Fireworks.
Fireworks were what Niles was feeling in his heart. It was as though his whole body was electrified, and he felt like climbing to the rooftop and screaming that he had a date with none other than C.C. Babcock... Well, it was a date wasn't it? He wanted to believe so... She was back, and she had welcomed him into her life once again, which was a lot more than he had expected. During the long year of her absence, the butler had prayed to just to see her again, to hear her laugh one last time; but now life was giving him a second chance with her, and he was determined to make it count.
He was still surprised by the fact that she was a mother, but for some strange reason this new motherly facet had made him fall even more in love with her, if that was possible. He had also fallen in love with Amelia -the butler wanted to protect her, to help and see her grow, to see how the little infant became the wonderful woman she was surely going to be. Even now that she was just a baby, she bore an uncanny resemblance to her mother, but both her eyes and hair had come from her father. Her father... how strange was to say that word... even though he knew Amelia's father was out of the picture thanks to the little C.C. had told him at the café, he couldn't ignore the fact C.C. had been with another man. Had she been in love? Had she been abandoned? Had he hurt her? He had too many questions that needed answers, but he was not going to pressure her into giving them. For now, he had a day to prepare himself for their date, and that was enough to keep him in a good mood.
The butler entered the mansion with a wide smile plastered on his face and a dreamy expression on his features. Good God, he was so happy he felt his chest was about to burst! He didn't notice both Fran and Maxwell staring at him until the moment his boss cleared his throat, effectively bringing him out of his thoughts.
"Mr and Mrs Sheffield! What can I help you with?" Niles offered as he walked leisurely towards the kitchen.
"Oh I don't know," Maxwell said in a clearly sarcastic tone, and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked to his childhood friend. "Perhaps some tea, or coffee, or you could bloody tell us where have you been?"
Niles looked between Maxwell and Fran for a couple of tense seconds before he broke into a content, yet slightly mocking smile "As I told you on the phone, I bumped into an old friend. In fact, she is so old that her old neighbourhood was Stonehenge."
"And what the bloody hell do you mean by-" the producer stopped in mid rant as understanding slapped him in the face. In a millisecond, his previous scowl turned into a stunned expression, and Niles had to stifle a laugh when be saw how his jaw hanged loose."Y-you can't be... You met... You saw C.C.?!"
The moment those words left Maxwell's mouth, they produced two diametrically different reactions in both his wife and friend: Fran's mouth and eyes widened as they usually did whenever she was knocked off her socks, while Niles' smile only grew wider.
"Oh yes sir, I bumped into Miss Babcock, and she sends her regards. Actually, she has also invited me over for dinner tomorrow," the butler added and sauntered to the kitchen, leaving two gaping Sheffields behind.
"Did he just say C.C. invited him over for dinner? Or have I lost my mind?" Fran asked as she staggered to the sofa.
"No, you heard correctly..." Maxwell wheezed, taking a seat next to his wife, "C.C. is back and she has invited Niles for dinner."
"Oy, it's a world gone mad!"
Maxwell didn't respond immediately, for he was lost in his own thoughts. A gleeful chuckle escaped the Englishman's lips as he came to grips with what had happened.
"What are ya laughing at?" his wife questioned, feeling even more confused than before.
"Oh, it's nothing darling, it's just the world is not as mad as you think."
Niles spent the better part of the next day and a half daydreaming about C.C.. Not only he was going to have the opportunity to spend time with the woman he loved, but he'd also get the answers to the questions that had haunted him since she had gone away to the sanatorium. Niles didn't really know where to start, he wanted to know so many things, but he guessed the most pressing question was why she had left. He supposed the answer would entail the knowledge of his role in her breakdown; he wasn't sure what her answer would be, but any answer would be better than not knowing - and if he had really hurt her, he'd try to apologise or make it up to her.
Niles had taken the liberty of baking a nice pie for dessert, and he had also bought an adorable onesie for little Amelia. He figured that maybe he was going a little bit over the top, but oh well! He was in love.
