Hi guys... gosh, I can't believe how long it took me to write this. But, you see, this is a very special oneshot. 1. I love that episode 2. It's dedicated to beMMADfabulous because she requested it a little while back saying "I want Niles to tell her." lol and 3. Because it's the 7th June today and part 2 of my present!;) Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this and I haven't messed it up too much! Oh and before I forget, chances are I might not write anything tomorrow. I'm going out for an "End of Year 2" meal with my friends ;) and I don't know when we'll be back, just to let you know!:)
Disclaimer: I own nothing...would sure love to see Daniel Davis and/or Lauren Lane though!*sigh*
Episode 13: The Yummy Mummy: CC:"That isn't what you were gonna say!And why are you holding those flowers?" Niles:"I thought you'd like a snack!" CC:"You're wearing your fancy pants!Niles has a crush on someone!" Niles:"Oh,do not..." CC:"Niles and his girlfriend,sittin' in a tree D-U-S-T-I-N-G!Alright,who is it?"
He had blown it... his one chance to make her understand just how much he loved her,completely blown it. He had been ridiculously nervous to begin with, after all, confessing to C.C. Babcock that he was in love with her was a bit of a suicide mission. He had to be completely honest with her and make her believe that he meant every word because if she felt the same way but thought he was only toying with her,well,nothing would come of it. But on the other hand,if she didn't reciprocate his feelings and he made himself completely vulnerable he'd never hear the end of it.
He knew that he would have to do it on another day, when she had stormed into the house seething because Colin had dumped her. But before he had a chance to retreat C.C. had noticed the flowers he was holding and despite his best efforts he couldn't weasel his way out of the situation. The problem was that he had forgotten how dangerous C.C. Babcock could be when someone had hurt her pride. What she enjoyed the most then was to see other people suffer, and Niles had just qualified himself as the perfect victim. She kept pushing and provoking him, in order to make herself feel better, without realising just how far she was going.
"Alright, who is it?" she asked.
"It's you." he whispered, finally giving in.
"Pardon me?" she asked, certain she had misunderstood him.
"Yes, my God it's you. At times like this I don't even know myself what I see in you. You're selfish, arrogant and cold but I'm still in love with you. There, are you happy now?You can use this to torture me for the rest of my life!" and with that he angrily dropped the flowers and left her alone.
He had sought refuge in Maxwell's office. His feet had immediately carried him there before his brain could even comprehend where he was going. He didn't know why on earth he had ended up there, when clearly his room would've been the safer option. In a pointless gesture he closed the door behind him and walked over to stand by the window. He knew that chances were Fran,Maxwell or the children might barge in any minute, but for the time being he just didn't care. He leaned his head against the cool glass of the window and thought, but try as he might he couldn't come up with a plan to change the sticky situation he was in. So eventually he just gave up and let his mind wander to other times and to the person who had persuaded him to tell her in the first place.
It had been Sara Sheffield who had brought C.C. Babcock into their lives. They had both been friends at University and once she had heard that C.C. was looking for a job in the theatre business she had called her and told her to come for an interview at Sheffield-Productions.
"Maxwell could need someone like you." she had said and C.C. had laughed.
"Someone like me?What does that mean?"
"Well,you know?Someone to kick his butt..." Sara had quietly replied and C.C. had laughed even more.
"You seem to know this Maxwell very well. What makes you think he'd even interview me?"
"He's my husband."
"Oh..." and the laughter had stopped "I didn't know you were married...but I guess it only makes sense, a sweet girl like you..."
"Please come, Chastity, I would love to see you again!"
And finally C.C. had accepted the offer. Arriving at the Sheffields' posh residence she felt suddenly overcome by nerves. Standing on her own two feet sometimes still scared her, especially because she was the only one of the Babcock women who had chosen that life for herself. Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear she pulled herself together and knocked on the door. She had expected Sara to open it,expected a familiar face and possibly even a warm embrace, but what she got instead was Niles.
"Hello?" the man asked, arching an immaculate eyebrow.
It wasn't his smooth voice, nor his fit body that threw her, it were his eyes. They were of such a remarkable shade of blue she couldn't help but get lost in them.
"C.C. Babcock, I'm here for an interview with Maxwell Sheffield." she said, glad that her voice didn't betray her.
Before the butler could say another word, however, a woman bounded down the stairs and wrapped her up in a loving embrace.
"Chastity!" she exclaimed,pulling away to get a better look at her "My word, you look gorgeous!But your hair:it's blonde!"
"I knew it looked too good to be real." the deep British voice filled the air again and she felt herself tremble "May I take your coat?"
C.C. allowed him to help her out of it while Sara said: "Oh and this is Niles, our butler, though he's more of a friend,really."
"A butler and on top of that looking for a secretary. Sounds as if that husband of yours is a little lazy." C.C. stated frankly,trying to disguise how envious she was in reality,that Sara had found a man "Well, you'll better let him know that I won't answer the telephone for him all day.I willl only settle for being his partner, nothing less."
To her surprise she heard Niles chuckle behind her.
"You cut straight to the chase, don't you?" he asked, his blue eyes sparkling "Good luck getting Max to hire her."
"The butler should learn his place." C.C. said cooly before following Sara into the office.
It turned out that Niles had been mistaken. Although Maxwell didn't care too much for C.C. on a personal level, he was clever enough to realise that on a business level she was exactly what he needed. On the day she got hired Sara persuaded Maxwell to take them out to dinner so that they could catch-up, she also instructed Niles to prepare a guest room because C.C. would spend the night. At the door,when Niles helped C.C. into her coat,she said:
"Looks like you were mistaken, Butler Boy,I'm ,in fact, here to stay." He had then given her a smile so radiant she thought she would melt into a puddle right on the spot.
