A/N: Answer to a RUNHP challenge.

The Rules:

1. Either Niles or CC is involved in an accident.

2. The accident victim believes they are married to the non-victim.

3. The 'spouse' and family must play along via doctor's instructions.

MIND GAMES

CHAPTER 9

"Niles…" CC started cautiously. "What exactly do you mean by 'you knew you need them'?"

Niles couldn't keep the boyish grin from crossing his face. "What do you think I meant?"

"Twins?" CC whispered softly. "Are we having twins?" Niles nodded. "And the roses and horses…"

"One of each. One little you and one little me." Niles kissed her lightly and Joseph and Marie thought it best to give them some space and left.

"Well, Love," Joseph draped his arm around his wife. "It would seem the lad is finally giving us those grandchildren he promised."

"Joseph," Marie stopped and stroked his cheek. "Did you ever doubt him for an instant?"

Joseph shook his head. "I knew when he came home eight years ago for that visit that he'd found her. He didn't say anything, but you could just see it all over his face."

"I thought so too." Marie smiled. "They'll be very happy."

"We already are, Maman." CC stood in the doorway to the kitchen. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, but the little ones are a bit hungry."

"Where's Niles?" Joseph asked her.

CC looked at the face she knew she'd see on Niles in not too many years. "He said something about getting something out of his room he's been saving. Should I be worried?"

CC's in-laws laughed lightly. "I wouldn't worry, Dear." Marie offered. "Now…what can I make for you and my grandbabies?"

"Don't go to any trouble, Maman. Just whatever you have lying around." CC knew very well that Niles didn't fall very far from the tree. His mother could make bologna taste like roast beef so anything she had 'lying around' would be marvelous.

Marie smirked at her. "Alright, how about a chicken salad sandwich?"

"That sounds perfect, Maman. Could you make one for Niles too? I know he hasn't eaten either." Marie nodded. CC paused for a moment. "There isn't any onion in it, is there…onion's give Niles terrible heartburn," CC said without looking up from the magazine she'd been perusing.

Marie tilted her head. "Really? He's never said a word to me."

"Well, he loves onions, but they just don't agree with him." CC again tossed out flatly.

Joseph pulled up a chair next to CC. "Well, my dear, you've seem to come back to us full circle then."

This got CC's attention. "What do you mean, Dad?"

"Niles told us about your accident. I have to tell you…I've never heard him sound so…terrified." Joseph placed his hand lightly on CC's. "He was truly afraid he'd lost you." CC instinctively started chewing her bottom lip. "I'm sorry, CC. I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, Dad. It's alright. I think I'll go look for Niles. I let him know our snack is ready." CC stood from the table and headed up the stairs in the direction she saw Niles go. "Niles?" CC called as she reached the top of the stairs. "Honey…where are you?"

"In here, Love." Niles voice rang out from just up the hall. CC made her way up the hallway and into what could only be described is a room that was 'all boy'. "Well, was this your man cave as a child?"

Niles stood and reached for her hand. "That it was. Do you like it?" Niles sat her next to him on the double bed and CC took in her surroundings.

There was one wall that was covered in trophies and ribbons. "You were quite an accomplished rider, Niles." CC noted the bulk of the awards were for equestrian events. "That's beautiful, did you take it?" CC asked him of a photo of a sunset over a pasture lined with horses. Niles nodded and smiled at her. The framed photo hung over a writing desk and in the corner there was a dresser. The quilt on which they sat looked like it had been hand stitched a hundred years ago. "It's very much…you."

"Really?" Niles looked around. "How so?"

"Well, it's organized and tidy, but with a bit of whimsy here and there. And it's warm and inviting and rugged. I just love it." CC leaned in and kissed him softly.

"I'm glad. We could stay in here if you'd prefer it to the guest room." Niles added.

"Really?" CC's eyes brightened. "I'd really like that." CC stood. "Maman has prepared us a little nosh…care to join me?" CC offered his hand.

"I'm with you, Blondie." Niles took her hand and they started out of the room.

They reached the stairs. "Niles…did you find what you were looking for?"

"Years ago." He thought to himself. "Uhm…yeah…I'll show you later."


Niles and CC sat in the kitchen with Marie and Joseph and chatted about the estate and Rampart and what CC wanted to do with him.

"I'd like to keep him here, if it isn't too much trouble. I'll take care of all his expenses." CC offered.

Joseph laughed lightly. "Well, don't you worry about any of that, dear. Niles takes care of us well enough."