He had about fifteen minutes left until he had to leave for C.C.'s mansion, and he still couldn't decide if he should use the night blue or burgundy tie. He wanted to look his best, and for that he needed everything to be perfect, and that included his choice of tie. He was already wearing his best suit - it was an old Armani Maxwell had gifted him for his 50th birthday, and he had added the gold cuff links C.C. had bought for him in 'Etiqueta Negra'. After much deliberation, he ended up choosing to wear the blue tie -for it matched her eyes- and he finished his grooming by putting on some cologne (an actual cologne, not one of those cheap testers Fran had gifted him on previous birthdays). Niles took the little package for Amelia, and breezed out of his room; he went down the backstairs and made a quick stop at the kitchen in order to get his freshly baked pie, and he got there just in time to stop Sylvia Fine from taking a bite of it.
"Sylvia! Don't you dare to take a bite of that pie!" Niles stumbled across the kitchen and swiftly snatched the delicious-looking dessert from the older woman's hands, "I baked your favourite chocolate cake, why can't you eat that instead of this?" the butler asked giving an indignant huff.
"Because I already ate it! Besides, who is that pie for?"
"It's none of your business Ma," Fran chimed in while she rocked a newborn Eve in her arms. "And you shouldn't eat a pie that has a gigantic note laying over it that says 'DO NOT EAT'."
Sylvia shrugged and traipsed to the sub-zero "Gee, it's just a pie, and I was hungry."
"Now that's a shocker," Niles grumbled under his breath as he tucked the pie into a little basket.
Fran giggled at his comment before she sat down at the kitchen table. "Take out is about to arrive, why don't ya grab something to much on and go watch TV with Yetta?"
After Sylvia had taken 'a few' snacks from the fridge, the two friends were left alone. Fran closely scrutinised her friend, and felt a knowing smile creeping to her lips. Maxwell had hinted to her that Niles cared for C.C. and firstly she had thought the idea was ridiculous; but judging by how happy Niles seemed since his encounter with C.C., and by how neatly he was dressed, she had begun to think her husband might be right.
"So, Scarecrow, you are looking really good tonight!"
"Thank you Mrs Sheffield, I hope Miss Babcock thinks the same way you do." Niles retorted, heading to the back door.
"I am sure she will sweetie, and do tell her to come by the mansion for my birthday next week!"
"I will tell her so, Mrs Sheffield. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a dinner to attend to," The butler exclaimed and stepped out of the mansion. He covered the few blocks between the Sheffield mansion and C.C.'s house in a mere five minutes and, as he got closer, he began to feel butterflies in his stomach. He couldn't help but to feel like a young teenage boy who was about to meet his crush, and even though it was more or less what was about to happen, C.C. was not just a mere crush, she was so much more...
When he got to her beautiful house, he climbed up the stairs to her door, and rang the doorbell with a shaky hand. He was amazed at the size of the mansion, for it was noticeably bigger than the Sheffields -he wasn't surprised though, knowing her, now that she had a child she'd want the most comfortable and spacious house she could get. Only a few seconds went by between him ringing the doorbell and C.C. opening the door, but to him it felt like centuries. He heard the distant scream 'I am coming', and the clacking of her heels against the wooden floor as she got closer to the door.
"Hello, Butler Boy," she greeted him before placing a kiss on his cheek "Do come in."
Niles felt as though his breath had been sucked out of his lungs; she looked simply radiant wearing a black knee-length evening dress. The garment flattered and enhanced her hourglass figure -he noticed her hips were slightly wider now that she had had a child, which contrasted with her minuscule waist. Her hair was loose, and he observed it was considerably longer than before.
"Aren't you coming in, Hazel?" Her voice brought him out of his thoughts, and he saw the knowing smirk on her lips.
"I am sorry Miss... I mean... C.C., my mind wandered."
"Don't worry, it's a common occurrence once you reach a certain age."
The butler quirked an eyebrow at the woman in front of him, and flashed an unimpressed expression "Takes one to know one, Babs."
The former producer had to laugh, she had missed this... But it was nice teasing each other without being aggressive. "Get in before I change my mind about having invited you."