"Oh damn and I had already gotten my hopes up."
Later on that night, when everyone had gone to bed, Niles couldn't sleep. Ever since C.C. Babcock had breezed into his life that morning he had felt restless. Well, she was certainly something. A stunning woman who didn't know just how beautiful she was, with a rapier-sharp wit and stubborn to top it all off. He hadn't known what it was back then...only that this woman had excited him more on one day than all the other women he had met in his life time. Finally giving up on sleep, he had climbed out of bed and,putting on his robe, had walked downstairs to sit by the piano.
Sara was also too excited to sleep. The day had been marvelous, first C.C. had entered her life again, then Maxwell had offered her a job and on top of that she had noticed some chemistry between her and Niles.A soft tune reached her ears and knowing that it could only be one person playing the piano at that hour she got out of bed and snuck downstairs. To her surprise, however, she found that Niles wasn't the only one in the room. Hidden in the shadows behind the column she caught a glimpse of C.C.'s blonde hair and then the rest of her face. Going into hiding herself she decided to watch the two of them for a while. Niles had just finished playing a rather powerful piece which she recognised as Beethoven's Pathetique, when he immediately started playing a much softer piece. C.C. who had been quietly turning around, stopped in her tracks and focused her attention back on Niles. Sara could see that she studied him closely, the way his eyes fluttered shut as he began to relax and the way his fingers gracefully brushed over the keys. By the time he finished the second piece, Sara noticed with a smile that silent tears had made their way down C.C.'s cheek. Niles, looking up, saw C.C. in the mirror and instantly turned around.
"Miss Babcock?" he asked, half confused, half hopeful.
C.C. felt completely caught off guard, especially considering the vulnerable state she was in and so she hissed: "Will you keep it down? Other people are trying to sleep! You really don't know your place,servant!"
Even from where she was sitting Sara could see a darkness cloud Niles' eyes.
"Only because your kind has exceptionally good hearing doesn't mean I disturbed anyone else. Now go back to bed, the first rays of sun could be deadly for you!"
When C.C. had left in a huff Sara had finally climbed out of her hiding place and approached Niles.
"Oh Mrs Sheffield..." he said, surprised to see her "I'm sorry, seems Miss Babcock was right. I don't know what I was thinking playing in the middle of the night."
She gently placed a hand on his shoulder and so stopped him from fleeing the room.
"You always do,Niles. And you play beautifully,so don't stop on my account. As for C.C...well,you just caught her off guard."
"Please." he scoffed, annoyance clear in his tone "She only came down to put the servant in his place."
"Niles, I've known Chastity for a long time. She's complicated... before you noticed her, she had been watching you for a long time. She simply felt trapped when you spoke."
But despite her best attempt she couldn't stop the inevitable. From that moment onwards Niles and C.C. started throwing insults at each other whenever they got the chance. It wasn't the gentle, teasing sort they had used on that first day,it was harder,more hurtful somehow and Sara hated having to stand by and watch them. But whenever she was alone with C.C. the blonde used every opportunity to talk about him. Sure, it was about how annoying she found him or what prank he had pulled again, but it was clear to Sara that C.C. was trying to hide the fact that she really cared about the man.
One night, after C.C. had been dumped by one of her boyfriends,she found Niles in a rather bad state in the kitchen.
"What's wrong?" Sara asked softly,squeezing his hand.
"I went to check on Miss Babcock earlier on...you know, to see how she was doing after that low-life dumped her." he said with a sigh "But she rubbed it in again that I'm only a servant and that I should leave her alone."
"Ah Niles, I'm sorry." she said,gently patting his back "But you know,she doesn't mean that..not really in anyway. It's the piano moment all over again, she was vulnerable and you caught her. She was afraid that you might use it to hurt her even more."
"But why doesn't she realise that I wouldn't hurt her?I love her..." he whispered desparetly and despite the situation Sara broke into a grin.
It was the first time he had admitted it and she didn't know if it was due to his frustration or the brandy he had consumed.
"You can't give up now." she said sternly.
"But she hates me."
"I'm telling you she doesn't. Believe me, you would know if C.C. Babcock hated you. Don't you notice the sparkle in her eyes when you two are sparring?The way she comes alive whenever she sees you?If you really do love her, you have to break through that barrier."
"But I can't!The infuriating woman just makes me so angry sometimes that I would just mess it up, throw my love in her face like a sulking child."
And up to this day he hadn't forgotten Sara's reply.
"That may be so. But I'm certain she will return to you,Niles. Just be ready to embrace her."
"God, I hope you're right." he thought,letting out a deep sigh.
A moment later he heard the door to the office open and then being shut again. He buttoned up his jacket,preparing to turn around with a fake smile plastered on his face, when her voice stopped him in his tracks.
"You just dropped the flowers." she said quietly and he turned around to face her.
He couldn't quite believe what he saw, C.C. looked as if all her fire had left her, or maybe just the walls around her had crumbled. She looked like a child, vulnerable and lost. He just stood where he was, scared that even a single word would ruin the moment.
"You were so angry you dropped the flowers..." she repeated in a monotone voice that began to scare him.
Clearing his throat he finally said: "Well, I could always buy you new ones." and he gave her a small smile.
"You really do love me, don't you?" she whispered, carefully stepping closer.
"Of course I do." he replied nodding softly "You anger me, you excite me, you make me smile.I've just seen it all with you, C.C., the good and the bad, but I am still here."
"Say it." she pleaded, hesitantly wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his shoulder.
"I love you,C.C." he whispered into her ear "And I will even buy you new flowers."
After a while he heard her chuckle and then she said: "Good, but before that you better clean up the mess you made, Butler Boy."
