Hello, Hello. New update, and I'm not happy with it. But am still thanking my beta for her fabulous work!;) So...the story is now planned through and it'll have 6 more chapters. Each of you should write a thank you note to my mother for brain storming with me which caused the ending to be slightly different (and trust me, you'll enjoy this new ending more ;)) But yes...um...my dissertation is finished and bound and will be handed in this week (yay!) which also means that my next update will either be Saturday or Sunday because I'm going out celebrating on Friday ;) so not sure how human I'll feel on Saturday!lol Anyway, review please, folks.
Disclaimer: They still aren't mine...I wish though...
Chapter 20:
Niles didn't go to see Dr. Bort that evening, but he left her a message on the answering machine. He didn't go home straight away either; he went for a walk in Central Park instead to calm down. The old memories that had been stirred, combined with C.C.'s attitude towards him were a deadly mix, and, more than anything, he felt annoyance at the unfairness of it all. They had been doing so well, making such good progress, and slowly grown closer so that their interactions had almost resembled a relationship, but now everything they had worked for had been broken, and Niles lacked the confidence that Dr. Bort had.
Fran was sitting on the sofa in the den when he entered via the front door. She appeared to be watching TV, but Niles knew better. She'd been waiting for him, waiting to hear the latest gossip. No, now he was doing her injustice. While the brunette was certainly nosy, and a chatterbox, she was also his friend, and he was wrong to doubt for even a minute that she was truly worried about him.
"Hey, don't walk away from me again, Mister!" she called before he'd even had the chance to set foot on the stairs.
"I'm really tired, Mrs. Sheffield." he tried, the use of her surname instantly creating a distance between them.
"Ya don't have to tell me that, Niles, a blind man would see it. But what's happened? Is Miss Babcock ok?"
He sighed deeply and tried to somehow find the energy to answer her.
"Things are ... a little difficult right now..." was what he settled for in the end. "And if you will excuse me now, I'd really like to go to bed."
She switched off the television and joined him at the foot of the stairs.
"Hey," she caught him by the wrist. "Do you think it's worth it? Maybe you should take a break."
He smiled warmly at her concern and squeezed her hand.
"Yes. It's worth it. She will always be worth it."
As simple as that, his heart felt lighter again as he finally climbed the stairs. Whatever he had been questioning before, his answer just then had shown that he was incapable of leaving C.C., despite his fatigue, or any problems they were having. He changed into his pyjamas and climbed into bed, making a mental note to thank Fran for her help, even though she wouldn't know what she had done.
Niles still felt refreshed when he awoke the next morning, but he made a conscious effort not to get his hopes up as to what C.C.'s reaction would be. He had a hearty breakfast and ate more than he had done in a while, all just to keep his energy levels up.
When he entered C.C.'s room, he was greeted by silence but he told himself to be patient and took a seat.
"I didn't think you'd come back," she said without looking at him, her head held high.
"I didn't say that I wouldn't," he said.
"Your little speech yesterday didn't exactly suggest a friendly attitude," she continued, still not looking at him.
"Well, neither did yours, C.C."
"I don't like being scolded like a child," now she crossed her arms in front of her chest in a way that made her complaint almost ridiculous.
"And I don't like being ordered around," he matched her tone still, hoping that she would crack eventually.
"What are you doing here then?" she questioned.
"Keeping you company," he had trouble keeping a straight face now.
"What if I don't want your company?" she voiced coolly.
"Then I'd say you're not telling the truth."
Her head snapped around to him, her eyes blazing.
"Are you calling me a liar, Niles?"
"Well, maybe I am."
He leaned in closer so that their faces were almost touching.
"What makes you think you can talk to me like that and still be my friend?" she challenged, moving even closer.
He broke into a smile then and there, which broadened when he noticed her confusion.
"You would've thrown me out already if you really hate me that much."
"Ugh, you are infuriating!" she exclaimed and threw her hands up in defeat.
He chuckled softly and felt great relief when he saw a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. Niles wasn't presumptuous enough to believe that he had been forgiven, but he knew that he had certainly taken a step in the right direction.
"So, would you like me to continue my story?" he asked carefully.
"Yes, why not? At least it's better than arguing with you."
He chuckled again.
"You're just angry because you always lose," he teased.
