Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to any of the characters of 'The Nanny.'

A/N Pretty much my all time favorite TV couple. This time it's Max and not Fran who 'meddles'.

Yenta Max

Chapter 3

A week or so had passed since the big date a Masa. Niles and CC were pretty much back to the standard fare of tossing insults at each other, but there was a difference. Not that anyone but Niles or CC could tell, but it was there.

CC decided to take the back stairs down to breakfast so she could fling an insult at Niles before greeting the family at the table. Just as she rounded the corner there it was in all its tight little glory. Niles was loading the dishwasher and she was getting the full treatment of his 'rear view'. He was wearing a well fitting pair of charcoal grey trousers. She only stood a moment before she got a little lost in her thoughts. "Well would you just look at that? I could just go and take a bite out of him. What the hell…?"

Niles snapped CC out of her daze when he spoke. "What are you looking at?"

"Dead man walking if I don't get a cup of coffee." CC cracked. "Nice save CC, that was close." She thought.

Niles rolled his eyes and rounded the counter to pour her a coffee. "There's an entire pot in the dining room. Why didn't you materialize in there?" All the while thinking to himself, "Nice try, Babs, buy I caught you checkin' out my butt."

"I thought I'd stop in here first to say good morning, who knows how many you have left, you decrepit old bag of bones." CC took her mug and went into the dining room.

Niles smiled to himself and thought. "Now you're just mad 'cause you want to jump this old bag of bones." Niles put on his jacket and went into the dining room to serve breakfast to his family.

Later that afternoon Fran was sneaking back into the office from the terrace. "Max," she whispered as she opened the terrace door. "Is the coast clear?"

"Fran, Darling. Yes, come in. Did you take care of it?" Max asked her as she hopped onto her spot on the corner of his desk.

"Yeah…" Fran began. "I switched out the coffee in the canister from the usual to the decaf. CC should be out like a light on the sofa by 9PM."

Max kissed her lightly. "Very good, my darling. I've already told Niles that we'll all be out tonight so he knows he'll have to carry her upstairs…again."

The front door closed and they heard the muffled sounds of a few zingers which told them that CC was back from her morning errand. "Operation CC-N-N is underway, Sir." Fran winked at him.

"Hello, hello!" CC practically sang as she entered the office. "Oh…hello…Nanny Fine."

Fran winked at Max. "Hello, Miss Babcock. How are you this morning?"

"Fine, Nanny…Fine." CC frowned. "Now we have a lot of work to do so why don't you go find the Ethel to your Lucy?"

"Ahhhh ha, that's a good one, Miss Babcock. Wait 'til I tell Ethel!" Fran left them in the office.

The day came and went with nothing out of the ordinary. Niles called CC a witch and tossed his broom at her. CC gave Niles a hard time about dish pan hands and his apron strings.

"CC!" Max called from the foyer. "CC!" Max called again. "Niles!" Max tried this time.

Niles appeared from the kitchen. "Yes, Sir?"

"What in the devil happened to CC?" Max asked.

Niles shrugged. "I'm not sure, Sir, a horrible accident at birth?"

"Niles, go see if she's fallen asleep in the office again. Miss Fine, I are going to the movies now. The children are all at sleep-overs." Max ushered Fran out and closed the door.

Niles mumbled to himself. "Niles, go see if she's fallen asleep in the office again. Sure, easy for you to say, as you walk out the door to go to the movies." Niles makes his way into the office, where he finds CC lying asleep on the sofa, again.

Niles sighs lightly at looks at her for a few seconds. "I wonder what sweet dreams are moving through that pretty head of yours, Babbsy, that they bring such a soft expression." Niles softly caresses her cheek with the back of his hand, then he lifts her and carry's her up to her room. He easily maneuvers the door and then the blanket and places her on the bed. He pulls the blanket up over her arms and before realizing what he's doing drops a soft kiss on her forehead. "Good night, my beauty." Niles leaves her to sleep and goes to his room.

CC stirs a little bit realizing that she's uncomfortable she sits up and discovers she's still in her clothes. She looks over at the clock. "Ten forty-five? Oh, shit, I must've fallen asleep on the sofa again." CC sighed and got up. She quickly changed into her nightgown, removed her make-up and decided she wanted a little snack. She threw on her robe and went downstairs. She was shocked to find Niles sitting at the table. "Niles?" CC saw him stiffen immediately. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, Miss Babcock." He answered quietly without turning around. "Can I get you something?"

"I just…uh…came down for a little snack. I can get it." CC never saw Niles like this he seemed…defeated somehow. CC moved to the fridge and grabbed a yogurt. Then she went to the drawer and got a spoon. She leaned against the island counter with her back to the table and quietly ate her yogurt.

"Why can't you leave me alone?" Niles barely whispered. CC didn't get angry. It was something in the way he'd said it, like he wasn't really saying it to her. She turned to see his head down on the table. That's when she noticed the bottle.

