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Monster in law
~~o0o~~
It was a typical Saturday morning in California. C.C. was sitting curled up on the couch in the living room. She was wearing a pair of jeans, a tank top and her glasses while reading a copy of What To Expect When You're Expecting and eating ice cream. She had no makeup on and her hair was pulled up in a messy bun.
"I'm coming" she yelled from the couch when she heard the doorbell ring with an irritating non-stop buzzing.
"Do you want me to get that?" Niles asked from inside of the kitchen.
"No it's fine, I'll get it." C.C. answered. She placed the bowl with the ice cream and the book down on the table in front of her, before walking towards the door.
Once C.C. opened the door an elderly woman appeared in the doorway of her house. It was a tall woman with sunglasses and blond hair that was mixed with a few silver pulled back into a tight bun high on the back of her head. Her lips were thin and painted into a deep red color. Her expensive coat was in the same color as her lipstick. She had a look of concern on her face. She took a step forward as if she wanted to enter inside the house without waiting for an invitation, but C.C. put her hand on the door frame effectively blocking her way.
What do I owe the pleasure of your visit, mother?" C.C. asked sarcastically before opened the door wider and stepped aside, allowing her mother to enter the house before closing the door behind her.
"Does a mother need a reason to visit her daughter?" He answered casually while she was looking around the house. Unlike C.C.'s old apartment this house was two times bigger with warm bright colors on the walls and somewhat tastefully decorated, but still below B.B. standards.
"When the mother happens to be you, then yes I think so." C.C.'s voice was soft but firm.
A smirk crossed B.B's lips. "Oh, it seems that you've caught me. Now, D.D., go gather your things. I'm getting you out of this awful place." She commanded. B.B. wasn't a patient kind of person. When she wanted something, she got it right then.
C.C's eyes widened a little. "She obviously knows, but how? We haven't told a soul about our marriage, yet." She wondered briefly, but instantly realized that she didn't care.
B.B. put out her sunglass and turned to face C.C. "Omg, D.D you look terrible. What happened to you clothes and your hair? Go and change now! You are looking more like a poor maid than a rich, high class woman. And please put some make up on your face. You're almost pretty, but you're nothing special, my dear."
C.C. rolled her eyes and sighed. It was perfectly obvious B.B. was not cut out to be a mother. "I'm perfectly happy with my clothes and my name is C.C., Mom." C.C. answered with a sigh.
"Oh, whatever" B.B said, waving her hand at her.
Just then, Niles came out of the kitchen with a quizzical look on his face. B.B. undressed herself from the nine hundred dollar coat she had on and practically threw it on Niles face. He rolled his eyes and dropped her coat over the edge of the foyer table careless.
"You are lucky that this house doesn't have a fireplace." He murmured through his teeth. "Ms Babcock it is a pleasure seeing you again." He said, putting on his best fake smile and holding out his hand.
B.B. turned her attention to Niles, taking a moment before reply, as if just now noticing his presence. "I'm not talking with you, servant. I'm talking with my daughter." She replied cruelly, pointing a finger at him.
C.C. felt her heart began beating twice quicker inside her chest."He is not a servant. Niles is my husband." C.C. said slowly, making sure to emphasize the works Niles, my and husband. It was the first time she had used those three words in the same sentence in her life and yet it felt so natural, as if she had already been saying them for years. That thought made her smile, but it dropped when B.B. let out a small ironic laugh.
Niles turned to look into his wife's eyes. He could already see the anger and fear beginning to surface in them. For as long as he'd known her, her blue eyes had always told him much more than she would ever dare to admit aloud. "Please calm down." Niles whispered into her ear so only she could hear. He leaned forward; wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and pulling her back against his chest, as if hoping to transfer some of his own straight to her.
C.C. felt Niles' arms around her waist and indeed somehow it gave her comfort and straight. She put her hand on top of his and laced her fingers with his. He tightened his arms just a little bit around her, protectively.
"C.C., I demand to speak with you without the presence of this servant." B.B said with authority, spotting Niles moving a little closer to C.C.
