A/N: Anna was originally published in September of 2009. Now, I decided to finally, after many years, many PMs, and many requests…revisit this fanfiction that you all begged me to continue. However, I am revisiting it with a new beginning… Same concept, better material to read. Enjoy!

Anna

Chapter 1

She was halfway through the script in front of her, covered with red marks, when the nosy butler entered the office. He stood at the doorway, watching her from a distance, as she was not yet aware of his presence in the room. She swore softly under her breath, and mumbled an insult at the author of the play in her lap as she swiped another read line through the words printed on the page. To anyone else, she was a round of hell, but to him… perfection was the only word he could come up with. The right amount of sass, beauty, and fire created a woman that reminded him much of Goldilocks- nothing too much, nothing to small. Even her curves provided just the right amount of sex appeal to draw him in, but enough to intimidate him and keep him away.

"Hello? Earth to gremlin!" He realized he must've been staring to long, lost in thought, because he suddenly realized her baby blues were boring into him with just the slight push of her brow.

He cleared his throat, and for a moment, he completely forgot why he had entered the room. He took a glance at the phone in his hand, "Yes… erm… Mr. Babcock is on the telephone for you, Miss Babcock."

She seemed unfazed, but set the script down on the loveseat next to her. "Noel?"

He shook his head, "Your father, Mr. Stuart Babcock." Her brow furrowed again, but she reached out and took the phone from his hand. He was still lost in his appreciation of her, and he struggled to get his bearings. Before he could regroup and exit the office, she spoke into the phone and his curiosity got the best of him (as it always had).

"Hello, hello, Daddy!" He was finally back on his feet and about to make his exit when the smile from the Ice Queen's face faded quickly. "What do you mean?" CC's face was a ghostly white like he had never seen. Niles was concerned but unsure of what to do. He certainly couldn't move… closer to her. He was left to simply listen in on one half of the conversation. "Well… how?" Her perfectly manicured hand reached up and the fingertips delicately rested on her lips. It quickly flashed through his brain that she looked as if she were about to cry. With this information, he was unsure if he should leave or stay. Quickly, CC nodded, "Yes. I'll be there. Next plane out." She was quiet again, and he had half a mind to consider pretending to clean the desk, but the sight of her sadness had him rooted to the spot. "Yes, yes, kiss, kiss Daddy." The beep of the phone conversation ending brought him back to reality and he looked at the blonde as she stared directly ahead, at the desk in front of her.

He couldn't get up the courage to ask her what was happening, but he didn't have to. Her voice was hoarse as she spoke. "My brother is dead." He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. A single tear made its way down her left cheek, but she quickly swiped it away. He watched as her face squared away, and he knew that business Babcock was back. "I'll be going to Minnesota for the funeral." She finally made eye contact with him, "Let Maxwell know I'll be gone at least until next week, would you? I'll need you to take me to the penthouse so I can pack, and call and get a me a flight and a car for when I arrive."

The first thing he said to her was, "How can I let Mr. Sheffield know of your absence if you are dragging me along with you to your lair?"

She paused for a moment. She was shuffling papers into her briefcase when she stopped. "Hm. Nevermind, take me to the penthouse and I will call Maxwell on the way." The lack of return zinger worried him.

Cautiously, he suggested, "Miss Babcock? I could simply call Mr. Sheffield, as well. You could get some rest in one of the guestrooms, and we could go to your penthouse afterwards."

She looked at him, and he saw nothing behind her eyes. "Alright, Bell Boy. I suppose that would be alright."

He nodded and dismissed himself. "I'll come and retrieve you once the guest room is ready, Miss Babcock." He turned to leave the office when he heard her mumble, "Thank you, Niles," and the softest of smiles fell upon his face.

When he did return to the office, he found the leggy blonde curled up on the green loveseat, her hands folded in front of her face and her knees pulled up, nearly to her chest. She clutched a tissue and he wish he would've been surprised by the dried tears on her cheeks, but he was not. Noel was one of the few people in CC's family that actually knew her. He knew her dreams and ambitions. More importantly, he cared about her dreams and ambitions. Instead of waking her, Niles effortlessly scooped her up and carried her up the stairs.

The butler was back downstairs and in the kitchen when the family returned home. They were loud, as always, and he quickly set the phone down and ran to the front room. "Hush!" The family continued to bustle around, taking off their coats and hanging them in the front closet. It was like they did not even hear him. "Hush!" They continued to move around, this time throwing a few, "Oh, hey, Niles" his way.

"I said Hush! you animals!" He shouted. They all stopped and turned towards him slowly, eyes wide. He cleared his throat nervously. "Miss Babcock is upstairs resting."

The blank stares he got in return told him most of what he needed to know, but before he could speak, the nanny did. "Oh-kay…. Nyules, why does tha' matta'?"

The butler took a deep breath. "Max, I need to speak with you." At the sound of Maxwell's name coming from Niles' mouth, the room went silent. Maxwell, of course, nodded.

"Alright, Niles. Come along." He smiled over his shoulder to comfort Fran and the children as he ushered Niles into the office.

When the office door was closed behind them, Niles turned to Max. "Mr. Sheffield, Miss Babcock would like me to tell you that she will need some time off. She isn't quite sure when she will be returning, but she will be gone at least through the week."

The dark haired man pursed his lips and nodded slowly. He looked at his friend. "Alright. Why couldn't CC tell me herself?" At his friend's look, he continued, putting his hand on the butler's shoulder. "What is it, Old Man?"

Niles didn't know how to tell Max what had happened. He struggled to distinguish between the facts and the side of CC he had seen earlier in the day. The small piece of her he had seen was not something he would be sharing. "Mr. Babcock called today." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "It would seem Mr. Babcock, the junior, has met an untimely passing."

Max's eyes widened slightly, but otherwise he showed no other emotion. "Well, that is quite unfortunate. I take it CC is… managing?" Niles looked to the left of Max, and then to the right. He avoided the question. For someone who was usually left under every joke, Max understood immediately. "That bad?"

Niles nodded.

The producer thought for a moment. "Are you worried?"

Niles shifted his eyes again before he answered, his voice weak. "Yes."

For a moment, Max looked at his friend and studied his face. He was not quite sure what was going on between his business partner and best friend, but he knew there was more than met the naked eye. There were fleeting times Max had an inkling of tenderness coming from the pair; the type of tenderness only a romantic pairing could bring. His friend continued to stare out into the empty terrace, seeming to be lost in the thought of his worry. Without any more thought, Max told Niles, "You should accompany CC, wherever it is she is going."

The butler's head snapped to his boss. "I beg your pardon, Sir?"

Max shrugged. "You're worried, and that has me worried. Go with her, Old Man."

Niles immediately shook his head, and stared at his shoes, "Miss Babcock would never let that happen."

"You must!" Maxwell raised his voice. "CC is your fr…. Er, you l… I mean, CC is… and you… You must go, Niles." He shook his head, "If CC argues-"

"-when-" Niles supplied.

The other man nodded, "When, CC argues… I will insist. I will feel much better knowing she is not alone for this."

Niles nodded, "Me too, Max. Me, too."