Fran Fine was neither shy nor quickly embarrassed by something. That was why she didn't care about looking for Niles' wallet while he was sleeping - well, until she found out he had his wallet kept in the front pockets.

The front!

Which man kept his wallet in the front pockets of his jeans?!

Fran bit her lip as she inserted her hand slowly in the opposite pocket (he just had to sleep on his stomach, didn't he?) and quickly pulled out his wallet.

But when Niles smiled and mumbled, "I'm getting lucky", it was almost too much for the big haired brunette. She quietly tiptoed to the door ... When she heard it.

A quiet, whimpered, sighed, "Miss Babcock."

Fran's mouth was wide agape when she turned around slowly. For a second she had thought he was awake and pranking her, but he still was deep asleep.

And Fran didn't know if she heard right ... She went back to him, lowered her hand and softly brushed over his back.

Niles smiled again. "CC", he only whispered.

Fran didn't know what to do.

She had her hand over her beating heart.

Suddenly everything made sense!

The insults, the pranks, the fact he always had to be by her side - he couldn't live, couldn't EXIST without her and he didn't want anything more than make her notice him!

Fran brushed her index finger over his cheek and whispered, "Oh, sweetheart. I highly doubt that you've chosen the right one."

His answer came in a whispered, "I've chosen you, Babs."

Fran smiled a little sadly. Oh, he was so amazing, this man. He helped her with Mr. Sheffield, well, he tried to. He was always on her side and had always pointed out evidences - he had spend the last years with helping Fran winning over Mr. Sheffield, while he was desperately in love with the blonde socialite.

Desperately.

Secretly.

"Since when?", Fran whispered softly and Niles sighed.

"Always", he answered lowly and Fran decided to handle.

She opened the door and caught CC Babcock ... Crying?

Impossible ... But the blonde was sobbing into a pillow, no doubt.

"Eh ... Miss Babcock?"

CC stopped crying, but didn't look up. "What?!", she asked very unfriendly.

"Can I talk to ya?", Fran asked and carefully approached her.

"About what? That not even the butler wants to have sex with me?! About that I'm that gross?!" CC started sobbing again.

"Ah - what?", Fran asked carefully and finally CC looked up.

Her eyes were red and watery. "I hate myself for telling you this, but - I haven't had sex for five months ..."

Fran placed her slim figure next to the chubby one and patted her shoulder. "Oy ... But that's not that bad. Five months is nothin', sweetie."

Fran couldn't help herself. It was obvious that CC wasn't all to happy with being called 'sweetie' by the jewish woman, but Fran was too nice. She didn't hate that white shiksa, and now that she told her something like that, she just couldn't pretend that she didn't like her.

"I'm repulsive ... I offered myself Niles but he refused. How should I react on that?"

"When was that, Miss Babcock?", Fran asked.

"Why, not even ten minutes before you arrived here."

Fran weighted her head. What could she do?

She watched Miss Babcock kneading her hands and staring at them. "Last time ... Last time I was good enough for him."

It lasted a few seconds for the sense of the sentence to reach Fran's brain - and then she grabbed CC's arm. "Wha -?!", she screamed and shook her arm excitedly. "Ya had ... NO JOKE?!"

CC looked away. "Nothing too important, Nanny Fine", she mumbled. "He ... Oh god ..." CC pulled her arm out of Fran's grip and covered her eyes. "We were at the wedding of this butler friend of him ... While we danced, he suddenly told me I looked beautiful. I saw him right in the eye and could see he was telling the truth. He brought me home and I invited him in ... We danced again and suddenly he touched my face so softly and carefully ... He was caressing my cheeks and lips and told me again how beautiful I was, told me I was the most beautiful woman on earth ..."

Fran sighed. This was how she imagined a real Brit to be.

CC smiled and closed her eyes. "We kissed ... So fondly. And then he picked me up and carried me into the bedroom. Before he made love to me he asked me, if it was okay for me ... It was pure magic, Nanny Fine. It was different than everything I've ever experienced. We were making love for the whole night and it was magic. I came for like five times!"

CC let out a throaty laugh and Fran patted her shoulder again. "And we're really talkin' 'bout Niles here?"

