Disclaimer: I don't own any part of The Nanny…yet.

A/N: I don't know where this will go… Let me know what you think.

NewYorkDates:com

Chapter 25

Discussions

"Hey Niles…" Fran called as he bounded down the back stairs. "What's put the bounce in your step?"

Niles smiled. "Oh…nothing…"

"Yeah…right." Fran shook her head. "The money for Mr. Wong's is under the canister. I think I'm gonna check on Miss Babcock. See if she has everything she needs." Fran winked back at Niles as she made her way up stairs.

Max came into the kitchen. "Niles…uhm…have you seen Miss Fine?"

"She just went up to check on Miss Babcock, Sir." Niles answered wondering what she'd done wrong. Max stood uncomfortably at the counter. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Max sighed heavily. "Oh, God I hope so, Old man." Max dropped into a kitchen chair.

"I'll do my very best, Sir." Niles sat down at the end of the table. "Now what has you in such a state…Sir?"

"Niles…you've been my closet friend for more than forty years. I don't need an employee, I need a friend." Max wanted to be clear.

"Alright, Max…what's the problem?" Niles shifted gears.

Max looked at Niles rather sheepishly. "I filled out an online dating form and got a list of possible matches and I've been emailing back and forth with the first lady on the list. She sounds positively amazing, Niles. She isn't afraid to tell me what she thinks or how she feels. She told me outright I should tell you how important you are to me and how I'd be lost without you…" Max paused for a breath. "Oh…" Max noticed the smile on Niles' face. "Well bugger it's all true. Anyway, she sounds absolutely lovely. We had a 96% match…we have the same feelings on several points and our emails have been very friendly and open and I just…I just…"

"You just don't know what you feel or what to do about it?" Niles finished for him.

Max nodded. "I feel almost like…like I'm being…unfaithful…"

"Max…" Niles shook his head. "You know that Sara wouldn't want you to be alone."

Max frowned. "Not to Sara, Niles…to Fran."

"What about Fran?" Gracie asked as she came in from the den.

Max stood up from the table. "I was just checking to make sure she called Mr. Wong's." Max slowly left the kitchen.

"Oh Miss Grace…what are we going to do with him?" Niles draped his arm around his young charge.

Grace put her arm around Niles' waist. "You mean why doesn't he just tell Fran that he's in love with her?" Grace dropped like hot potato. Niles laughed at her intuitiveness and nodded. "Probably for the same reason you won't tell Miss Babcock."

Niles whole body stiffened. "Miss Grace, I don't know…"

"Don't even try it, Niles. I've known longer than you have." Gracie tossed as she made her way up the back steps calling behind her. "Yell when the food gets here."

"That girl is way too smart for her own good." Niles shook his head.

"Nanny Fine…" CC scolded. "I didn't mean that you had to follow me up here."

Fran sat in the comfortable chair that graced the largest of the second floor guest rooms. "Well, I didn't think ya wanted to talk about this where we could be overheard."

CC popped her head out of the bathroom where she was drying her hair. "Well, I suppose you're right." CC leaned back in and turned off the dryer. "So, how have your emails with…" CC swallowed hard. "Max been going?"

"Well, I don't think he suspects anything…I'm trying to be me without letting on…ya know?" Fran offered. "What about you?" Fran waited. "Have you and…what was his name?"

"Andy." CC answered.

Fran nodded. "Right. Andy. How have your emails been going?"

"Too well." CC sighed and dropped back into the matching guest room chair. "He's perfect, Fran. Well, perfect for me. It's just too good to be true, ya know?" CC seemed worried.

Fran leaned forward. "How can the two of ya's bein' perfect for each other be a bad thing?" Fran wanted to find out what Niles was doing that was freaking out CC.

"I've never met a man like Andy, Fran…well that's not really true, but that guys not a possibility. I just don't see how it could be this easy…what if…" CC's voice drifted.

Fran raised her eyebrows and coaxed CC to continue. "What if what?"

"What if I get invested in this guy, this guy whom I've never really met, who seems perfect on paper and in his emails, but then when he meets me…what if I'm…" CC paused and pulled at her fingers in her lap. "What if I'm not everything he expects?" CC dropped her head into her hand. "Oh God, I can't believe I just said that."

