A/N: For now and later chapters:
Regular Type: What's going on in the world of the living
Italics: Memories (Not only C.C., everyone)
Bold Italics: C.C.'s inner voice talking to her (sounds dumb, but it'll come back to play)


I'll keep you inside

Where I need you

You cannot follow

Straight into the light

As my breath grows still and shallow

The heart rate monitor beeped in room 1408 of the metropolitan hospital. The room was filled with four people, Maxwell Sheffield, who was pacing the room, running his hands over his face, Fran Fine, who was sitting in the recliner with a handkerchief in her hand, dabbing away the tears from her face, and Niles Brightmore, who had pulled a chair up close to her bedside and was holding C.C.'s hand, rubbing his thumb slowly over her pale hand.

"Why would she do something like this?" Maxwell asked as he swallowed a lump in his throat.

"I don't know Mista Sheffield." Fran replied as she wiped more tears away. She never had really gotten along with C.C. that well, but she never wanted something like this to happen to her.

Niles didn't say anything, he just sat there still, rubbing his thumb over her hand. She was so cold, he'd gotten sick at the sight of seeing her on the white tile, with blood gushing from her body, he'd been the one to come in through the front door, he was the one who had yelled her name. Another thing he had done was hold her in his arms, pressing hard down on the gash after he'd called the paramedics. He wasn't going to lose his one-up partner, for anything. A tear slid down his face as he thought of a reason she would have done this to herself, he knew he'd been a factor in all of this.

"Where are you Miss Babcock? Please come back to us." He whispered...

"Dana, we're gonna get caught!" Seven year old C.C. whispered as she and h


er twelve year old sister crept as quietly as they could downstairs. The Babcock mansion may have been huge, but Bobo, they're nanny, had ears like a jack rabbit.

"Oh shut up you wimp. If you don't want to get caught, go back upstairs and hold tight your stupid teddy bear." D.D. said snidely. She hated her little sister more than anything else in this world. She was so annoying and clingy, as well as the one who got all the attention.

"Oliver is not stupid!" She said in the defense of her sleeping companion.

"Who cares? Keep quiet!" She hissed as she turned and gave C.C. the meanest look she possibly could. C.C.'s eyes grew wide, her sister could be rather terrifying at times.

"You're scary." She said as they finally made it to the bottom, which is where a small ballroom was.

"So is life, now come on midget, kitchen's just in there." D.D. pointed at a door that, even though it was dark, they knew was white. They both were thankful that it swung open and never made a sound.

As soon as they got into the kitchen, they both walked right to the refrigerator to grab something to eat. To normal children, this was nothing to be afraid of, but in their house, it was like committing thievery. They shouldn't have been going to get something to eat, but D.D. had insisted and C.C. had heard her sister walk past her room so obviously she had to go see why.

"What's the reason we had to come down here again?" C.C. asked as D.D. opened the refrigerator and grabbed the gallon milk jug.

"Because Aunt Flow, came to town." She replied as she shut the door quietly. She walked over to the island and set it down on the counter top. She went to the sink where she pulled a cup out of the strainer. She rolled her eyes when she saw C.C. trying to get up on the stool. She was so short, she had to be, at most, 4'7, too short for her age. When D.D. had been that old, she'd already been 5'2.

Putting the glass down on the counter, she hoisted her baby sister up onto the stool and sat down next to her, pouring herself a glass. C.C. looked at it thirstily, but didn't say a word, she watched as her sister grabbed a few cookies from the cookie jar and began to munch away on them happily.

"Who's Aunt Flow?" She asked innocently.

"Ugh, you'll find out when you're older." She replied as she dunked a cookie in the milk before she bit into it.

"Ok. D.D.? C-can I have some to?" She asked nervously.

"Have some what?" D.D. asked.

"Milk, I'm thirsty too." C.C. replied innocently.

She sighed. "Here." She slid the glass over to her and C.C. took a big swallow.

"Thank you." She said as she gave the glass back.

"Whatever." D.D. poured more milk into the glass and grabbed another cookie.

"What are we going to do if we get caught?" C.C. asked after a few minutes of silence.

"There is no we, if we do get caught, I'm blaming it all on you." She replied.

"Why?" Her voice must have raised an octave.

"Sh-h!" She said as she covered her mouth. "I was only kidding. God you are so damn annoying." She said as she slid off the stool and grabbed the milk.

