"What was that, C.C?"

She was joggled from her thoughts and quickly turned her attention to the full headed producer who was sitting back at his desk, eying her with a perplex stare.

"Uh nothing. Just repeating a line from one of the scripts I enjoyed. Let's get to work, shall we?" She sat herself down on the settee before picking up the ignored folder and opening it up.

Back in the chicken, Niles was skinning defrosted chicken breasts imagining it was C.C.

How the bloody hell could she do that to me? I though she truly cared and wanted to finally make this work. Now, she's going on a date? Less than 24 hours after we made love? Well. had relations. No. No it was love. I know what I feel for her and even though I'm still confused as to what she felt for me that's obviously only there when she's drunk.

That night around seven, CC was getting ready to leave, grabbing her coat and slipping her arms through the sleeves as Niles was dusting coffee table. And while she knew she lost her best friend she still couldn't help but push him further into a depression.

"Well I better run. My date with Chandler is in an hour. He's taking me to The Rainbow Room." she purred causing an unnecessary pull in Niles' groin.

Stop it, you fool. She's purring for another man. Gah, she's so infuriating. He never answered her with her words but with actions as he walked to the door and opened it, stepping aside so she'd get the memo.

Her eyes widened a fraction before she lifted her head up and strolled out the door, only for Niles to slam it behind her.

She jumped at the noise before she pulled her fur coat closer to her chest and walked to the cab that was waiting for her on the street.

Niles couldn't sleep that night. Though it was no different from every other night since his relationship, or lack-there-of, with C.C Babcock had changed.

Staring up at the ceiling, beads of sweat formed on his forehead as horrid thoughts entered his mind.

Right now she could be making love with that rich fool. Their arms wrapped around each other and his caresses pulling moans from her.

He pushed his head back into the pillow in disgust as he closed his eyes tight. Only, visions of the blonde and that rich baboon clouded his mind instead of sheep.

The night took forever to end. Niles woke up every other hour and looked over at his clock to see if it was morning. Though with the black skies, he knew it wasn't.

That night was going the same for C.C. She obviously had no date and spent the night eating a gallon of Chunky Monkey ice cream.

Damn, that nanny is rubbing off on me. She couldn't believe she was allowing Niles to do this to her and it wasn't even his doing. She was the one that pushed him away and lied about her love life with other men. "Why do I do that? Huh? Why?" She looked over at her canine that was begging for the treat she had in her bowl. "I don't know what I should be doing, Chester. I do care about that domestic but there's no way I'd allow myself to admit it to him. Well, sober. All those times of getting caught must mean something, after all."

She placed her spoon into the carton to take another bite only to realize she had finished it completely. "Well, guess it's time for bed, Chester."

Instead of dreams of Niles with another woman, her dreams were filled with her and Niles and all the sweet, hot encounters they had in the past. The night he slept beside her in the chair when she was drunk. The living room when they were alone with a bottle of Jack Daniels, last night in her apartment when they were both plastered…

She quickly awoke as it all seemed to make sense. The only time they were truly hot for each other was when they were drunk. And while CC loved a good bottle, she couldn't spend her life with someone if she had to have alcohol constantly running through her veins. She then realized she not only lost her best friend, but also any chance of spending a life with the Sheffield's butler.

Finally, the butler's alarm clock went off at it's designated time and he slowly pushed back the drenched sheets and stood up from the bed, slowly making his way to the shower.

Breakfast was quiet that morning. The tension in the air between him and CC was thick enough that it could only be cut with a knife. The Sheffield family as well as the big-haired nanny left as soon as they were finished eating, leaving Niles and CC alone in the dining room. Though Niles made a bolt for the kitchen as soon as everyone else had departed.

CC sighed softly before she picked up her plate and walked into the kitchen with it. While they could never be together, at least she could try to get him to talk to her again.

"Are those lines from lack of sleep or have you finally stopped wearing makeup?" She had a smirk on her face as she set her plate down and waited for a rebuttal.

"Lack of sleep, Miss Babcock."

CC's smirk quickly faded as his professional response was almost too much to handle and yet she pressed him once again.

"So you admit you wear makeup?"

She watched him turn around to face him and what she saw was worse than any words.

His eyes had lost that twinkle it always had. The lines around his tempting mouth and eyes were worse than she thought now that she could see him face to face. He leaned forward and when she thought he was going to whisper something to her, he grabbed the plate from her and washed it off before placing it into the dishwasher and then turned to face her.

"If you'll excuse me, Miss Babcock, I have some work to do and I'm sure you do as well."

His walk up the staircase showed that that was the end of the short conversation between the two and CC just stared at his figure before it disappeared. Slowly, she turned around before walking out of the kitchen and toward the office for the day.

Everyone in the house knew something was going on with the two due to their lack of insults toward one another. C.C decided to give up on trying that and Niles didn't even have an ounce of playfulness left inside him.

Being the nosy woman she is, Fran walked up to Niles' room and knocked on his door.

"Scarecrow! Can I talk to you?"

Despite his want to leave the fade away from the world, he knew he couldn't ignore his best friend.

He opened the door without so much of a warning before one hand rested on the doorframe, keeping her from coming inside.

But that didn't stop the nanny for she walked right under his arm and into his room.

"Niles, what's gotten into ya and Miss Babcock? You're being, well, civil toward each other. And not the civil that normal people are. Normal people talk to each other. You and Miss Babcock haven't even looked at each other all day."

"It's nothing, Miss Fine. I just don't feel very well today."

"That wouldn't stop Miss Babcock from messing with you though. Actually, she'd take it as an advantage."

"She is probably too distracted about the events of her date last night."

"She went on a date last night? How do you know?"

He sighed as he hated having to think of things up as he goes.

"You know how she likes to rub it in my face that she has a man and I have, well, this." He held up the duster on his desk before waving it at her.

"Oh, Niles. Don't let her get to you. You'll find someone. Don't let that snob get to you. You're a great guy and you'll find someone."

He nodded his head slowly. I already found her. But she doesn't want me. "Thank you, Miss Fine. Now if you'll excuse me I have to run out to the grocery store to collect some things for dinner."

She nodded her head before she leaned in and pecked his cheek and Niles closed his eyes wishing they were CC's before opening them and watching his friend's figure leave his bedroom.

He never imagined he and C.C. could go from a night of passion, to wanting nothing to do with one another.

Although, what they were both in for was something neither of them ever imagined.