Niles didn't need to be told twice, so he swiftly crossed the threshold and went into her house. He was marvelled by tasteful and spacious living before him, and he quickly spotted little Amelia sleeping soundly over the couch. C.C. had built some kind of pillow fort around her, making it impossible for her to fall to the floor - he thought it was the cutest thing he'd ever seen, and judging by the innumerable toys scattered around the living room, he was fairly certain C.C. had been playing with her baby shortly before his arrival.
"Sorry about the mess, I kinda lost track of time while playing with her. She's just fallen asleep; I'll take her upstairs so we can have a peaceful dinner."
Niles gave an affirmative nod, and watched the blonde woman gently walk to her baby before she picked her up in her arms. Amelia fussed in her sleep, but her mother quickly calmed her down by humming a soft lullaby. "I'll be back in a second," she mouthed and disappeared up the stairs.
While he awaited for her to come back, the butler decided to help her tidy up the living room, so he began gathering every little toy that was on the floor and piled them over the sofa. Just when he was about to finish his task, his attention was caught by a number of pictures laying on the coffee table, and he quickly realised that if he looked at them in a certain order, he could follow the development of C.C.'s pregnancy: There was a photo of a barely pregnant C.C. in a splendours library, another picture of a slightly more pregnant C.C. decorating the nursery, another photo featured C.C. and Noel, who was embracing his sister while he pointed at her t-shirt that read 'bun in the oven'... But the picture that really caught his attention was one that showed C.C. in a hospital bed -the exhaustion caused by a long delivery evident on the blonde's face- with a newborn Amelia lying over her chest. In her eyes he could only see love, and part of him wished he could have been part of that moment too.
"I see you are enjoying the slideshow of my pregnancy," C.C.'s voice said from behind him, "The little demon has kept me on my toes since she was in my womb."
Niles straightened his posture, and tried to hide the obvious fact she had just startled him "Well, she is your daughter. I wouldn't have expected any less from her."
"You are right, after dwelling in my womb for nine months some of my evilness must have passed on to her... I hope she makes good use of it," the blonde retorted, as she beckoned Niles to follow her into the dining room. "What are you doing now?" C.C. asked when she noticed the Englishman peeking out of her window with a bewildered countenance.
"You just said I was right so, naturally, I had to check if pigs were flying," he said in the gravest way possible, but his serious expression soon broke into a boyish lopsided grin.
"If that were the case, Hazel, you'd be flying up there instead of being standing in my living-room," C.C. shot back, effectively winning this round of witticisms "Now, would you please come with me to the dining room? Take out has just arrived."
"Take out?! Good God, woman! If I had known you were planning on ordering food, I'd have come earlier to cook a homemade meal! In fact, that's what I plan on doing right now. Put that rubbish away, you need a healthy meal for a change," Niles marched into the kitchen, leaving an amused C.C. behind. The man seemed positively upset, and he really was determined to cook her dinner...
"Would you relax, mother hen?" She laughed, following Niles into the kitchen.
"No, I won't relax! You are filling your body with pre made crap or with take out! Now, I may not have children, but after taking care of two pregnant Mrs Sheffields and their offsprings, I know a thing or two about nutrition. You need a balanced diet, specially if you plan on keeping breastfeeding your child," the butler ranted as he inspected her fridge, and he soon grimaced at the lack of nutritional aliments in it. "And judging by your quasi-deserted fridge, I'd better write down a supermarket list with everything you need to buy," Niles took some eggs, mushrooms and beef from the sub zero, and sprawled them over the kitchen counter. C.C. couldn't help but to notice how easily he moved through her kitchen, it almost felt like he belonged there. She didn't even need to tell him where she kept the vast amount of unused pans or any other kitchen utensil, the man in front of her was in his element.
"So, Julia Child, what do you plan on delighting my taste buds with?" she asked, as she reclined against her fridge. From her spot she could easily observe anything Niles did, and she had to stifle a laugh when Niles put on the apron his brother had gifted her as a joke; the piece of cloth had a bright yellow colour, and it had the phrase 'Please just pretend it's good' embroidered on it.
