"So, what's been going on while I was away?" C.C. asked as she settled back into the Cartier leather seat of the Town Car and buckled her seatbelt.
Niles eased his way into the flow of traffic and smiled.
"Oh, you would've enjoyed it – it's been non-stop choosing between fingertip or waltz length veils, jacquard or damask table linens, weeping fig trees or topiaries..."
"You know, for a man, you understand far too much about wedding details," C.C. said with a sidelong glance.
"Well, I am Miss Fine's second-best girlfriend, don't you know," Niles responded in an exaggerated fey tone with a deliberately limp hand gesture.
C.C. laughed out loud at that, and Niles smiled, pleased to hear her relaxed and amused. He didn't know if he'd ever be able to erase that image of C.C. from his mind – the one of her cowering and shivering at the top of the Sheffield's staircase, moaning like a wounded animal. He'd checked on her progress daily while she was at The Place, and was disappointed that C.C. hadn't been allowed visitors. Her time there had apparently done her some good, though, as she looked happier and healthier than she had in a long time.
"Well, one good thing about being locked away," C.C. mused aloud, "at least I wasn't available to be asked to be a bridesmaid. I cringe to think of the lime-green polyester frock she would've made me wear..."
"Even Miss Valerie has been expressing her discontent as of late," Niles admitted of Fran's maid of honor. "If she so much as looks at a brownie or cookie, Miss Fine comes unglued and reminds her that they've had the final fitting and there is no time left to let out her gown."
C.C. shook her head in amusement and smiled. She knew that Fran would've never asked her to be in the wedding party, but she was enjoying this easy banter with Niles. In some ways, when they were alone, he was so...different. Not every word out of his mouth was a jibe or an insult. Mind you, he didn't completely change his stripes...she chuckled inwardly as she remembered him helping her pack up to leave The Place. She'd thanked him for the flowers he'd sent, and he responded that he'd thought they might come in handy if she'd wanted to graze between meals. C.C. quietly wondered what it would be like once they got back to the Sheffield house. Truth be told, when she was there with him, she'd always felt obligated to keep up a certain image, matching him cutting remark for cutting remark. Even though she was looking forward to getting back to her temporary "home", she silently worried about the possibility of losing this new closeness she and Niles shared.
When they arrived, Niles told C.C. to go on inside, that he'd get her bags. She should've suspected an ulterior motive, for when she walked in the front door, the entire Sheffield clan was there shouting "welcome home!" C.C. looked around and saw bunting strung through the railing of the stairway, and a cluster of helium balloons anchored at the bottom. Unbidden, tears sprang to her eyes, and she struggled to control her emotions.
"Th-thank you, all of you, this is so very sweet," she managed to choke out.
Niles came in then and the party moved to the dining room, where there was cake, coffee, tea and soft drinks for everyone. C.C. looked around the table and saw the oldest girl sitting, telling Niles to cut her a small – no, smaller than that – piece of cake.
"Surely you have better things to do on a Saturday afternoon?" C.C. asked her, secretly pleased that she was there. She knew that the girl was hot and heavy with some boy. "No plans with the boyfriend?"
Maggie smiled and blushed slightly. She was surprised Miss Babcock knew even that much about her social life.
"Michael is taking me out to the movies tonight," she replied. "He would've been here now, but I told him that this was just for family."
C.C. tried to keep a non-committal expression on her face, but she suddenly had trouble swallowing her cake. Family. After all these years, and her obvious disdain of these children, they still considered her "family"? This sudden flood of emotions was enough to drive a person back to The Place.
"Well, I appreciate you giving up a Saturday for me," C.C. said in a tremulous voice.
The youngest one, the one with all the therapy experience, sensed a need to change the subject.
"You'll still be staying here, won't you, Miss Babcock?"
"Um, for the time being, I guess," C.C. replied. Her sister D.D. was between husbands at the moment and was staying in C.C.'s penthouse while she was in New York. C.C. could certainly go back and room with her sister, but...somehow she didn't want to. It was contrary to every cell in her being, but C.C. liked staying at Maxwell's house. She liked being down the hall from Niles. She enjoyed having breakfast every morning with the family. "My God," C.C. thought to herself, "what on Earth has happened to me? They've turned my brain into tapioca!"
"I guess, for a while," C.C. said out loud, in answer to Grace's question. "I was the one who offered my apartment to my sister...I suppose it would be rude to kick her out. I just hate to be an inconvenience..."
There was a chorus of "no", "of course not", "what are you talking about" from around the table. C.C. smiled and said "then you've still got yourselves a house guest." She paused, and then looked around the table, anxious to take the focus off of herself. "So, tell me, what color gown should I shop for? I've got just over a week...."
The conversation immediately turned to the upcoming nuptials, and C.C. silently zoned out, and just sat smiling in her chair. She didn't notice Niles watching her, as if she might explode.
C.C. sat down gratefully at a nearby table. She'd been standing for numerous toasts to the happy couple, and her feet were killing her.
"That's what I get for choosing fashion over practicality," she thought to herself as she slipped her feet out of their shoes and rubbed them together.
She took a sip out of the champagne flute in her hand. It had been a beautiful ceremony, despite Nanny Fine's hairdo that could have concealed a small munitions factory. The reception was a frilly haze of gold and white, with statues and topiary trees and a cake that reached to the ceiling. There was a small nudge in the back of C.C.'s finishing school mind that said this was too over-the-top for a second marriage, but she shrugged it off and took another long draw off her flute.
"How many of those have you had?" asked a veddy cultured British voice.