"I know! He didn't say a word while we had sex, Nanny Fine, but somehow it wasn't necessary. We looked at each other, and understood each other without a single word. It was like we usually communicate, just hateful looks. But this time there was no hate in it ..."

"That's amazing", Fran sighed. She couldn't believe that Niles and CC had slept with each other!

And then, somewhere between the wedding and Niles' heart attack, they had pretended that it had never happened. Maybe it had just been too much for both of them. And you could easily see how Miss Babcock suffered about it - she ate.

A lot.

"It was", CC whispered. "I felt so beautiful with him and now I only feel gross. Oh god, I can't believe I'm telling you this sober!"

"You're sober?", Fran asked surprised. "That's good, Miss Babcock!"

"Yes I'm sober but I can change that", the blonde mumbled, but Fran shook her head.

"You stay sober! Miss Babcock, we have to do something! I know that Niles likes you a lot ..."

"Did he tell you?", CC whispered. "Oh, Nanny Fine, my heart is beating crazily!"

Fran smiled. Could it be, that what she felt for Mr. Sheffield was the same thing that Miss Babcock felt for Niles? If yes, then the blonde was deeply in love with the butler, deeply and madly.

That was a little strange at first, but somehow it sounded logic. And romantic.

"He told me, but not directly", Fran said and prayed to god that CC didn't ask further.

"Did he play that stupid charade again?", CC said and laughed in her preferred sultry way.

"Ah - no, he told me" Fran said and added quickly, "Listen, Miss Babcock -"

"What did he say?", CC interrupted. She sounded excited.

"He said, 'I've chosen you, Babs' and he sighed your name over and over -"

"Wait, does that mean he didn't know you were there?" CC's eyes widened.

"Alright, yea, I eavesdropped on him while he was sleeping."

"And he sighed my name?", CC whispered, her hand pressed on her chest.

"And he said he has chosen you", Fran added and CC closed her eyes.

"My heart is swelling. It hurts, but in a good way", CC said lowly and Fran elbowed her.

"Hoo-ha, didn't know you feel something like that for him!"

"That?", CC asked confused. "Of course - he makes me furious and I want to slap him -"

"And jump on him and kiss him", Fran added and CC's mouth fell agape.

"You're right - I just always ended the thoughts before they crossed that way ..." The blonde's eyes got a dreamy look. "Yes l, I want to kiss him. And do the same thing to him he did to me five months ago ..."

"Tell him he's the most beautiful woman on earth?", Fran joked and CC looked at her.

"Yes, Nanny Fine", she said sarcastically and then stood up. "I need to find a sexy gown."

"No, you don't", Fran inmediately said. "Miss Babcock, if I'm right with what I think, he will find you sexy even if you're not wearing something sexy. And if he don't, just drop your clothes at all."

"But Nanny Fine - my body!", CC sighed and looked down at herself.

"Just two words", Fran said with a smile. "Cousin Sophie."

CC rolled her eyes, but she knew, Nanny Fine was right. Niles had gotten laid by Fran's curvy cousin Sophie, somehow everybody knew. Maybe he didn't care that much about body weight ...

"We have to talk, sweetie."

Fran's concerned tone brought him back to the real.

"If it's about my 'gambling problem', I don't have one", Niles huffed while throwing the dices once more, but Fran pulled him away from the table. He began to whimper and Fran slapped his cheek.

"Niles, concentrate. It is about your gambling problem, I know why you can't stop! It's because of Miss Babcock!"

Niles stopped whimpering as Fran's hand met his cheek and he stared at her with wide eyes. "Babcock?!"

"Yes!", Fran shouted. "You love her!"

"I do what?!" Niles looked dazzled.

"Oh, come on", Fran chuckled. She had decided to act as if she didn't KNOW but SEE that something had been between them. "I can see it. And I saw it. Five months ago? The wedding of your friend?"

Niles got a little red and stuttered, "You saw what exactly?"

"The looks you exchanged the next morning!" Fran bore a finger in his chest and screamed, "Ya slept with her!"

A few heads turned around and Niles grabbed Fran's wrist, dragging her out of the casino.