"You'll see, for now relax and let me work."
"I should have known your inner dutiful maid was going to make a fuss over ordering take out!" C.C. sauntered towards the liquor cabinet (which was kept almost empty these days) and took out a bottle of fine wine. She poured it into two cups and took one of them to Niles.
"I may be a fretting maid, but at least my meals are high quality. Oh sorry, I had forgotten that you have a penchant for cheap things," Niles wanted to punch himself in the face as soon as those words had left his mouth. Years ago it would have been the natural thing to say, but how would she take it now? "I...I'm sorry, that was absolutely out of place," he muttered and went back to his cooking.
There were some seconds of tense silence before C.C. erupted in a loud cackle, confusing Niles. "This is too good! You help me tidy up my living room, you cook for me, and now you apologise? I'd have gone away a lot earlier if I had known this was the way you were going to treat me."
Niles released a relieved sigh before going back to smiling. It seemed things had and hadn't changed at the same time; they could still tease the other, but now that there wasn't an underlying desire to hurt the other they could actually enjoy their banter.
"What can I say? An old dog can learn new tricks," the butler shrugged as he poured the mix of eggs and vegetables in the frying pan.
"Yeah, I guess it's true," she said in a pensive manner, a tender smile creeping to her lips.
"So, how was your time in Argentina like?" he asked nonchalantly, effectively hiding the eagerness in his voice.
"I had a fantastic time really, and thanks to a... friend I made there I got to know a lot of interesting places in the city," C.C. knew why the butler had chosen that topic of conversation, she had promised to explain to him how Amelia had come to be, after all. She appreciated he didn't ask about it straight away, though.
"Really? Which ones?"
"Well, he took me to Olivos, and we visited this amazing church called 'Parroquia Jesús en el huerto de los Olivos'; the building is impressive and it's covered by a gigantic bindweed. On its inside there is a gigantic mural of Jesus ascending to heaven that's solely made of mosaics. Afterwards we walked around the 'Quinta presidencial', which is the Argentinean version of the White House. Olivos is a peaceful suburban area, and definitely one of my favourite places."
Niles tried to hide the apprehension he was feeling. He guessed this 'friend' was Amelia's father, and picturing her with him, strolling around Buenos Aires, made him insanely jealous. "Oh... how nice," was the only thing he could offer.
"Yeah... it was kinda nice."
The pair fell into an awkward silence once again, both knowing that by the end of the night he'd know everything about this man. For now, they had decided to put the serious conversation on hold -Niles knew C.C. needed some time, and the blonde was grateful he had given it to her.
"Well, our food is ready," Niles announced as he served their meal on their plates. "Let's head back to the dining room."
The pair soon found themselves sitting at her enormous table, sharing the delicious meal he had prepared. The conversation flowed once again, and neither of them could stop smiling. Both noticed this, and they delighted in observing their happiness mirrored on the other. By the time Niles had brought dessert to the table, the conversation was centred in how much had the Sheffield household changed during the time she was gone.
"Twins?! My God! I am sure you don't have a minute to rest. I can't imagine how traumatic it must have been for you to actually start working!" C.C. mocked as she helped herself to another slice of pie.
"Ha ha, that coming from the woman who took a year long vacation," he retorted in an unimpressed fashion "They are not so terrible, Fran -unlike Sarah- does take care of the babies, and she forces Mr Sheffield to do so too. The only bad part is the constant presence of Sylvia in the house; now that she has turned into a grandma she is trying to impart her motherly knowledge onto Fran."
"Ugh, that sounds awful. I have to thank my lucky stars that my mother doesn't want to have anything to do with me or Amelia," the producer said in a chuckle, which wasn't mirrored by Niles. The butler rose a questioning eyebrow at her, and it seemed his expression had hardened. C.C. released a long sigh as she recalled the last encounter with her mother in her mind. "When my mother discovered how Amelia was conceived she decided I had no place in her life anymore."
Niles couldn't help but to gape at the blonde in front of him. What kind of parent does that? He had known B.B. was cruel, but he had never thought she could reach the point of wanting C.C. out of her life.