"First of all, this is my house and you don't have the power to demand anything and second, I told you he's my husband, we don't have secrets from each other so if you have anything to say to me, then you better say it in front of-."
"No," B.B. said in a flat tone, cutting her off from finishing her sentence.
C.C. wanted to argue, but she knew two things: One, her mother wasn't the type of woman who taking no for an answer when it came to the things she wanted and two, argue with her now would only upset her more than she already was. So she decided to agree instead.
She sighed heavily, rubbing her temple."Fine, have it your way." Then turned her face and said to Niles. "Niles, could you please leave the two of us alone for a while?"
"Are you sure?" Niles asked with concern, searching her eyes for any type of hint that would tell him otherwise.
"Don't worry I've got this under control." C.C. responded when she saw the concerned look on his face.
"Okay, I'll be in the kitchen, if you need me just call my name…and please try to stay calm." Niles whispered under his breath to her before releasing her from his embrace.
"Thank you. I will." C.C. said in the same tone, turning around and kissing him softly on the lips before he go.
B.B. watched the sweet scene unfolding in front of her eyes with an expression of disgust on her face.
When Niles left the room C.C. folded her arms across her chest and said in a firm voice, "Alright, you wanted to talk. So talk."
"Why don't we sit down first?" B.B. asked before turned her back on her daughter and walked to the living room and onto the couch, her heels making clicking sounds as they touched the hardwood floor. B.B. was a very cunning, experience and skilled player in the game of life and she knew that it was time for a different approach "Okay maybe I'm a little…" She searched for the right word as her brow furrowed. "Bitch" C.C. thought as she moved to sit on the couch beside her. "Over reactive." B.B. finished. "But I'm your mother and I'm caring for you."
Her words made C.C.'s mouth dropped open and her eyes widen with surprise, before she let out a forced laugh of disbelief. That was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. "Oh please mother. The day you become a caring human being, the hell will freeze. Your little games may work on D.D. but they don't work on me! So please stop and go find someone else to play with." B.B. was great into manipulate people and make their lives miserable and C.C's big sister was perfect example. D.D. had already divorced twice because of her mother.
C.C. took a deep breath before she continued. "You don't give a shit about me! You never did. You decided you didn't want to a long time ago when I was still a little kid by abandoning me when I needed you most. I'm sorry, but there's nothing you can say or do that will change my mind."
"I get it. I really do. You think that you love him. Do you?" B.B. asked as a smirk crossed her lips.
"Yes." She answered immediately."Yes, I do."
B.B. chuckled sarcastically. "No, you don't. And do you know why?"
C.C. knew this question was a trap although she had a strange urge to hear the answer. "Why?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"Because, my dear daughter you're a Babcock. You can't afford to love."
"This isn't true." C.C. said, hating the lack of conviction in her own voice.
"It is and you know it. So just accepted it and stop deluding yourself by fighting what you are."
"You are wrong I love him and he loves me too." C.C. felt the tears coming, but she blinked them away.
"Oh, please dear" B.B. laughed mockingly. "If you think all he wants from you is love, then you're more naive than I thought. He is a poor servant he is only after your money and once he's got them he will dump you and left you poor and broken. You need a suitable husband, a young, handsome, charming man from a wealthy family." C.C. had been hearing that pathetic ideology, about what a suitable husband means since she was a little girl and she was sick of it.
"You can't understand." C.C. said, shaking her head in disappointment.
"Oh, believe me I understand. I understand perfectly well that you are foolishly in love with a man who the only thing that will ever love from you is your money."
"Well judging by your failed marriage and your gigolos, I think of all people you're the last person who should be giving me advices." C.C. said, anger rising in her voice.
"You are and a Babcock and Babcock's don't mix with domestics. A mix is just madness." B.B. replied as her voice took on a sharp edge.
C.C. took in a deep breath through her nose, trying to regain her composure. She couldn't lose control of the situation. Losing was not an option. Not now. "Then I have bad news for you." C.C. said and stood up from the cough, running a hand over her still flat stomach for emphasis. "I'm pregnant."
