AN: I know I shouldn't have started another story but I couldn't help it. It is from Brighton's point of view and is in response to the different POV challenge on the Niles/CC LJ community... which I love by the way :) It takes place during Making Whoopi and hopefully you will agree with me when I say that I wish that it could have turned out like this on the show. Enjoy

Disclaimer: I don't own it. Some of the dialogue was taken from the show and I can not take credit for any of it.

Not Just A Phase

Strange things were happening in our mansion. Not only were dad and Fran nowhere to be seen but there was definitely something peculiar going on between the butler and the business partner. Maggie, Grace and I were gathered around the table in the kitchen for breakfast when it first happened. It started off like a typical day but things began to get rather odd very quickly.

Niles had entered the kitchen carrying a tray of what looked like glasses of orange juice and had quickly answered some questions about dad and Fran before telling Gracie to simply 'eat her eggs.' Niles, who has a big mouth any other time, normally would have given us more information but my guess is he wanted to spare us the images of our parent's intimate lives. Thank goodness because I don't know if I could have taken that on top of what I was about to see.

Moments later, Miss Babcock who never before saw Niles as anything other than our butler who lived to make her life a living hell, walked into the kitchen as Niles was munching on a cookie.

"Hiya, baby." She said in a sultry voice and a smile on her face. I looked up from my breakfast to see her with a hand on her hip. I had to shake my head to remember that she was my father's business partner and was well older than me. But what can I say maybe I should have taken our online chat sessions a little more seriously.

But when Niles responded with "Hey, dumplin'" I knew things were about to get weird and I needed to pay attention.

"MMmmm, you smell good. What is that?" She almost hummed and my eyes practically bulged out of my head. What was happening to these two? This was almost a complete 180 from their typical "I hate you for ruining my files so I am going to glue your feather duster to a table," routine. But I must say that I might almost prefer that right now. As of right now it looks like they are undressing each other with their eyes and quite frankly it is rather disturbing. Niles practically raised us for crying out loud. And while I am happy to see that maybe his luck is changing for once, I would rather not have to see it with my own to eyes while I am trying to eat breakfast.

"Lemon bowl fresh." Niles said as he leaned into her. Geeze if he were in that bad of a need for some cologne, I would have given him a bottle. But from the looks of it CC was enjoying the smell of the cleaning supplies just fine. "You're wearing those extra wide shoulder pads today, aren't you?" he asked as he munched on another cookie.

Then with this, dare I say sexy? Look on her face that I almost found enchanting as she slightly rolled her eyes and smirked as she let it slip that she wasn't wearing any. My eyes flashed to Niles and even with the view that I had I could see Niles' eyes get big and his eyebrows rise.

He picked up another cookie but instead of putting it in his mouth like he had done with the others, he began feeding it to her. Thank goodness Maggie got up from the table and asked if we should worry about what was happening.

"Let them experiment. I hope it is just a phase." I said. But boy was I wrong.

As soon as the three of us reached the limo for school, I realized that I had forgotten to grab my camera for my photography class. There was no way that I was going to witness the scene in the kitchen again so I had the driver pull around front so I could enter through the front door instead. Quickly running into the mansion and up the stairs, I headed for my bedroom to grab my camera. On my way back down, I heard a noise from the bathroom under the stairs.

I turned to see that the door wasn't closed completely. My jaw dropped and I wasn't sure whether to be turned on or grossed out by what I saw. I was about to just walk away but as I backed up I hit the wall behind me and shook the mirror on the wall and the flash of the camera went off. This must have startled Niles because he looked up from where his lips seemed almost glued to CC's neck to see what had made the noise.

"Master Brighton!" He said in a tone that was either very shocked or very agitated or both. I squirmed a bit against the wall as I couldn't find the words. As Niles stood there, CC was still sitting on the sink in her bra with her legs still dressed in her light grey dress pants around Niles' waist. Her neck was red from where Niles was kissing her and her face was flushed with embarrassment. I have never seen her at a loss for words but I guess that will finally happen after being in the arms of a good man.

I couldn't breathe and I am not sure whether it was because I was staring at the blonde or whether it was because they were still standing in that compromising position. CC eventually turned her head into Niles opposite shoulder so she was no longer looking at me and released her legs from Niles' waist. Niles, whose own shirt was unbuttoned and his tie was merely slung around his neck, bent down and handed CC her discarded shirt.