Fran put her hand on CC's knee. "Miss Babcock…everyone has those fears. Don't you think Andy sits at home or at work and thinks…what if when she finally meets me…I'm not good enough…I'm not all she wants or needs. You just trust me…he does."

"Ok, so he does…but…I…" CC closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I really like this guy, Fran. But there's just…this little…pang of quilt."

Fran frowned. "Guilt…guilt about what?"

"Guilt about the other man in my heart," CC said before she knew it.

Fran rolled her eyes. "Oh…you mean Max…"

CC raised her eyebrows and practically yelled. "Yeah!" Then regaining some control and false 'aloofness' she continued. "Yeah…of course I meant Max."

"Right." Fran nodded and thought silently. "She ain't talkin' about Max. Who could she mean?"

There was a knock at the guest room door and CC called. "Come in!"

"Dinner is here!" Niles announced as she practically swept into the room. "Are you ladies ready?"

CC couldn't help but stare at Niles as he was now dressed in head to toe denim. "Oh, yeah, Niles…" CC cooed unintentionally. "We're ready." CC softly touched his chest as she passed him.

Fran passed Niles and once she was in the hall her eyes got very big as the realization finally hit her. "Miss Babcock's other man is Niles."

"Fran…Fran…Miss Fine!" Niles finally called to her. "Are you alright?"

Fran's head snapped around to look at her best friend. "Uhm…yeah…I'm good. Let's eat." Fran made her way down the back stairs into the kitchen where the food was on the counter waiting for everyone to pick up their orders.

Brighton blew into the kitchen and grabbed his food. "I'm gonna eat this in my room…I'm on the instant messenger with Karen…"

Grace grabbed her take out carton and looked at the four adults. "Where's Maggie?"

"She had a date with, Tom, Tim something." Fran answered.

Grace just looked between the adults for a minute. "Ok then, well I was right in the middle of a chapter of an important…book that I think I…"

"It's ok, Gracie," Fran started. "You don't have to stay down here with us."

"Oh thank God." Grace took her food and a bottle of water up the back stairs.

The adults milled around the counter for a few moments. Fran took her food to the table and Max trailed behind her. They sat at the kitchen table and Niles stood in the corner of the island looking at Fran's back. CC stood at the end of the island just in front of the fridge and Max was sitting at the end of the table with his back to the door into the den.

They were silent. Uncomfortably silent. Niles spoke first. "Fran?"

"Wha!" Fran nearly jumped out of her skin. "Geez, Niles…give a girl a warning."

Niles looked sheepishly at CC and shrugged. "I think you ordered me beef lo mien by mistake."

"Really?" Fran thought for a minute.

"Yeah…" CC interjected. "I wanted the spicy beef and broccoli and this is chicken and broccoli."

Fran shrugged and then smiled. "Well, just mix 'em together in a big bowl and share the chicken beef broccoli lo mien a la Fran."

Niles and CC stopped eating and stood in shock at Fran's suggestion. "You want me to eat out of the same bowl with Hazel?" CC scoffed.

"Oh, come on, Babs. I won't be any worse than the other puppies when you were growing up." Niles replied. They tossed a tentative glance across the counter.

CC sighed heavily. "Oh alright."

Niles moved to the cabinet and returned with a large bowl and emptied both take out containers into it and mixed everything around well. "Would you like me to put some on a plate for you Miss Babcock?" Niles asked politely.

CC moved to stand next to Niles. "No…we can just…share it. They stood together at the counter and Niles lifted the chopsticks out of the bowl and put some of the tasty mix into his mouth. CC was transfixed. She watched as the strange mixture of beef and chicken and broccoli and long lo mien noodles made their way from the bowl into that mouth that she secretly thought about so often. CC shook her head of the thought and lifted her chopsticks to her mouth to take a bit. "You know, Nanny Fine. This isn't that bad."

"You see…" Fran smirked. "Sometimes when you mix two things together that you'd never considered a match before…everything turns out perfectly."