Well, hi guys!:) So this story has been in my mind for quite some time...even before I started writing my series of oneshots...It was only a vague idea though...Now,however, I suddenly had a burst of creativity and planned the next few chapters. In this chapter, Niles has another girlfriend and moves with her to England...what will happen if Niles and C.C. can only communicate via the phone or the Internet?It's gonna be Niles/C.C. obviously!;) So here's the first chapter,pleaase let me know what you think. And also, my oneshots and another project take priority, so this might be updated once a week,depending on how busy I am.

Disclaimer: Mary's mine...the others ain't..

Chapter 1:Partings

She had to pinch herself if she wanted to be sure that this was really happening. The entire Sheffield and the entire Fine clan had come to say their goodbyes to Niles, who had been a wonderful butler and friend to all of them. C.C. stood at the back, feeling rather out of place. She was following the happenings with her eyes, but it was as if they couldn't convey the information to her brain fast enough. She took another step back until her body painfully collided with the wall of the house and she immediately bit down hard on her bottom lip so that no sound would betray her.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to me,Miss Babcock?" his soft baritone reached her ears and so she shook herself out of her stupor.

He somehow must've moved through the crowds of people to reach her. She looked into his blue eyes and felt unable to speak.

"It's alright, I am going to miss you too, witch." he confided, winking at her.

A strangled sounding laugh escaped her lips, as he pulled her into his arms. Niles always had this remarkable ability to understand what was going on inside other people.

"Call me when you get there." she whispered into his ear and she could feel him nodd in reply.

"Look after yourself." he said,pulling away and gently squeezed her hands.

The minute he walked away and took his seat in the waiting cab, she felt unable to breathe. Instead there was a sharp,throbbing pain in her chest that she couldn't explain. And so, clutching her aching body, she didn't remain outside with the others who were still waving, but walked back inside the house.

Sitting down on the sofa, uncertain how long her feet would still carry her, she began to think about how it had gotten this far. It had all been a matter of weeks really... One day, everything had been normal, the next Niles had returned from the grocery store with a big smile on his face. He had met a woman, Mary, who was in town for a month to write a travel guide. They had immediately hit it off...Mary was 10 years younger than him but instantly bowled over by his charm. She was warm and caring, and exactly what he needed. They had begun dating soon afterwards and she had made him feel special, loved and so very young again. C.C. wouldn't have believed it, had she not seen it with her own eyes, but he actually looked younger. His eyes were sparkling with mischief, something she was only used to seeing when he played a prank on her; his laugh lines became more pronounced and there generally seemed to be a spring ins his step. 2 weeks later he had proposed to Mary, taking everyone by surprised. But he had explained that he had been alone long enough and that he wouldn't pass up any more chances. Mary accepted the proposal and Niles was over the moon, but he also came home bearing some groundbreaking news. Because Mary's time in New York was nearly over, she had asked him to move back to England with her. And so, after several discussions with Maxwell, he had agreed to go with her. She had a small apartment in the outskirts of London which was close to the little village in which Niles' parents lived-everything was perfect. C.C. knew that it wasn't easy for Niles to leave, he had known Maxwell since their childhood and he loved Nanny Fine and the kids dearly. She had never realised, however, how much his departure would affect her.

She forced herself to make it through the day, always focussing on the phonecall Niles had promised he would make. But it still seemed endless and everytime someone mentioned his name, she just wanted to cry. Finally it was time to go home, and so she saw herself out and hailed a cab. Checking her watch she saw that it was 7 pm, Niles had landed an hour ago. She knew that the earliest she could expect a call was at 8, but she still handed the cab driver more money to speed things up.

Rushing into her apartment, she instantly put down her bag on the couch and moved into the bedroom to change. She pulled out a pair of silky pyjamas from underneath her pillows and put them on. She then stepped into the bathroom,splashed some cold water into her face to make herself more alert, if that was even possible with the adrenalin coursing through her body; she tied her hair into a loose ponytail and grabbed her bathrobe. Once in the kitchen she selected a meal, put it into the microwave and poured herself a glass of wine, while waiting.

By 8 o'clock she had finished eating, and had settled down on the sofa with the telephone in front of her on the table.

At 9 o'clock he still hadn't called and so she began leafing through a magazine in an attempt to calm her nerves.

By 10pm she had emtpied half the bottle of wine and was slowly growing more and more frustrated.

When the clock finally indicated that it was midnight, she gave up and went to bed. Maybe he hadn't been serious when he had said he'd call...after all, they hadn't exactly been close,had they?

She had been asleep for what felt like mere minutes, when the phone rang. Completely startled, she picked up and mumbled:

"Hello?"

"Hello,Miss Babcock. I'm very sorry, I know I promised to call you earlier, but Mary and I got here and then went out to meet her friends and we completely forgot the time.."

"You don't need to apologise,Niles. I can assure you I had plenty of things to do, I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't called." she said, instantly regretting her harsh tone, but too afraid that he'd guess the truth.

"Ah well, I'm sure you were busy." he replied and she could tell by his humorous tone that he hadn't believed a word "I'm really sorry if I woke you up, but I just thought I'd let you know I'm safe...and bear the wrath of the witch,if need be."

She chuckled softly and closed her eyes, desperate to ignore the fluttering of her heart.

"Thanks." she said gently, knowing that he would understand.

"Well listen, Babs, I have to run, Mary's prepared breakfast. But how about I call you again tomorrow at 7 o'clock New York time?"

Looking over at her alarm clock and realising that it was 3 in the morning, she said:

"Good point,Butlerboy. I need my sleep if I want to make it though the day hearing Nanny Fine's voice. But 7 shold be fine...listen,Niles, you really don't have to..."

The rest of the sentence got stuck in her throat and she was glad when Niles spoke.

"I couldn't go another day without your "Hello,Hello!" This transition is hard for me,too."

"Go and have breakfast with your fiancee,Bellboy." she said and hung up, just in time before the first tears began to fall.