"Dad…" Niles frowned.

"I'm sorry, did I miss something?" CC asked.

"It's nothing, Love." Niles lightly patted her hand.

CC raised her eyebrow at him. "Don't hand me that Butler Boy, I want to know what Dad means by 'Niles takes care of us well enough'. Must I remind you that I am your wife?"

"CC…are you sure you want to go into this now?" Niles asked her raising his eyebrow in the process.

CC knew the implication. "Well…" CC considered all her options. "Yep."

Niles sighed heavily. "Do you remember when I inherited that title?" Niles asked her much to the amusement of his parents.

"Joseph, let's leave the children to discuss this." Marie pulled her husband out the back kitchen door into the yard.

CC grinned now seeing just where this was going. "Oh yes, I remember. By the way, I thought you looked adorable in your Krispy Kreme uniform."

Niles sighed remembering how humiliated he was. "Well, the estate was sold to pay off the debts and the legal issues went away with the debt issues so, the title was transferred to me, along with a rather healthy yearly stipend."

"I know..." CC spoke with deep love in her voice. She knew that Niles could get very angry at her for taking care of the legal problems surrounding his inheritance. "I was responsible for clearing up the 'situation' as you put it."

"What?" Niles looked shocked. "Why?"

CC smiled at him. "I wanted you to have everything you ever wanted."

Niles stood and pulled her into his arms. "You're all I've ever wanted." Niles kissed her. "How did you do it?"

"Well," CC looked away sheepishly and sat back down and Niles followed. "Just after we married you remember I had to sign all those papers?" Niles nodded remembering the ownership papers for the BMW and the penthouse and their wills, insurance and medical release documents. "I slipped in a power of attorney authorization, just for matters regarding your inheritance." CC waited for the fall out.

"Ok, we'll discuss tricking me later. Continue with your story." Niles gave her a warning glance.

CC smiled at her husband. "I had my people talk to their people. I instructed them to sell off the estate and all its holdings so that the debts could be paid off. Most of the legal problems went away when the debts were paid. There was just the matter of checking into your heritage and making sure you were a valid candidate for peerage. They decided that you were. I was unaware of the stipend that came along with the title."

"Well, it's enough to keep Maman and Dad comfortable here at the house." Niles pulled her into him again. "I love you, witch. But if you've sold off my grand estate, where shall we live in our dotage?"

"I was thinking here?" CC looked away from his eyes again.

Niles was shocked. "What?" Niles lifted her chin to bring her eyes to his. "Did you say here?"

CC nodded lightly. "Isn't that what you want?"

"It's not about what I want CC…its about what we want." Niles leaned in and touched his forehead to hers. "I don't care where we live just so we're together."

CC kissed him. "Well, then after the children are grown or at least old enough to participate in the decision, I want to move back here, with you, if you would so agree."

"I'd follow you anywhere, CC. It's always been that way." Niles looked at her with such love and devotion that her emotions took over and she could feel the tears slowly drift down her cheeks. "Niles…would you show me what you'd been looking for…up in your room?"

Niles stood and offered his arm and she took it. Together they made their way up to Niles' former bedroom where he sat her back against the headboard and grabbed the item in question from beneath his bed and he took his place at her side. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"Niles…how bad can it be…I've know you for what…almost twenty years." CC leaned her head on his shoulders. Niles opened the large book. "It's a photo album!"

CC was thrilled to get a glimpse of Niles' childhood. "Yes, Love. I've kept it here…waiting for the only person I'd trust enough to share it with, to enter my life."

"Niles…you're a sentimental old fool. But you're my sentimental old fool." CC looked at the photos so lovingly placed in the album. Careful notes were written in an even formal script describing each photo. "Awww…just look at how sweet that little face is." CC's hand softly caresses the face in the photo. "You were a gorgeous baby, Niles." CC paused. "What the hell happened to you?"

"I can close it now, if you'd like." Niles chided her.

"No, Niles. I'm sorry. I want to see…please." CC touched his hand softly.

Niles slowly turned the pages and gave CC time to examine the photos and read each of his mother's careful descriptions of those photos. CC read a few of the captions. "Niles' first birthday, with cake all over his smiling face," CC laughed. "I like that picture…it makes you look less fussy."

"CC, I was a year old. I hadn't learned how to be fussy." Niles smiled.

"Let's see…'Niles' first day of school and he's not thrilled'." CC read. "Look at you in your little suit." CC cooed. They continued going through the photos. CC noticed Niles' weight gain. "Niles…what was it that made you gain all that weight?" CC asked carefully.