"Watch it, Butler Boy, or I might change my mind again."
He swallowed and observed her closely, but it seemed that only he had registered the old nickname.
"Where did we stop yesterday?" he asked in an attempt to collect himself again.
"Maxwell got involved with that Rodney guy and his friends and started treating you badly. You mentioned that you had a fight and didn't talk for a while and ... that's it."
He nodded slowly, his thoughts still lingering a bit with the unexpected use of his old nickname.
"So, when did you speak to him again? Did you ever?"
"Yes, but it was a while before that happened. In the meantime I discovered my love for London. The city is approximately an hour away from Oxford, and during the summer holidays of my first year, when I was reluctant to return to my parents, I hopped on the bus – the tickets were fairly cheap back then – and went into town. On my first trip to the city, I visited the typical tourist spots. I took the tube to Tower Hill and strolled past the Tower of London to Tower Bridge. It was a beautiful day and the sun was shining, so I contented myself just watching the boats manoeuvring the Thames. But eventually I walked down by the river and then headed into West End. The effect was instantaneous as I was drawn to the theatres. So, I spent the little money I had on their cheapest tickets. But soon I was in a bit of a pickle. I kept returning to London as often as I could, but I didn't have enough money to afford tickets, yet I desperately wanted to see plays and shows. Well, one day, as I wandered around, I stumbled across a place called Covent Garden. There, street performers were active day in and out and after several weeks of watching, some of them became my friends. We went out for cheap food in the nearby Chinatown area and they persuaded me to become a street performer too."
C.C. laughed and interrupted his report, but he couldn't help but join in.
"I really can't picture you as that," she managed, holding her tummy.
"Well, neither could I. I didn't even know what to do that would keep people interested enough to watch, let alone to give me some money."
"So what did you do?" she probed.
"Well, at first I only sang. People stopped and listened, but they'd never stay long enough ... or thought me good enough to drop some coins in my hat."
"You can sing?" C.C. interrupted again.
"I'd say I have a decent enough voice. Not as good as a professional, of course, but fairly pleasant to listen to." he rambled, avoiding her eyes.
"Sing something!" she demanded with a smile.
"No, not now ... I haven't sung in ages and I wouldn't know what to sing..." he trailed off.
"Alright," she muttered sullenly, but he doubted that she'd give up so easily.
"Anyway, after a while, the lads taught me how to juggle and to do a number of tricks, so my repertoire – if you want to call it that – steadily grew. And then, finally, be prepared to laugh again, I got myself a partner too."
"A partner? Why would I laugh at that?" she questioned.
"Because his name was Larry and he was a monkey." Niles deadpanned, and seconds later C.C. erupted in loud laughter again.
"You were performing in the streets with a monkey?" she choked out, rocking back and forth, still laughing.
"Don't insult Larry; he was my best friend." Niles said, just managing to keep a straight face.
Her laugh had never sounded more beautiful to him and it healed the wounds a bit her previous behaviour had caused.
"So did Larry bring you more money?"
"Believe it or not, he did. People found our programme rather entertaining and so they paid. And with the money I earned, I could afford theatre tickets again and more food. Some weekends I even invited Clara to London and took her out for meals. But our relationship didn't work anymore on that level ... I'm not quite sure why ... but it didn't feel the same anymore."
"Maybe you simply didn't love her anymore?" C.C. suggested.
"Well, I suppose that's true enough. But it didn't stop me from ... um ... being interested in her on a different level."
He paused then, slightly flustered, as he hadn't necessarily meant to mention this, especially seeing how C.C.'s emotions were still raw on that particular subject.
"Oh Niles, you don't really think that sex and love are the same, do you?" she scoffed.
"No, of course I don't. But I do believe that sex with love is ideal, and much better."
"Then you're not getting any..." she commented with a slight smirk.
"Is that relevant?" he shrugged with a smile.
"No, I suppose not..."
A silence fell between them again that made him aware that they weren't completely back to normal yet.
"Well, C.C.," he rose to his feet. "I think that's enough for today."
"Alright," she agreed, and he smiled when he caught her subtly seeking out his eyes.
"I'll be back tomorrow," he promised and walked to the door. "Get some rest. The past few days have been exhausting for all of us."