock, I think the diner is about to close. We should catch a cab and head back home."
"Right", was the only word she could manage to force out.
The two of them walked next to one another and headed to an open cab before heading back to Niles' parents house.
C.C. was still feeling the effects of the alcohol as the two of them arrived at the house. Niles quickly hopped out of the car and ran to the other side to open the door and helped her out of the cab.
He steadied her slightly as the two of them entered the house and headed upstairs. C.C. continued to walk down the hall before entering Niles' room.
He knew that she shouldn't be entering his room and yet he never made the effort to sway her in the other direction. He just followed behind her.
She immediately plopped down on his bed, pulled down the comforter and snuggled into it. Niles became slightly concerned about her comfort as he realized she was still wearing her casual clothes.
"Miss Babcock, don't you think you should dress for bed?"
Before she could respond, he retrieved a large t-shirt and handed it to her. He went into the bathroom, and put his pajamas on in order to give her some privacy.
C.C. slowly slipped off her boots, jeans, button down blouse and bra, before slipping his shirt over her head. Although completely clean, the shirt smelled like Niles. As drunk as she was, she recognized this fact and took in the smell of him, which was now completely wrapped around her almost naked body. She brought the shirt collar to her nose and inhaled his scent one last time before slowly slipping under the covers and almost instantly falling asleep.
Niles came out of the bathroom several minutes later to see her sleeping peacefully on his bed. He noticed her clothing on the floor and immediately bent down to grab them before placing them in a laundry basket leaning against the wall in his room.
He wanted to lay next to her and pull her beautiful, curvaceous body close to him, however, he knew that it would be wrong for him to do so. Instead, he sat on a chair in the corner of his room and fell asleep minutes later, his last memory the vision of the moonlight shining through the window and bouncing off her beautiful blonde locks.
….
C.C. woke up the next morning with a slight headache. She peered around the room and immediately recognized that something was different.
Her thoughts were confirmed, as Niles came out of the bathroom in his navy blue robe with wet hair. He clearly had just taken a shower.
"Good morning, Miss Babcock! Did you sleep well?"
She immediately looked down at herself under the covers and realized her only garments were her panties and Niles' large t-shirt.
"Oh God, what I have, I done?"
Before he could explain what happened, she immediately sprung out of the bed and ran out of the room. She immediately bumped into Niles' brother.
"Oh C.C., there you are. I'm sorry business took me away last night. Did you sleep well."
C.C. was having a hard time responding to him, as the look of panic and shame was clearly written all over her face.
"Ummm, yes…"
"Well, meet us all downstairs for breakfast. Mom is making waffles."
With that he headed back downstairs, clearly unaware of the guilt she was feeling at that very moment.
C.C. went into to her room, quickly undressed, showered and dressed into a designer suit. She noticed, immediately, Niles' shirt sitting on the bed. She remembered some of what happened the night before, the closeness between the two of them, the feeling of his cheek against hers, the smell of him, but for the life of her, could not remember much beyond that.
She felt extreme remorse, however, as she realized she felt more of a connection to him than she ever had to his brother the last 3 months the two of them had been dating. It scared her tremendously that she had these feelings for him and she knew then and there, the best thing to do was to leave immediately.
It had been nothing but chaos since she arrived. From finding out that Niles' and David were brothers, to feeling the clear animosity that the family exhibited towards her, to finding herself barely clothed in Niles' t-shirt and wrapped in his sheets.
With this thought in mind, she quickly gathered all her belongings and threw them in her suitcase. She contemplated what to do with Niles' shirt. On the one hand, it was a reminder of the bad thing she had done, on the other hand she reveled in the scent and closeness that they shared the night before and this shirt was a reminder of that.
The conflict continued to brew in her mind before she finally decided to keep the shirt. She stuffed it in her suitcase, zipped it up and briskly walked down the stairs with her belongings. She almost made it to the door unnoticed before bumping into Niles.
"Miss Babcock, where are you going?"
"I'm leaving. Your family hates me, I betrayed your brother, slept with you."
Before Niles could explain to her what had actually happened, David walked into the middle of the conversation.
"Hi Niles….Honey where are you going?"
"I'm a horrible person, and I am heading home. You deserve better… I slept with Niles!"
