Chapter 12
"You look beautiful." Niles told CC after she'd handed him a glass of champagne.
CC blushed, "Thank you, you looked pretty spiffy yourself."
Niles smiled, and they both took a sip of their drink.
"Niles, can I ask you something?"
"Shoot." Niles replied.
"Your parents, in England, were they good to you?" She asked, "I mean, did they raise you well?"
Niles nodded, "Yes. Maman and Dad were always good to me, and, as far as I'm concerned did a good job."
"They love you?" She asked.
Niles nodded, "As much as I love them." He paused, "What's bringing this on?"
Ignoring his question, CC looked down at her hands. "What's it like?" CC asked after a long pause, raising her head to look at him, "To know your parents love you?"
"CC," Niles asked again, "Why do you ask?"
CC stood up from her spot on the end of the bed, "I..... I just, wonder. All of this 'wedding', if that's what you want to call it, stuff has me thinking about family, and love, and caring about people. When we left the backyard, I realized that I don't have that. I haven't thought once about my family since we've been here. I've thought about Maxwell, and the children, and yes, even Nanny Fine, but...... Not my family. And, I just wondered what it felt like to think about family, and to know they love you. Everyone who's ever met me, I'm sure, has wondered what was wrong with me? Why am I so cruel?"
She paused, the tears in her eyes threatening to spill over. "Sometimes, I wonder what's wrong with me, too. I'm mean and cruel all of the time because if I'm not, I'll break down and cry. If I'm mean, I can't think about my so called family, and wonder why they don't care. I don't have to ask myself the same question I've been asking for years, "What is really wrong with me?""
Niles stood up, and took her hands in his. "You've thought about the Sheffields and Fran because they're your family. They've been your family for over twenty years, and know more about you than you're own family does."
He paused, to make sure she was listening, and continued, "Nothing's wrong with you. Nothing at all. It's no one's fault but your mother and father's for not teaching you properly about love. As for you trying constantly not to cry, have you ever tried to just let it out? Just take a day to relax and let it out?"
She shook her head, "No."
"That might be what you need. Not to be sent to Bort, or shipped off to 'the place.' Maybe all you need is to just let it out." Niles answered.
"You're probably right. But, every time I start to feel good, my mother, or another one of them does something else stupid." CC complained.
"Like what?" Niles asked.
CC thought for a moment before telling Niles, "On my birthday last year, I was feeling really good, really, really, good. I got up, ordered myself room service, and sat with Chester and ate. I felt like I was on top of the world. Then, I got a package. I was so excited because it was from DD. I opened it, and inside was a bright, pink dress. It was two sizes too small, and I-"
"-Never wear pink dresses." Niles interrupted.
"Right." CC answered. "But, I chalked it up to that fact that DD is an airhead, and picked up the phone to call and thank her. Come to find out, the dress wasn't for me at all. It was a present from DD's husband. DD had given their housekeeper a card to mail to me. The same day, DD's husband instructed the housekeeper to pick up the dress for DD. Aparently, the housekeeper confused which item was to be mailed, so I got the dress."
Niles told her, "But at least you got a card, right?"
CC shook her head. "No. DD asked me to mail the dress back to her, and told me I should be getting my card soon. It never came."
"I'm sorry." Niles told CC.
The tears were freely coming now. "It just upsets me." She told him.
Niles wiped her tears away with his thumbs. "I know, but don't cry over them. They aren't worth your time and energy."
"I know." CC agreed, "It just hurts so much!"
Wordlessly, Niles reached out, and pulled CC into a hug.
The couples' tender moment didn't last long though, because Anna interrupted them. "House guests, I need you to please come into the living room. It's time for the Veto Competition to begin."
Niles pulled away and looked at CC. "I thought POV was tomorrow?" He asked.
"It is." She replied, confused.
And they headed down to the living room.
"Hello, house guests." Anna's face appeared on the screen, "As you already know, only the Couple of the House, the two nominated couples, and one other couple can compete in the Veto Competition. Now, we've selected a couple by drawing, and the couple who gets to participate is........... Niles and CC! Congratulations!"
Niles and CC smiled. Anna continued to explain, "Technically, the Veto Competition doesn't start until tomorrow. But, to make this week more interesting, we've decided to make it a two-parter." All of the couples participating, including Niles and CC, groaned. Anna smiled. "The Competition begins now. Niles and CC, Janet and Kenny, Janelle and Josh, and Sam and Michael, please head to the backyard."
