Anna

Chapter 7

-Day One Continued-

Anna glanced at Niles, and then at CC. "You know, I asked Uncle Niles if you had kissed before, yesterday." CC's eyes snapped to Niles' as the girl continued. "He said you had."

CC nodded, mentally making a note to kill the butler later while he slept. "That's true, we have, yes."

"Well, if you have kissed before, you could have a baby."

CC's back was immediately sprayed with the water Niles' had been drinking from his glass on the table, and he knew he was deeply in trouble.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" CC Babcock gritted out. Her hand was tightly gripping the butler's arm as the two of them were standing in the small hotel bathroom. She slapped his chest with her free hand.

"Ouch!" He yelped. "Look, Babcock, it isn't as bad as you think-"

"-As bad as I think? It isn't as bad as I think? You told an eight-year-old that we've kissed! The two of us!"

He shrugged, pulling his arm out of her grasp. Suddenly annoyed that she was so quick to judge, he spat out, "So? You told your family we're engaged."

The producer nearly shrieked. "That's different!"

He was becoming irritated, and his deep baritone was growing more and more British-sounding. "How so?"

"Well you-" CC began with her signature biting tone, but quickly realized she didn't know what to say. "They…" She sighed. "I… You shouldn't have told her we have, now she thinks we could have a baby."

"With the way you were, we could already be having one." The butler mumbled under his breath, remembering the way he had awoken that morning.

CC's eyes widened, and she tried to keep a cool composure. She hadn't realized he had been awake. She was barely awake when she realized what she was doing.

Niles sighed, and held his hands out. "Listen, Babcock. When I took Anna for a walk she was asking me all of these questions..." He struggled for the right words. "She ended up telling me that we didn't seem like a married couple-"

"-well, we aren't." The blonde added.

Niles nodded, "Exactly my point! I explained to her that we didn't seem like a married couple because we, in fact, are not married yet." They both paused at the idea of what it would be like if they were truly marrying soon. They shared a silent moment before he continued. "She looked at me as if that was obvious. Then, right there on the sidewalk, asked me if we kissed." CC simply looked at him. "I told her yes, all of the time, that's what people who, um... well, people... that... are getting married do." He shook his head. "I didn't want her to think that we don't love each other. Regardless of how true it may be, I wanted her with the impression-"

The blonde held up her hand to stop him. "I understand. Don't get your feather duster in a wad."

The butler smirked. "I would've told you," Niles said, "I just didn't get the chance, and I didn't want to make you uncomfortable."

CC smiled softly, "Regardless of my opinion that you are a pathetic excuse for a man, I… trust you… with the child."

Niles flashed her a hopeful smile in return.

She sighed, "Don't let it inflate your huge head anymore, Butler Boy." As he chuckled lightly, she looked him up and down purposefully. "Oh, and if you were referring to this morning, your little feather duster certainly didn't seem to mind my proximity."

If her goal was to render the butler speechless, she was successful. She shook her head and exited the bathroom, calling out for Anna.


"Okay, now just tilt your head a little to the left, Sweetie." The photographer, not a day out of high school, instructed Anna for her "family" photos.

Anna did just as she said, tilting her head, and flashing a bright smile in the direction of the photographer.

The photographer, Julie, snapped the picture, and spoke. "Alright, sweetheart, you're all done." Then, as Anna got up, she turned her head to Niles and CC, "Would Mom and Dad like some photos too?"

Niles and CC looked up, surprised. Flustered, the both of them stumbled over their words. "Oh, no. That's quite alright but we're..." CC tried to protest, while Niles added, at the same time, "We're not really the photo-taking type, we…"

"Do it!" Anna told them, her hands clasped together, a smile on her face, and excitement making her bounce up and down with glee. "Oh please, oh please, oh please do it! It will be so much fun!" She was quiet as the two adults looked at each other, and then quietly added, "Please?"

Niles and CC sighed, both rather uncomfortable, but at Anna's cute, convincing face, they gave in, and took their seats.

Matters got worse when the photographer positioned them in a stance where Niles had his arms around CC and her hand sat lightly resting on his chest. Their cheeks were mere inches apart as they smiled largely for the camera. The two of them would never admit it, and certainly not to each other, but the photos sparked a certain feeling within them that was nearly unidentifiable.

Julie captured a few shots with a click and a flash of her camera. As she lowered the camera from her eye, she suggested, "Now, how about some romance, hm?"

"I don't really think..." Niles tried to protest, but they were unheard by Julie.

"Oh, don't worry!" The perky blonde smiled at the couple. "We would never do anything that would be inappropriate for the young one. Just a little kiss, hm?"

"I'm not young." Anna told her sternly, "I'm eight and a half." Her arms were crossed, and for a moment Niles could see a hint of CC's theatre face in the girl's scowl.

Julie glanced at the little girl. "Right..." She turned back to Niles and CC, who were already trying to move away from the backdrop, awkwardly wiping their sweaty palms on their pants. "Now, how about that photo?"

Before another protest could escape the couple's mouth, Anna piped up from behind the camera. "You guys kiss all the time! What's the big deal?"

Before CC had a chance to answer the little girl, Niles had grabbed her face with his left hand, and pressed his lips softly to hers.

The snap of the camera wasn't heard by either of them as Niles slowly pulled away from the socialite, his hand still on her cheek and their eyes staring into each other.

Another photo was snapped before Julie spoke yet again. "Okie dokie!" She placed her camera down on the table, "If you'd all like to follow me to the other room, we can get those photos printed out for ya!"

"I want those!" Anna exclaimed, pointing furiously at the screen.

Niles stuttered. "Er, Anna, dear, that's a photo-"

"-of you and Aunt CC, I know! I want both of them. For you guys." She turned to glance behind her, and it didn't go unnoticed by the young girl that the pair exchanged an uncomfortable glance.

CC rubbed the back of her neck and tried to focus on anything but the photo, but her gaze was pulled directly to the screen. There sat three photos of herself and Niles. The first was seemingly the most revealing out of the three. Niles' hand was on her cheek, and it was a moment before he kissed her. His eyes showed nothing but admiration and excitement. CC's eyes, slightly widened, stared into Niles', but the soft look upon her cheeks could not be mistaken. The next two photos detailed the kiss and the moment after. The contentment on the socialite's face with the butler's lips pressed to hers nearly startled her, but obviously the CC with her lips touching a domestic's was completely calm. The moment after the kiss could not be mistaken at all. The way they gazed into each other's eyes as Niles had pulled away... CC was afraid to describe was she saw, only because of the word it would cause her to use.

With this realization, CC quickly waved her hand and spoke in a Babcock fashion, "Yes, yes, we'll take them all, thank you."

Whether she missed the surprise on the butler's face or chose to ignore it, she simply waltzed to the front of the room to pay for the prints. Anna followed, gleefully excited to have "family portraits" of her own for the very first time.