"Twelve, but who's counting?" C.C. responded, looking up at Niles. She'd seen him before in his "fancy pants," but, my goodness, who could've ever conjured up the image of him in white tie and tails? Breathtaking didn't begin to describe it. C.C. mentally shook herself and tried not to look like a high school girl talking to the star quarterback.
"You naughty girl, you know you're not supposed to..." he wagged a finger at her. "Would you care to dance?"
C.C. stood up and Niles encircled her in his arms. The two of them virtually floated on the dance floor...Niles was an excellent leader, and C.C. had had years of cotillion dancing classes under her belt. When the song ended, the pair was lost in each others eyes, unaware that their flawless moves on the floor had commanded everyone's attention. The orchestra broke the spell and started playing an up-tempo number.
"Do you mind if we sit this one out?" C.C. asked breathlessly.
"My thoughts exactly," Niles concurred. They returned to C.C.'s table and Niles grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. C.C. declined with a wave of her hand.
"Have I told you yet, Miss Babcock, how ravishing you look this evening?"
"Not yet," C.C. laughed, "but of course, you weren't that drunk until now."
Niles sat up straight and looked at her with serious eyes.
"I'm not that drunk," he stated and then paused. The two of them eyed each other for a few minutes, and then he asked "would you like to leave now?"
C.C.'s mind was reeling, the room suddenly seemed unbearably hot. "Yes," was all she said.
They stepped outside and Niles quickly stopped a cab. They rode in silence to the Sheffield home. Upon arrival, they stood silently for a moment in the vestibule, then simultaneously began climbing the stairs. Niles steered C.C. into his room and closed the door. They had their arms around each other, and he pulled her close.
"You don't know how many times I've imagined this," he breathed into her neck.
"You and me both," C.C. said as she reached up and nipped his jaw.
C.C. melted into Niles' embrace...this was not pity or a charity kiss for the wacko...she could feel his raw emotion as he mashed his mouth onto hers. She responded eagerly and they slowly stumbled their way towards his bed while still enmeshed with one another. They bumped into the edge of the bed and tumbled down onto it. Niles started peeling away her Versace gown, and she responded in kind, fingers fumbling at the buttons on his Turnbull and Asser shirt.
"More beautiful than I'd ever imagined," Niles breathed when he'd finally relieved C.C. of all her clothing. He pulled her on top of him and they kissed and giggled. C.C. struggled and finally divested Niles of the last of his clothes. He stopped for a moment and leaned over towards the nightstand. C.C. waited and heard a series of noises as a CD was selected and installed into the nearby player. C.C. smiled and her eyes welled up.
"Roxy Music's 'Siren' CD...how did you know?"
"You've mentioned Bryan Ferry a time or two, and when I went to your apartment to collect your clothes, I couldn't help but notice that you had the LP and the CD of 'Siren.""
C.C. sighed and molded herself against Niles, losing herself to the music, and marveling at the fact that he'd bothered to investigate her entertainment center when he'd been at her penthouse.
As the dulcet strains of "Love is the Drug" filled the room, C.C. lost herself in Niles' arms. He responded with a series of kisses along her jaw, neck and ear. C.C.'s breathing became labored as he worked his way down towards her breast. He teased the tip with his tongue. She gasped with pleasure, and began peppering his body with nips and kisses. He inhaled her Chanel No. 5 and moaned as she gently grasped and manipulated him.
"C.C....my God, you're so beautiful..." Niles murmured against her ear as she raised her hips to meet him. In her mind she saw explosions of color that the finest Scotch had never provided. "I can never be close enough to you," she panted as Niles yowled in sudden satisfaction. The two of them kissed madly and then evaporated into each other's arms. They looked into each other's eyes, and C.C. realized that it had never been like this for her before. Ever. The cuddling afterward, the pillow talk. She and Niles stroked each other and muttered disjointed bits of conversation until they both fell asleep.
When the first light of day penetrated the room, C.C. rolled onto her side and struggled to clear her mind. She glanced over at the snoring Niles and smiled. The previous night had been...magical, ethereal, wonderful. But, in the back of her mind, she realized that Niles had had a lot to drink at the wedding. And he had presumed that she was drunk as well, even though all she'd had was sparkling grape juice, thanks to Nanny Fine's planning ahead and stocking the bar appropriately.
"Damn it, why can't I just accept something at face value?" she chastised herself. Her night with Niles had been the best time she'd ever had, but...she couldn't help but wonder...was he himself? Or had he been sloshed and flush with Dutch courage? A more stable mind would know the difference, she told herself. She looked out the window and heaved a sigh. What if he wakes up and starts taunting me? Or makes jokes? Her insecurities got the best of her, and she quietly got out of bed and tip-toed to her room. She pulled on her red robe from Noel, and then thought for a moment. What if he wasn't really that drunk? She shook her head as if to exorcise her conflicting thoughts, and then went back quietly into Niles' room. He was still motionless, snoring away contentedly. She slipped back into bed and snuggled against him. He moaned slightly and rolled over, embracing her in his sleep. C.C. remained there for over an hour, just admiring his firm, muscled chest as he slept.
"That work-it-out is paying off big time, Mister," she thought to herself, as she admired his body. He was firm and taut and looked at least 10 years younger than his actual age. C.C. nuzzled her face into his neck and kissed him. She then scurried out of his bed and back into her own room, since it was almost time for his alarm to go off. She still had conflicting thoughts as to why last night had happened, and she felt safer here, by herself.Niles staggered into the kitchen and began preparations for breakfast.
"How's it going, old man?" asked Brighton as he helped himself to some orange juice. "You look like you had a good time last night." He meant, of course, at the reception, but Niles' mind was miles away.
"I had the strangest dream," Niles answered, somewhat in a daze. "I dreamt that I'd slept with...Santa Claus."