In the backyard, there were four pairs of handcuffs on a table. "Pick a side and put them on house guests."
CC sighed, and chose to have her right wrist attached to Niles' left. Niles snapped them in, and Anna announced, "You'll have these on until tomorrow. The winner of the POV will be the couple who works the best with the handcuffs. We've given you some special shirts. They're in your rooms. Good luck, and goodnight."
Niles turned to CC and asked, "Are you ready for bed?"
CC nodded.
When Niles and CC got up to their room, CC immediately started to walk over to the shirt Anna was talking about, which was on the bed.
But, when CC started to walk, she forgot she was attached to Niles, and ended up pulling him with her, making him stumble.
"Sorry." She told him, and they successfully tried again.
When they reached the shirt, they lifted it up. It looked like two sweat shirts in one. It only had two arms, but inside, had a pocket where Niles and CC's hands were joined. It was gray, and red writing across the front of it, 'Just married.' It said.
Niles turned to CC, "It looks like Anna and the rest of the Not Us crew have a sense of humor."
"It seems they do." CC replied.
"Let's change." Niles told her, but didn't move.
CC looked sheepishly at Niles. "Niles? How are we going to change?"
They still had their 'wedding attire' on, and didn't know what to do.
"Well," Niles tried to think of something, then, he sighed, "I don't know."
"I could probably just tear my dress off." CC told him, "It's just made out of stuff around the house."
"I don't want to have to tear it, I mean, it's a very crafty item." Niles told her sincerely.
"We can glue it back together later." CC suggested.
Niles sighed, "Okay. But, why don't you put some pants on first?"
CC looked at him, "Right." She answered, and walked, with Niles, over to the dresser drawers. She pulled out a pair of stretchy sweat shorts, that looked, and probably were, very short. "How's this?" CC asked him.
"Perfect." He replied, and then turned around so she could change. However, upon turning around, he pulled CC's arm with him. "Sorry." He told her, and turned back around. "I'll just cover my eyes." He used his free hand to cover his eyes, and balled the other into a tight fist.
The process of CC putting her shorts on went fairly well. However, there was one point, when CC had the shorts to her shin, Niles' hand brushed her leg.
"Done." CC told him, letting him know it was safe to uncover his eyes.
He took his hand off of his eyes, and opened them.
"Alright, let me change my pants." He told her.
She covered her eyes, and balled her fist just like Niles did.
CC was fine until she felt the brush of Niles' leg against her knuckles.
"Done." Niles told her.
"Okay." CC began, taking her hand off of her eyes, "Now, we just need to put on our shirt."
"Uh, fisrt we need to get my jacket and shirt off." Niles told her, "But, I need help."
CC walked over to Niles, and helped rip off his jacket. "There you go." She told him, and threw it in the floor.
"Thanks." He responded, "Can you help me with my shirt?"
CC gulped. He wants me to help him with his shirt. Oh my! He's going to be shirtless again! And we're handcuffed together! "Sure." She answered, and started to unbutton his white shirt. While she was unbuttoning his shirt, CC thought, Niles has two hands just like I do, why didn't he do this himself? When CC looked up from Niles' shirt, she saw that Niles had his eyes closed, and was breathing heavily. Did Niles do this..... on purpose? She wondered.
CC's thoughts were interrupted by Niles' voice, "Do you like what you see?" He had a smirk playing on his lips.
"What?" She asked him, confused.
Niles laughed, "Your, uh, palms are against my chest."
CC looked down. Her hands were, in fact, flat against Niles' chest. She pulled them away quickly. "Sorry."
"We need some scissors." Niles told her.
"To cut your shirt, right." CC, dragging Niles with her, went into the bathroom, and, conveniently, there were a pair of scissors in the drawer. CC leaned forward, and cut his shirt off.
"There you go." CC told Niles, once his shirt was removed.
"Thanks." Niles answered.
"If you....uh.....cover your eyes, I can get out of this dress."
"Oh, right." Niles covered his eyes. "Okay."
CC struggled for a moment, and finally ripped the paper towel and trash bags off of her.
"Okay, walk with me, we have to get the shirt." CC told Niles.
Niles nodded, following CC.
After a while, CC managed to get their shirt on.
"Are you ready for bed now?" Niles asked.
CC nodded, "Yeah."
Niles and CC climbed onto the bed, and after a bit of maneuvering, were able to get on.
"Good night, CC."
"Niles?" CC asked.
"What?"
"I have to use the bathroom."
