Hello, Hello! :) So, I can give you now the much expected 4th chapter of "Fabric", just fresh back from my beta!I hope you guys still vaguely know what happened before and are still interested in reading this. This chapter, unfortunately, isn't of the cheery kind, but that was to be expected after the way the last ended. I also want to now tell you that my exam/assessment period starts next week and I am currently stressed to the max so I don't know how regular my updates will be, just as a warning. Please review though, because reviews make everything better and me happier. I hope you'll enjoy this!:)
Disclaimer: The characters still don't belong to me, apart from Sue and Henry, but I am the rather proud owner of soundfiles of Lauren Lane in "August" :p
Chapter 4:
C.C. remained rooted to the spot, and the rest of the conversation in the kitchen didn't reach her ears. Everything she perceived seemed to be blurred, while the words "pity" and "betrayal" repeated over and over again in her head. With an almost explosive reaction that stood in stark contrast to her previous behaviour, C.C. moved out of her stupor, and rushed back up the stairs to her room. There, she emptied her wardrobe, and retrieved all her toiletries from the bathroom, adding them to her suitcase. By the time it was packed and her bed was made, an odd calm had settled over her. She knew that her anger, while justified, would only make it seem as if something or someone had managed to get to her, and she most certainly wasn't going to give Niles this satisfaction. No, the only dignified way out of this was to appear calm, cool, and collected. C.C. slung her purse over her shoulder, then grabbed her suitcase, and with both items in hand, returned downstairs once more. They were all eating breakfast now; she could tell by the clink of the cutlery, and the polite but scarce conversation. For a brief moment, she stopped, listening like a starving child to their warm words and familiarity. Then she reminded herself where her place was, outside the door, and this finally sealed her determination. Grasping the handle of her suitcase more firmly, she pushed open the door and walked into the kitchen where five surprised pairs of eyes landed on her.
"C.C.?" Maxwell was the first to ask. "Where are you going?"
"I'm heading down to Ryde already." she replied matter-of-factly, the sound of her heels on the tiles piercing the silence.
"But ... but ... our appointment isn't for three days ... our hotel is booked for the day after tomorrow..." Max stammered dumbfounded.
"I am aware of that, Maxwell." C.C. said, pausing by the door, almost as if she was addressing a child. "But unlike you, I never viewed this as a vacation. So I'll head down there already, and get our documents and contracts in order."
"But C.C., that isn't necessary. You did all that before–" Max argued, but was cut off by Niles' mother.
"I'm sure Miss Babcock knows what she's doing."
There was a brief pause where all eyes that had previously been resting on C.C. now turned to Sue, but then C.C. merely gave a thankful nod and left.
"Something's wrong with that woman." Henry commented after everyone had resumed their breakfasts, and Sue inwardly agreed.
Something was wrong, and her son's reaction, the fact that he had almost jumped out of his chair, had proven it to her. But what had happened between them?
C.C., in the meantime, found herself in much the same situation she had been in the first day she had arrived in Winchester. Too proud to ask for help, and entirely confused by her emotions, she wandered down the same country lane that had led her to the pub that night. She knew that it would be a while before she made it, but at least from there, she could call a taxi that would take her to the train station. She was covered up to her ankles in dust by the time she made it, and felt like she had blisters everywhere. The taxi arrived promptly, though, and the driver had the good courtesy not to comment on her appearance. Ten minutes later they arrived at the train station, and C.C. bought her ticket down to Portsmouth Harbour, a station only 45 minutes away, as she had been assured. Pushing her suitcase in front of her through the barrier, she got stuck again, cursing her luck while tears finally welled up in her eyes. But no, she couldn't; she hadn't left Winchester behind yet ... it was too early; she wasn't safe yet. And so, she bit her bottom lip so strongly that she tasted blood, but managed to shed not even a single tear. The train arrived on time, orange and red mixing with the green of the landscape, almost mocking C.C.'s dark mood. Nevertheless, she got on and found a secluded spot by the window. Within a matter of minutes, Winchester was history...
C.C. only realised that she had fallen asleep when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder.
"Excuse me, Miss, but this is the final destination." A middle-aged man said; he had a crooked smile.
"Oh ... where am I?" she muttered, confused, trying to focus on something.
"Portsmouth Harbour, Miss, you didn't miss your stop, did you?"
"Oh no, I wanted to go to Portsmouth Harbour. Must've fallen asleep." C.C. got up, trying to grab all her things at once, not at all keen on feeling like a fool again, even though she didn't know this man at all.
"That's alright, Miss, happens to the best of us. Pleasant onward journey." He gave her his crooked smile again and then left.