"You said a bad word!" C.C. scolded. "We don't do that in this house!"

"Oh shut up you twerp. Haven't you heard mom and dad when they're going at it? They yell and scream and cuss at one another."

"No they don't!" C.C. shouted and that was all it took. The door to the kitchen flung open and the light came on. Making both of the girls jump, C.C. screamed, while D.D. just placed a hand on her forehead.

"Wait to go you little brat." She muttered. There stood Nanny Bobo, with her dark brown hair pulled back into a messy bun and her pajamas.

"What are you two doing up?" She asked.

"C.C. was hungry, I told her we shouldn't be down here, but she wouldn't listen. She told me she would hurt me if I told on her!" D.D. lied, but she made it sound realistic. C.C. looked at her again with wide eyes.

"Chastity Claire!" Nanny Bobo said with shock in her voice.

"But...but-" She couldn't think of an excuse. D.D. had won again, and she couldn't do anything. She wasn't smart enough yet to think up anything.

"Dana, please go up to your room and let me talk to Chastity alone. Leave the milk out please." D.D. nodded and set the milk down on the counter again before scurrying out of the kitchen.

"I didn't do it Nanny Bobo!" C.C. cried.

"I know you didn't my sweet." She poured milk into the glass and handed it to C.C. before she sat down on the stool that D.D. had once occupied.

"Then why did you get onto me?" She asked as she sipped the liquid. She hadn't realized how thirsty she really had been.

"To make your sister think I was mad at you, but just between you and me, I like you the best." She said as she nudged her. C.C. giggled.

"Why is that?"

"Well, you're a very sweet little girl, you are kind and caring, always willing to help out around the house, even when you know you'll get in trouble. You're also the cutest out of the three of you. Turn around." C.C. turned around in the chair, she knew what was going to happen next. She felt her nanny's fingers combing out her mid-back length hair. She felt the tight but gently tug of the nanny's hands as she braided her hair, she always did that for her when she was sad. She then felt the rubbed band hold her hair tightly in place.

"Thank you." She said as she turned back around and hugged her.

"You're very welcome my dear, promise me you won't cut your hair, it's not everyday that someone has this beautiful blonde hair that you have as well as the length, it fits you." She said as she wrapped her arms around her.

"I won't." She replied. Nanny Bobo stroked her hair gently, she always prayed that this one wouldn't turn out like her brother and sister, who were honestly the brattiest children she'd ever taken care of. She saw something different in this little one, she was just perfect. At night, she prayed for hours on end for her to stay the way she was and to never change. She had high hopes for the littlest one who was hugging her tightly, but she was afraid that she would transform like the rest of the family did, to hate and despise those who were deemed unworthy just because they weren't rich. It made her eyes watery just thinking of it. She sighed before kissing C.C.'s head and letting her go.

"Now, off to bed with you." She said as she helped her down from the stool and patted her back. C.C. rushed off as quietly as she could, leaving Nanny Bobo alone to clean up after the sisters.


"Visiting hours are over." Nurse Janet said as she stuck her head in the door. She saw them all look up at her and she felt sorry for them all. She never had never before seen so many people so upset over one person, three children had also come to see her, the youngest one, which was a girl, had cried when she saw Miss Babcock lying in the bed. In all of her years as a nurse, she'd never seen an attempted suicide victim be put in a coma, loss of blood would cause you to pass out for a long period time yes, but not this long, it had been two days all ready.

"I'll stay with her sir." Niles said without even looking at Maxwell. Maxwell looked at him with worry, Niles had been here for the entire time that C.C. had been in the hospital bed, even before that.

"Are you sure old man? You looked like you haven't slept in days." He said as he placed his hand on his shoulder. Niles had dark rings under his eyes, he really hadn't been sleeping, but he didn't show it, all he did was just sit their and watch her, hoping she would open her eyes and insult him.

"Yes sir. Good night sir, Miss Fine." Maxwell squeezed his shoulder before wrapping his arm around Fran's waist and they both left, leaving Niles and C.C. alone. "Please C.C., be ok." He got up and kissed her forehead before he sat down and held her hand again, repeating what he'd been doing the entire time. She just lay there though, without movement and the only sign of life, being the constant beeping of the heart rate monitor, beep beep beep.


The whole beepbeepbeep thing was meant to give you the chills a little, I'm sure it doesn't, but if you've lived the life I'd had, you would be excited to hear that noise...