"Oh, Niles." CC tossed the spoon in the sink and the yogurt cup in the trash. "I'm supposed to be the Sheffield's resident drunk." She looked down at him. His eyes were closed but she couldn't leave him down here like this. She put his glass in the sink and returned the bottle to its place in the cabinet. Then she shook his shoulders a little and got him up out of the chair and somehow up the stairs and into his room. She sat him down on his bed. "Thank God, he's already pulled the blankets back." She helped him out of his robe and slippers and laid him back on the pillow. She covered him with his blankets and found herself drawn to sit next to him for a moment. "He looks so…sad." She brushed a lock of his reddish blonde hair off his forehead and sighed. CC cupped his face with her hand and softly caressed his cheek with her thumb. CC stood and placed a light chaste kiss on his lips. "Good night, Niles."

The next morning CC came down the back stairs again. "Hello and good morning!" CC just couldn't stop herself from patting Niles' bum as he stood at the sink.

"What the hell?" Niles looked at her like she'd gone completely mad. "Isn't it a little early to be drunk, Babcock?"

"Can't I just be in an ornery mood this morning, Niles?" Before he could respond she was out in the dining room with the rest of the family.

"She's completely lost her mind." Niles went back to his worked before 'suiting' up to serve breakfast.

A few hours after breakfast had been cleared away the children were off at school and Max and CC were hunkered down in the office going over scripts. It was the perfect time for Niles and Fran to catch up on the soaps. They sat together on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn. "Fran, I wanted to thank you for last night," Niles said quietly when the commercial came on.

"Uh…Niles…if this is about some dream…I don't think I want to know." Fran made a strange face.

Niles laughed. "No, Fran, I mean for helping me upstairs after my little…binge in the kitchen."

Fran frowned. "I don't know what you're talkin' about, Niles. After me and Mista Sheffield came home I went up stairs to write in my…uh to go to bed."

Niles shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Fran, I've known about your diary for years. I clean your room, remember?" Niles took some popcorn.

"Maybe it was Mista Sheffield." Fran suggested.

"I certainly hope not." Niles started to explain.

Fran laughed. "Niles you two have been friends foreva. I'm sure he'd seen ya drunk before."

"Yes, but he's never kissed me good night." Niles stood up confused and left Fran to watch her soaps.

Niles stood at the sink filling the kettle and his mind raced. "If it wasn't Fran, then who could it have been? I put CC to bed over an hour before I came downstairs. But…" Niles left the kettle sitting in the sink and took the back stairs two at a time to his room. He threw open his door and went into the bathroom taking his robe off the door and rolled his eyes at the idea of what he was about to do. He held his robe to his face and inhaled deeply. When he lowered his hands there was a sly little grin on his lips. "CHANEL #5!" Niles said to no one. "It was CC." Niles dropped down onto his bed. "God, I wish I could remember. At least I'd have that."

CC stepped away from Niles' door and started down stairs until she heard him moving around. "Yo! Rubbermaid! I thought we asked for tea! Where'd you go to get it China?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Babcock. Niles stepped out of his room to find her at the top of the back stairs. "I uh…forgot my watch this morning and I needed to get it. I'll get right on that tea." Niles stepped passed her and went back down into the kitchen.

"I wonder what the hell, 'at least I'd have that' meant." CC asked herself. Then she went down the back steps herself. "Hey, Niles, could you bring some cookies or something when you bring in the tea? I've got an urge to nosh." CC took two steps toward the kitchen door. "Did I just use the word nosh?" Niles nodded slowly. "Dear God, she's rubbing off."

Niles watched her leave the kitchen and when he was certain she was gone he said, "Thanks for helping me last night, CC." The kettle begged for his attention and Niles went on about his work.

When Niles took the tea and cookies into the office it was a little awkward. He poured Max a cup of tea and handed it to him. Then he did the same for CC and added a few cookies to the saucer before handing it to her. "Thanks, Niles. And, uh…thanks for putting me to bed last night." CC looked down at her tea.

"Uhm…yeah." Niles hesitated only for a moment then left the office.

"What was that about?" Max asked CC, both were unaware that Niles was just outside the door.

CC answered, "Got me Max. I suppose he's just sick of schleppin' my butt up the stairs." CC took a bite of cookie. "Did I just say schleppin?" Max nodded slowly.

Max and Fran sat on the sofa after dinner chatting. "We need to do something fun this weekend. It's supposed to be beautiful."

Fran looked at Max. "I have a great idea, if you're up for it."

Max raised his reserved British eyebrow. "I'm listening."

"Well, we'll have to pull out the big guns." Fran leaned in.

Max looked confused. "Do you mean it's going to cost me a lot of money?"

"Well, that. But I meant we're gonna need the kids to help. Especially, B." Fran gave Max a little more information.

About a half an hour later, Max seemed to finally understand. "But why do we need the children?"

Fran rolled her eyes a bit and thought, "And everyone thinks I'm thick." "B will have to make the reservation. It has to be booked in advance. He can make some wild explanation when the time comes. Maggie hates that sort of thing so we'll have to bribe her to even go. Gracie is as much a romantic as we are and has been trying to do something for months for them. Remember the 'secret admirer' love note incident of this past Valentine's Day." Max nodded.

"Maybe you should just take care of this little scheme yourself and just tell me what I have to do." Max offered. "You be the producer for this show and I'll be merely one of the players."

Fran sighed. "Ok, here's what you'll need to say." Fran leaned in close and whispered in Max's ear.