"Okay", he said as they got outside. "We made love, well for me we did. For her it obviously was just an adventure, because she didn't talk about it again. I did everything, Miss Fine. This night I read every wish from her lips and I treated her like a queen, I told her she was beautiful, the most beautiful woman on this earth ... I made her climax for about five times, I made her laugh, I made her feel loved for a whole night - but I didn't want her for only a night, I wanted her forever. And I still do. I love her so much, Miss Fine ..."

"Oh, sweetie", Fran sighed. "What is it with you Brits? Don't you know that you should tell the woman you love what you feel for her instead of every other one? Please, Niles, go and tell her! She won't hurt you."

"But she'll laugh, since I'm only a butler ..."

"I don't think she'd laugh", Fran said. "Listen, you're not the only one who stared at her while she didn't look - I've caught her often enough entering the office, her eyes just clinging on you. Or entering the office for a coffee, only because she wanted to look at you!"

"So what? She enjoys my looks? Okay, after all she had sex with me, didn't she? And she wouldn't have had sex with me if she hated the way I looked, or would she? We weren't drunk, Miss Fine."

Oy, convincing Niles is even more difficult than convincing CC, Fran thought. Well, they both are a little stubborn, CC is insecure because of her body and Niles is because of his job. But at least I know that she likes him anyway ...

"Oy, don't be such a schmendrick, Niles", Fran said. "Do you like her looks or don't ya? Her current, I mean?"

"Her current? Oh ... Because of her gained weight?" Niles smiled. "I can't stop thinking that I'm the causer of this. No, Miss Fine. I love it, I love her curves. It makes her look even more beautiful and I wished she'd see how beautiful she looks."

Fran's mouth opened. "Well, go tell her!"

Niles didn't seem to listen. "Sometimes I think back to our intercourse and I imagine her -"

"Whoa, mista, I don't wanna know!", Fran interrupted him. "Okay, I get it. You find her so incredibly sexy and beautiful."

Niles nodded and Fran grabbed his wrists. She pulled him nearer and whispered, "Sweetie, please. She needs that. Her self esteem is in the basement, she tried to get a man drunk because she needed sex! Please tell her that she doesn't need to make a man drunk. Tell her she's beautiful the way she is and all the things you think of her - and then go to Maxwell and help me convincing him to tell me the same!"

Niles smiled weakly and pulled the jewish woman in a light embrace. "I guess I should concentrate on my own love life right now, later I can help you again."

"I juat wanted to make you laugh", Fran said and kissed his cheek. "Good luck, go and get her!"

She heard them before she saw them. Fran bit her lower lip and opened the door a little more to peak into the hotel room - and there they where. They were discussing, almost fighting.

"I ignored you?! You didn't even look at me!", CC screamed, her fists clenched.

"I looked at you, I always look at you, damn woman!", Niles yelled back.

Both their faces were red and CC was crying. Fran pulled her head out ohe room again but didn't go away, she was too much of a yenta to leave yet. And she was so glad they finally talked (screamed) about their little secret, she had to stay, in case one of them messed it up again, by running away, for example.

"But why didn't you say a word!?", CC sobbed. "I - I really thought you despised me so much that you regretted having sex with me ..."

"Are you crazy?!", Niles said shocked. "You stupid woman, I ..." suddenly his voice softened. "I could never regret it, why would I? I meant every word I said and I'm too much in love with you to regret the fact I made love to you for a whole, beautiful, magic, amazing night. I mean, I made love to you. You, as the most beautiful woman on this earth that you are."

"Was", CC mumbled.

"No, you are", Niles whispered back. "And didn't you hear that I told you I love you?"

And then it suddenly was quiet.

Fran carefully inserted her head again and smiled.

Niles was caressing her waist, while CC had her arms crosses behind his back. Their lips were melted together and so were their tongues (probably). They were kissing both passionately and gently with their eyes closed. Fran still could see a tear running down CC's cheek but this time it was a tear of happiness, of that Fran was sure.

She pulled her head outside once more, as CC began to wrap her legs around him, and Niles helped her with it while tugging her to the bed.

Fran smiled.

So, Niles and CC finally have each other, she thought. Now it's my turn, if I may say so.