"I hated school. I was smart and the child of servants. Everyone saw fit to take out any frustrations they had with…well anything, on me. So I retreated into my lunch you might say."

"What about Max?" CC asked.

"That was all before Max started school." Niles answered

CC continued looking at photos and saw his weight loss soon after. "Wow…you've lost a lot of weight in this photo." CC read the caption. "Niles at the equestrian center trials." CC smiled. "So it was the horses that drove you to lose weight?" CC asked.

"I just wanted to make sure while I was at the stables no one tried to saddle me." Niles laughed.

"Why don't you ride more often, Niles?" CC asked as she looked at more photos of Niles with the horses he seemed to love.

Niles sighed heavily. "Well, with all my duties at the house, I don't have too much time to myself now. And what time I do have there's only one horse I want to spend it with." Niles bumped her shoulder.

"Very funny, Hazel." CC teased back. Then she saw a photo and gasped lightly. "Niles…"

"Yes, Love?" Niles asked softly, knowingly, lovingly.

CC swallowed. "This gift of yours…have you always had it? I mean…were you always aware of it?"

"Well, for as long as I can remember…I first noticed it around the time Max was born. Why?" Niles waited, hoped, practically prayed.

CC started chewing on her bottom lip… "There's no caption on this photo. Do you remember where it was taken?"

CC pointed to a photo of a young Niles holding in his hands the smaller hands of a young girl. She was leaning up and kissing him softly. It was literally a moment of magic frozen in time on film. CC couldn't tear her eyes away from it.

Niles smiled softly at CC's profile. "Oh yes, I remember that day. It was my fourteenth birthday. That was my first kiss."

"Tell me about it…" CC asked softly grazing her fingertips over the photo. "…please?"

Niles smiled again at her profile. "Well, we'd had a small party here, just me and Max really. It was still good weather for November so we decided to go to the park to just kick the ball around. We hadn't been there ten minutes when I…felt something…"

"Someone needed you?" CC asked finally turning to look at him.

Niles nodded. "Yes…I turned and saw her…" Niles nodded toward the girl in the photo. There were a group of girls teasing her. She couldn't have been more than ten or twelve. I saw one of the girls push her and she fell." Niles smiled as he recalls the scene for CC.

"Hey…leave her alone!" The other girls ran off and Niles extended his hand to help her up from the ground. "Are you alright?" She looked up at him and he saw the tear slip out of her sky blue eyes. Niles thought he'd get lost in those eyes if he looked at them a moment longer.

Then she spoke. "They said that I have a nanny 'cause nobody loves me and that nobody ever will."

"Don't let them bother you. And don't ever let anyone push you around. No one can tell you who you are. You're strong and you're beautiful. You make your own way." The girl smiled warmly at him.

"You're very handsome," She said and giggled.

Niles blushed and lowered his eyes. "Thanks, but my friend is the handsome one."

The little girl looked over the boys shoulder and lifted his chin. "Nah…he's too pretty." They laughed. "Would you sit with me for a minute? My nanny is meeting her boyfriend and it's better if I don't see what they are doing."

"Sure." Niles answered and they sat on the little merry go round. "Are you here on vacation…from America?"

The girl nodded. "My parents bring us here every year for Thanksgiving. I guess you don't celebrate that here, huh?"

"No." They laughed together again. "Today's my birthday."

"It is?" The girl seemed surprised. "How old are you?"

"Fourteen. Why…how old do I look?" The young Niles asked.

The girl sized him up a little and extended her hands. "Hmmm…stand up and let me get a good look." Niles smiled, took her hands and stood up keeping her hands in his. "Well, would it make you happier if I said older and more mature…or younger and more carefree?"

"Well," Niles thought for a moment. "Which would you prefer?" Their young eyes locked for an instant and she leaned up and pressed her lips softly to his in a most innocent and chaste kiss.

"Happy birthday." The girl whispered. As they pulled back their eyes met again briefly before the girls nanny rushed in and pulled her off scolding her for her behavior.

"What was it she needed, Niles?" CC asked cautiously.

Niles smiled softly. "She needed to be rescued. She needed to be told that she was strong and beautiful and worthy of love. She needed to be needed. She needed…me." Niles waited, watching his wife.

The single tear slipped down her cheek. "Even then…you knew…didn't you?"

"That you needed me…yes, Love. I knew. I always knew." Niles pulled CC into his arms and kissed her softly.

"I was ten. And you saved my life."