Ok... so I'm posting this now because I am fairly happy with it. I think it's a little bit different,because it uses another language. I'm aware that the Spanish question mark and exclamation mark are missing, as well as the little accent thing... but that's the fault of ff, not mine...it was there originally. Anyway, I've learned Spanish in school but haven't used it for nearly 5 years now, so be gentle please!lol Thanks to all of you who are still reading this and who wrote to me ,telling me what I should do about my "problem".

Disclaimer: I own nothing,only my poor Spanish skills.

Episode 9: Educating Fran: CC:"Oh Niles,just when I think you're so pathetic you go and top yourself!" Niles"Well,I'm sorry. We can't all learn Spanish the way you did: chasing frightened tourists down the streets of Pamplona!"

A while ago she had made fun of him for watching a soap opera in a language he didn't even understand, but now they were actually bonding over it. It had all started when Niles had found her in the living room,curiously staring at the screen. Sure,she had made fun of him...but somehow the melo-drama had intruiged her and so she had changed the channel to see what was happening. This just so coincided with a scene, in which one of the main characters was being shot. Her eyes widened in shock and she pressed a hand to her mouth, that's how Niles found her.

"Es papa...?" he asked her and to her surprise she found herself answering in Spanish:

"Muerte."

And a second later she was in Niles' arms. It was pathetic and almost ridiculous that they would become closer over a thing like that but here was the proof. Niles had actually embraced her without a hidden agenda,simply because he thought it would make her feel better.

After that particular moment and without having talked about it, they met again the next day and the day after that to watch the soap opera together. And a dramatic change began to happen...Everyday they'd greet each other with insults and bicker and argue just as before...but when it was time to watch the soap,they would gradually calm down,so much so that afterwards they'd even chat to each other in a nice and civilised way. Of course it was only small-talk at first, he would ask her something, she would answer and then run away from the unfamiliar feeling of warmth that spread through her body. But over time the conversation became longer and much more personal. All of this came to an abrupt standstill, when Maxwell walked in on them one day. They had both been standing at the kitchen counter, spooning ice cream out of the same carton, their eyes glued to the screen.

"What do you think you're doing?" he had exclaimed, turning very red "Niles, you are paid to work for me, not to sit around and watch TV. And C.C., you went to fetch the contracts over half an hour ago. If I'll ever catch you lazing around like this again, you're both fired!" and with that he had stormed off. Niles and C.C. had shared a sad glance, before she had left the kitchen.

The following days were much harder than anticipated. Although they were both still under the same roof, they missed each other and the quality time they had spent the days before. Unbeknownst to C.C. Niles had bought a Spanish book and was pouring over it every evening,slowly building up a basic vocabulary. That was, when the idea had occured to him.

The following day C.C. was sitting on the green love seat,like she usually did, reading through scripts. She felt tired and slightly bored, but her eyes lit up when Niles walked into the room, carrying a tray. He poured Maxwell a cup of tea and put it down in front of him on the desk, then he did the same for her. Taking it with a grateful nod, she noticed that he had placed a note on the saucer. Once he was out of the room and she had made sure that Maxwell wasn't looking,she opened it and read:

"Te echo de menos".

She certainly wasn't perfect in Spanish, but she knew enough to be able to translate it.

"I miss you too,Butler Boy." she thought, letting out a deep sigh while folding the note and putting it into her pocket.

From that moment onward she found a note from him every day. Some of his messages were more complex than others, informing her what she was missing on the soap opera and so she decided to have Spanish lessons twice a week. It was a weird ritual that they shared, to the outside world they were still the same,teasing and insulting each other, but speaking in Spanish enabled them to really express their feelings. Over the time it became harder and harder for C.C. not to let Maxwell see how excited she felt, especially when she found notes reading:

"Tu risa me hace temblar" (your laugh makes me tremble) or "Su sonrisa es tan bella"(your smile is so beautiful)

Then, one day, when Nanny Fine was keeping Maxwell occupied in the office, C.C. had found a longer note.

"Muevete!Encuentrame en la habitacion al final del pasillo." (Hurry!Meet me in the room at the end of the corridor)

She didn't even have to excuse herself because Maxwell had only eyes for Nanny Fine and so she slipped out of the room and approached the other one with a pounding heart. She carefully opened the door and found herself in semi-darkness,the only illumination was provided by candles. But her eyes immediately moved to the man who was just pouring a glass of wine.

"Hola." he greeted her with a happy smile "Te ves hermosa hoy."(You look beautiful today)

"Hola, Niles." she replied quietly and noticed the visible chill that Niles received upon hearing her speak Spanish " Que estas haciendo?"(What are you doing?)

"He cocinado una comida mexicana y compre vino espanol." (I've cooked a mexican meal and bought spanish wine) he explained with a smile and handed her a glass " Sentarse!El programa de television esta a punto de comenzar." (Sit down, the programme is about to begin)

She sat down on the bed and he soon joined her.

"I meant what I said,Miss Babcock." he whispered and gently rested his hand on top of hers.

"Hush,Bellboy." she replied " Dilo en espanol!" (Say it in Spanish)

He remained silent for a while,but his thumb was still caressing her soft hand.

"Te adoro,C.C." he finally breathed.

A smile began to tug at the corner of her mouth and she rested her head on his shoulder,whispering: "Te adoro,Niles."