C.C., too, got off the train and made her way to the front of the platform where she instantly saw the signs pointing to the Fastcat hovercraft, the quickest way of getting to the Isle of Wight. She walked down a ramp, her heavy suitcase crashing painfully against her heels a couple of times, and purchased a one-way ticket before sinking down in one of the comfortable chairs in the waiting area. She merely sat there for a while and watched the orange numbers of the display lighting up the screen, telling her when her boat would arrive. But then, she snapped open her purse and extracted a mirror to check her appearance; she had been asleep, after all. Her hair was a little messy, her mascara smudged, and she corrected this hastily. She wasn't in the middle of nowhere anymore, where no-one really cared about the way she looked; no, she was surrounded by people again, back to being C.C. Babcock, the business woman, and as such, she had an image to uphold. Suddenly, a loud beep pierced the silence and stopped her musings; she quickly put the mirror away again to follow the other passengers to the gate. The yellow hovercraft was bigger on the inside than it had first appeared, and so, despite the throng of people, C.C. managed to find a seat by the window. Not that she could see much, as it was grey and miserable outside, the wind sending one wave after another lapping at the window. C.C. sighed, and rested a hand on her tummy, praying that the boat would leave soon so that she could disembark even sooner, before the bumpy up and down would get to her. For once, it seemed that her wish had been granted, for just a few moments later the engine roared to life and the boat set off to its destination. What had started as a slow ride first, soon became a wild roller coaster ride once the hovercraft had left the harbour, and C.C. squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the fifteen minutes to pass. Luckily for her, she managed to make it to Ryde with her dignity intact, and with the coffee she had consumed on the train still inside her. Even so, she was staggering a little when she walked along the wooden bridge that led her to the main land, though she preferred to blame it on the strong winds. The little town of Ryde lay right in front of her, but instead of finding a place to stay there, she hopped on a train to Shanklin, which was further away, subconsciously turning her back on the direction she had come from. She found a room at a little hotel, a room that nearly cost her a fortune, but then again, money had never been a real issue for a Babcock. Her room lay on the top floor and was very big, covering the size of a small apartment, with large windows and doors that led out to a balcony. The view of the sea would've been beautiful, had C.C. not arrived in such horrendous weather. She didn't unpack, but flopped down on her back, staring at the ceiling, exhausted from a trip that had felt longer than it actually was. And yet, a couple of minutes later, she was up on her feet again, the peaceful quietness of her room pressing down too heavily on her, suffocating her. She unzipped her suitcase a little bit and roughly extracted the first warm jumper she could find and threw it on, along with a pair of jeans and some running shoes, and clad like that, she left the hotel. She didn't really know where she was going until she had reached the beach. As she walked, her arms were wrapped around her to keep the jumper closed and prevent the cold air from slipping under it. The sand was wet and soggy, and made progress difficult, but eventually she found a dry spot where the sand was mostly covered by grass, just beneath the intimidating dark cliffs. There she settled down and stared out at the ocean, listening to the storm as it rattled and whistled all around her. And there, in this secluded spot, where no one could hear nor see her tears for the weather, she allowed herself to cry. Humiliation and shame, kept before with a sickening weight in the pit of her stomach, rose to the surface and overwhelmed her. What had she been thinking? What had she even promised herself from this visit to England, from seeing Niles again? She now wished she hadn't admitted to herself, or to his mother, that she had missed him, wished she hadn't implied feelings ... because now this wasn't a mere possibility anymore, an error on her account, but just like her words, her innermost thoughts had taken shape and she couldn't pretend anymore. Once admitted, there was no going back anymore. She cried until her anger at him had left her, cried until she felt completely numb and drained and it was almost too difficult to get up and move.
The next day she slept in late, completely tired out by the emotions of the previous day. But she awoke to find that the storm had passed, and the sun was shining; only a few clouds could be seen in the sky. Using this to her advantage, she ordered room service and had breakfast on the balcony. The sun warmed her skin and made her feel a little bit more alive again, and after the hearty English breakfast, she even worked up the strength to go for a long walk by the sea. The Isle was beautiful, and showed a variety of landscapes, ranging from the rough cliffs to woods and meadows. In short, she loved it there, and needed the time by herself to forget what had happened in Winchester before.
"Maxwell and Fran are packing," Niles announced as he wandered into the kitchen, looking a little lost.
"I made them a little packed lunch for their journey." Sue acknowledged with a nod.
"Mother, it's hardly a "journey"; they'll be there in two hours." Niles argued laughing.
"Yes, it's not that far away, is it?" Sue repeated with a meaningful tone and gently pushed her son down on a chair.
"What is this?" Niles asked confused "And why are there three packed lunches?"
"Niles," Sue sighed, sinking into a chair next to him, "what happened between you and Miss Babcock?"
"Nothing," he replied, but sounded almost disappointed.
"Then I don't understand," his mother mumbled.
"What do you mean? What did you think happened?"
"I have eyes, Niles, and I most certainly know when my son is smitten with someone."
"Smitten? With her?" Niles exclaimed, crossing his arms in front of his chest defensively.
But before he could utter another word, Sue had raised a hand to silence him.
"Now before you start lying to yourself and me and tell me these stories again from New York how much you hate her ... just think about your days here. The two of you were inseparable!"
"That doesn't cancel out what happened in New York," he argued weakly.
"No, it doesn't." His mother was smiling now. "But darling, why would you spend hours and hours talking about her on the phone when you really hate her as much as you claim to do?"
"I ... I..." he spluttered.
"Exactly! Now Niles ... I talked to Miss Babcock the night before she left. She looked about as lost as you do now ... she didn't want to leave and I'm sure that's not because of the lovely country air. She even considered staying ... because of you..."
"But that doesn't make any sense! Why would she leave then the next morning?"
"That's what I hoped you'd be able to tell me..."
"No ... I can't ... nothing happened ... I mean ... we went to bed on good terms ... and then ... well, I was as surprised as you were. Not a cross word was spoken ... God, I hate that infuriating woman!" and he buried his face in his hands in frustration.
"You should go after her." Sue softly suggested, patting her son's back.
"What? No! It's not my job to travel after Babcock every time she has a mood swing. Besides, you were the one who let her go!"
"Yes, I did. You want to know why? Because she had the eyes of a woman that needed to save herself before it was too late. She would've broken down had I made her stay..."
Silence followed and Niles just nodded his head, allowing the words to sink in. Then suddenly he jumped to his feet and left the room.
"Where's he off to in such a rush?" Henry asked, entering the living room looking clearly puzzled.
"He's packing and he'll leave with Maxwell." Sue explained with a warm smile.
"But why?"
"He's going after the woman he loves, and I know my son; he's just as stubborn as his father." She paused a moment to give her husband a loving kiss. "He won't return without her."