"To put it lightly," the former producer continued, her countenance having darkened "she called me a hussy and said I was a disgrace to the Babcock name. But do not fret, Niles, I got back at her by saying I'd rather be a hussy with a baby than an alcoholic old bitch who pays young boys to get some."
Only then did Niles allow himself to smile -he was still furious with the old woman, but he was proud that C.C. had been able to defend herself. "She got what she deserved, congratulations Babs. Although I don't understand how a mother can call her own child a prostitute! It's outrageous."
"That's my mother, Niles, and it's not just her... The majority of New York's high society thinks like her. I had a child out of wedlock and she was the result of a... Amelia was-" C.C. didn't know how to continue; she really wanted to tell him, but it seemed every time she tried to do so the words wouldn't come out of her mouth. She was extremely nervous, and his scrutinising eyes didn't help to soothe her nerves.
"Would you like to dance?" he said as he stood up and offered a hand at her.
"Niles, I am trying to find a way to tell you about-"
"I know. That's why I am asking you for a dance, for I remember that whenever we danced you relaxed."
C.C. was reluctant for a second, but soon she figured it wasn't a bad idea and clasped their hands together. He was right after all, whenever they danced she did relax, and that was want she needed to do in order to tell him about Patrick "I think it might work."
Both adults walked to the living room, and Niles turned on the stereo. He chose to put on some jazz music, and soon enough the sweet voice of Ella Fitzgerald invaded the room. Niles walked back to C.C. and gently slipped an arm around her waist, holding her close to him as they began to sway to the music. After some minutes C.C. had her head resting on his chest, and she could clearly hear the rapid beating of his heart. It was time, she thought, the moment of truth had come at last.
"Niles? Remember this friend I told you about a while ago? Well, I met this guy at the hotel where I was staying. He accidentally dropped a sandal on my head," C.C. could almost feel how a smile played across Niles' lips - he surely was imagining the moment, and her reaction to it. "We started talking since then, and we bumped into each other quite frequently, so we ended up spending time together."
"Ah... so you two... dated?" he asked, sadness tinging his voice ever so lightly.
"No, we didn't date. He was more of a confidant, and we had fun together. He invited me to a 9 de Julio party, and we both had one too many that night, which led us to... Uh... well, you know where," C.C. couldn't help but not too look up at him, for she was afraid of what she'd see in his eyes once she had finished her story. She felt somewhat ashamed, and she wondered if he'd think little of her due to her actions. The producer chose to omit the whole issue about screaming his name during sex; if things went right between them, she'd eventually tell him. "A month and a half later I discovered I was pregnant."
Niles tightened his grip on her, silently thanking her for trusting him with that information. He had long suspected Amelia was the result of a one night stand, but part of him had feared she had fallen in love with another man. It didn't really make any difference to him how her child was conceived, she loved both her and the baby with all his heart. The butler was brought out of his thoughts when he felt his shirt was being damped by something that could only be tears, so he tipped her head up and brushed them off with his thumb. Although he wasn't happy that she was crying, he was truly grateful that she was allowing him to see her in a vulnerable state; this was the ultimate act of trust, for he knew C.C. didn't cry easily, much less in front of others. "What's wrong?" he asked in a soft voice.
"Nothing. Nothing is wrong, I just feel free now that I've told you this. Part of me thought you'd run away."
"I'd never do that, not after having lost you for a year. You are not the only one who has changed, Babcock," Niles murmured and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. They stayed like that for some minutes -with Niles' lips pressed against her forehead and her arms clasped around his neck.
"Do you know what Amelia's father helped me understand?" she said, breaking the silence.
"No, what?"
"I finally understood how much I love you."
AN: So, this was written mostly during 9th of July (Argentina's independence day), so happy delayed 9th of July! This year was also the bicentenary of our separation from Spain (Yes, I am Argentinean, if you hadn't guessed that by now.) so there were big celebrations! Anyway, sorry for the delay, and I hope you like the chapter! As usual, thanks for reading my story and for your wonderful reviews! Until the next chapter!