And before he could ask her anything, she opened the door, and started running down the street, hoping to find a cab that could take her to the airport immediately.
David looked at the door for a few seconds, slightly dumbfounded before the anger pulsed through him and he turned to face Niles.
"You slept with my girlfriend?"
"We did not sleep together! She was drunk, I helped her home. Put her to bed and she woke up the next morning confused. It was all a big misunderstanding."
Clearly, David did not accept this explanation for he had lunged at Niles, ready to attack. Niles did not want to fight with this brother especially in his parents home. Not to mention, he was worried about C.C. outside in the cold, snowy weather.
David continued to lunge at Niles and the two of them ran around the living room. The few seconds that David would stop to prepare another pounce gave enough time for Niles to hold his hands up in surrender hoping to talk some sense into his younger, less rational brother.
Unfortunately, his brother had no intention of quitting and continued to chase Niles around the living room couch before lunging at him once more, this time successfully.
The two of them hit the floor with a loud thud and David began slapping Niles in the face before grabbing his throat, attempting to choke him.
Niles swiftly kicked him in the groin, but immediately regretted it as he saw his brother writhe in pain. Niles stood up and helped his brother onto the couch, where he continued to grab at his crotch and groan in agony.
"I'm sorry David."
Through clenched teeth, David managed to speak somewhat coherently.
"She never mentioned you…but ahhhhhhhhh….I knew something was…..uhhhhhhhh…up with you two the moment we….ooohhhhhhhhhh…arrived at the house. She said she worked for Broadway producer and mentioned that….OH MY GOD, THIS HURTS…he had a butler. I just never made the connection. "
"Well I am sure the things she said about me were rather reprehensible."
"Well…..aaaahhhhhh…yes and no. She mentioned that you insulted her frequently, but she knew it was just a game. I should have realized the gleam in her eye as she mentioned this but I refused to see it. I was crazy about her. I think she has feelings for someone else though."
Niles didn't need to hear anymore as he quickly went to his closet, pulled out his thickest and longest black coat and rushed out the door. He got into his parents car and drove down the street. He immediately saw C.C. standing on her own, tears streaming down her face.
He pulled the car over to the side of the snow-covered road and immediately rushed over to her.
"Oh God, Niles, what are you doing here? Here to laugh in my face at my stupidity?"
"Miss Babcock, nothing happened between us, but don't think for second that I didn't want it to."
C.C. looked at him in utter surprise for several seconds before continuing to speak.
"You know why I ran away, Niles? It wasn't because I was disgusted with the thought of being with you. I felt guilty because I wanted more. I was scared."
"God, you have no idea how hard it was seeing you with my brother."
"Is that what you meant by that comment the other day."
"An elephant never forgets, I see."
He rushed over to her and pulled her close to him by the small of her back. The snow had been falling quite hard and was glistening in C.C. Babcock's blonde locks. Her face and nose were splotched with red from the cold. He felt her shiver in his arms and felt the need keep her warm. He did so by pulling her tightly to him and wrapping his large coat around them, making the two of them meshed together as one.
He grabbed the back of her head and brought it towards his before capturing her full red lips with his. Her lips parted for entry and their tongues entwined and danced rhythmically around one another as the snow continued to fall and glistened on top of both sets of blonde locks. C.C. wrapped her arms around his neck before running her hands through his hair. Niles left his arms around her and kept her close, supplying her as much body heat as humanly possible and keeping it enclosed in his jacket.
Their lips broke apart when air was dire for their survival. They remained wrapped in one another's arm and touched their foreheads together before C.C. placed her head on his shoulder where the two remained like this several minutes longer.
"Miss Babcock?"
"Yes, Niles?"
"Come back and have breakfast with me."
She took her head off his shoulder and brought her head up to face him.
"Niles, I just don't think…."
He put his finger to her lip to shush her.
"They will come around, I promise and this time you will be entering the house as my girlfriend."
She flashed him a smile before speaking once again.
"I'm glad I'm with the right brother now."
"Oh you have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that Babs."
She captured his lips once more in a chaste kiss before the two of them got in the car and headed back to the house hand in hand.
Needless to say dinner tonight would go better as Niles brought out the warm side in Babcock that no one else ever could.