My voice squeaked but before I would have to witness anything else of the sort. I said, "I'm late I should to be getting to school." I couldn't believe but before I was even out of eyeshot, they were wrapped around each other once more. No, this was definitely not a phase.

I was out of it all day following these two incidents. I just tried to get on with things and tried to remove the image of the butler fondling around with the business partner in the bathroom. Now I know to go out of my way to use my personal bathroom upstairs because by the looks of it, they weren't far from rolling around on the bathroom floor.

And by the end of the day, it turns out; I never even needed my camera in the first place. I must have gotten the days mixed up because the class isn't until tomorrow. After school, my sisters and I gather around the table again for a quick snack before we head in our separate directions. Niles is preparing our snack as Fran comes down the stairs.

"Oh hey there kids!" she squealed and after all this time, I still have trouble listening to her voice at times. "Did you have an interesting day?"

Somehow Niles catches my eye and I immediately look away and sending Fran a typical 'uh huh'.

Fran sits down between Maggie and I and being that I am not very good at lying to Fran, I pull out my camera to flip through the pictures that are saved. My eyes go wide as I see the last picture that comes up. I must have a very shocked look on my face because Niles eyes go wide as well from across the room and when CC enters the kitchen at that very moment and sees me holding my camera and the look on, my face; she looks like a deer caught in headlights.

"Uh, B, what are you looking at that is giving you that face?"

"Nothing Fran, really just some pictures for school." Niles practically snorts in reply and CC still looks scared shitless that her secret could be leaked any second.

"What do you think I am, an idiot?" Fran asked. "Nothing from school could give you that face. Come on let me see."

"No! I uh, I want to keep it a surprise. Yeah a surprise." I ramble on. "I am working on a project. It's all about being surprised."

"Whatever you say, B. But you know that nothing ever stays a secret for long in this house."

Niles' and CC's eyes meet from across the room and the both look terrified. Fran, Maggie and Grace get up from the table and head upstairs. Just great. They left me alone with these two. One of which I am sure could kill me with her bare hands while the other I am sure could find a way to kill me without leaving any evidence.

Surprisingly calm CC asks, "How much, boy?"

"How much for what?" I ask immediately knowing where this is going.

"How much to keep you quiet and to destroy whatever picture you may have on that camera of yours?"

"It could cost you a pretty penny."

"Name your price."

"$500. But not just yet, Miss Babcock." I say slyly. "I don't think that you should be the only one to have to pay."

"What is it that you are asking for, Master Brighton?" Niles asked looking even more nervous now knowing that the ball was in my court.

"First, to get the image of what I saw earlier out of my head, you aren't going to rat me out to dad when I pull out a magazine this evening." Niles nodded his head in silence. "Second, I would like to request all of my favorite meals for the next month. And third, I want you to come up with a good excuse as to why I can't go with Sylvia to the pie eating contest." I think we all shuddered a little with that one.

"Is there anything else, Master Brighton?"

I could see that they were both getting antsy with where this conversation is going so I decide to go easy on them. Its love, what can I say?

"And lastly, just kiss her already! I know you are dying to. I can see it all over her face. But for the love of God take her to her penthouse if you are going to do more. I really don't need to see that again."

They smiled at me as they made their way toward each other. Niles patted me on the back before pulling CC into his arms and slowly kissing her lips. They broke out of the sweet kiss and rested their foreheads against each others. I could hear dad and Fran coming towards the back steps from upstairs so I said "You two better get out of here before dad and Fran see you." They nodded their heads in approval and made their way towards the back door. "Oh wait," I said. "Don't forget your cookies."

Niles showed CC out the door before looking back and saying. "Don't worry, Master Brighton. We won't be needing those," with a mischievous grin on his face. And since the door wasn't completely closed, I could still see Niles slapping CC on the bottom and her slightly jumping in response before giving him a little shove in return.

So yes, strange things have been happening around here but in all honesty it was about time these things have happened. I was beginning to get tired of those two dancing around each other. I look down at the camera and while the inner rebel in me is telling me to keep the picture for future blackmail; I delete it knowing that nothing is ever safe in this house.