"Come with me and I will help you get rid of this…this… little brat. But if you don't then we'll disinherit you." It was clear that this was a one-time offer. If C.C. refused, the chance would be forever gone.
She tried to take deep breaths and stay calm, but when she heard B.B.'s offer her anger came full force again. "Then it's a small price to pay because I don't want to be C.C. Babcock anymore. I want to be Chastity Claire Brightmore." C.C. said, putting an emphasis on the name. "A better person, a loved person. A person who didn't fear you anymore."
"How dare you…you worthless, ungrateful little bitch," B.B. raced her hand to slap C.C. across the face but C.C. grabbed it before she could do it. "If you ever and I mean ever even think about laying a hand on me I'll make your life a living hell and trust me you do not want me as an enemy. Now get out!" She yelled but B.B. didn't move from her spot.
"I said; Get out!" C.C. exclaimed for second time as her heart beat wildly in her chest.
This time the kitchen door burst open and a very angry looking Niles stormed into the room. "You heard her, old woman. Now get the hell out of my house or I will call the Police."
"This is not over." B.B. said, threateningly before jerked away from her hand and walked out of the house, grabbing her coat in the process. As she walked away from the house towards where her limousine was waiting for her, she could hear C.C. yelling to her: I will never gonna leave him, mother. Never.
~~o0o~~
A few minutes later inside the house, C.C. still stood motionless in the middle of the living room, staring blankly at the closed door in front of her.
"Are you okay?" Niles asked her. He knew it was an obviously stupid question, but he just wanted her to talk.
C.C. opened her mouth to respond with a fake I'm fine, but then thought that there is no use because Niles knew her better than that and stopped. She shook her head, and then he heard the threat of tears in her voice. "No, but …I'll be ok." She said. "I'll be." She repeated, as if trying to convince herself.
"Come here." He said and took her hand in his. Then sat on the cough and pulled C.C. gently onto his lap. C.C. reached out and wrapped his arms around Niles, hugging him tightly and burying her face into the crook of his neck as he rubbed her back with one hand, stroking her messy blonde hair with the other. Soon the movement of his hands released some of the tension in her muscles and C.C. felt her body relaxing against his. They remained like that, lost into a comfortable silence for quite some time, neither of them knew how long for sure, it could have been minutes or hours, but it was really nice.
"You know, if it makes you feel any better, she is not even the half of the man you are." Niles said as his right hand continued rubbing comforting little circles along her back.
Niles' joke had made C.C. laugh and she raised her head from his neck to look up at him, unable to hide her smile. "Oh gee, thanks," she replied sarcastically.
After a few more minutes they finally drew apart and he looked into her blue eyes. "What Cruella de Vil said to you, C.C.?"
"You mean you didn't turn on the intercom? Wow…I must say I'm impressed."
"I could never do that." He said offended.
C.C. let out a loud laugh before she mumbled something that sounded like 'yeah right'.
Niles smiled in return. "Okay, let me amend that. I could never do that to you."
Instantly she raised her head and gives him a look.
Niles rolled his eyes and added again. "Alright, alright, not anymore. Now stop avoiding my question, CaCa."
"Please, Niles, I don't want to discuss this, at least not now…maybe later, but not now." The tone of her voice was as if she was trying to keep something from him, but he wasn't sure what it was.
Niles, nodded slowly his head decided to not pressure her more about it though a thousand questions were rolling inside his head, dying to be answered.
You meant what you said? Niles asked softly after a moment of thinking.
His voice was so quiet C.C. almost didn't hear it. "Hmm…?"
"That you will never gonna leave me. You mean it?" He asked again.
She reached out and took his hand in hers, squeezing it reassuringly. "Of course I mean it."
"You promise?" Niles asked, hating the way it made him sound, but found himself unable to resist asking.
She smiled and pecked him on the lips lightly. "I promise." C.C. said and it was a promise she was determined to keep. Oh, if she only knew…
The end or to be continued?