4

Niles hummed as he put out the breakfast for the family. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, but it was nothing he was going to complain about. When Lois had asked him back to her flat for a drink, he knew that it wasn't just a simple beverage she was offering, and although he usually wasn't one to partake in night caps, he decided a little variety wouldn't hurt him.

It wasn't a one-night stand though, and he knew that from the moment she kissed him. She had kissed him and it made his heart beat faster just to think about it. Lois had backed him up against the wall and pressed herself against him and without a second thought, she had begun her exploration of his mouth. Oh, and what an exploration it was, he thought fondly.

The entire night had been more about the two of them having fun and being comfortable than anything else, and it had been revitalizing. Twenty years in the making, one night of passion with a beautiful woman definitely changed his outlook on life – it just wasn't the woman with whom he had expected to free all of these pent-up emotions.

There had been a fleeting moment when his thoughts had strayed to CC, and he wondered what she'd think of it all; she'd probably call him an old goat and tell him what an idiot he was for letting himself believe that Lois would be interested in him, but he wasn't worried about that. There was no doubt in his mind that Lois felt something for him, and whatever it might be, he knew it was better than what CC would be able to offer him. As much as a part of him wished it were his sparring partner there instead of Lois, he also knew that he'd already waited quite a while, and they were no closer to moving forward.

The thoughts of CC quickly disappeared when Lois began to unbutton his pants, and he was very quickly, uh, thrust, into the here-and-now.

Smiling, he poured glasses of orange juice for the children and Fran, and set the coffee decanter on the buffet stand. It had been a pretty exceptional night, and in the light of day there were no regrets that he could manage to think of. Lois and he had agreed to do dinner again, and maybe also breakfast again, and Niles had promised that next time he would cook for her; she had been intrigued by his culinary abilities, and asked him to model an apron for her. He only hoped that she wasn't expecting him to sport just the apron, or else he might injure himself on her stainless steel grill, he thought, chuckling.

"Someone's in a good mood this morning," Fran said, making her way into the dining room. She was unusually early to breakfast, but she wanted all the gossip and once the kids got there she knew there was no hope in hell in getting it out of him. Even now, with just the two of them, there was a slim chance that he wouldn't talk.

"Well, it's a lovely day outside, don't you think?" Niles wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Funny thing," Fran began, before seeing Mr. Sheffield enter the room. Normally she would have let it stop her from continuing the conversation, but Niles was a mutual friend, and she was certain that it would get back to their boss eventually. "I went to your room around 11:30 last night to see how the date went, and you still weren't home. Where might you have been," Fran asked suspiciously.

"We went for a walk through Central Park after dinner," Niles said smoothly. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth. How much could he actually be expected to share?

"Hello, hello," CC beamed as she made her way into the dining room. She had a wonderful night the evening before, watching her favorite movies with Chester. It wasn't exactly the kind of night most people expected of CC Babcock, but every so often she just needed to relax, and that was how she felt most comfortable.

"Hi," Fran said before turning her attention back to Niles. "You took a walk through Central Park at night?"

CC shook off the coolness; even Fran's indifference to her couldn't bring her down today.

Niles knew that he should have quit while he was ahead and avoided this conversation. "It was still daylight, almost," he explained.

"And then?"

"What? What's this all about?" CC looked at Niles, and then to Fran and Max who seemed to be giving him their rapt attention.

"Niles had a date last night; he's just fillin' us in," Fran explained, her eyes glued to her friend. "You betta keep explainin' Mr. or I'll make Mr. Sheffield beat it out of you!"

Niles laughed at the look in Fran's eyes. "You know, you could work for the FBI as a terrorist interrogator," he said before turning his attention towards filling Mr. Sheffield's cup with coffee.

"So you went for a walk, and then?"

"We went for ice cream," Niles said, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Aw, how sweet – and then you took her to the carousel where you bought her cotton candy? Did she throw up on the ceramic horsie," CC asked, laughing. She had heard him say something to Fran about how much younger the woman was, and though she didn't know specifics, she felt it was as good a point to mock as any.

Niles fought the urge to tell her just how well Lois had rode the 'horsie' "It was really a nice date," he said, before returning to his work. He hadn't mustered the courage to look at CC. He felt like she could see through him and that somehow she knew that he had thought of her while he had been with Lois, no matter how fleetingly the thought had been there, or how little it meant on the greater scheme of things.

In the light of day, he was feeling a slight case of guiltiness, which he was trying to write off as twenty years of repressed feelings for someone completely unattainable. It was only natural, he hoped, that after two decades of lusting and longing for one woman, having sex with Lois would feel a little sinful.

"Must have been," Fran said, "seein' as you didn't come home last night."

CC's jaw dropped in shock. He didn't come home? He stayed out all night? He stayed with her all night? It was their first date, wasn't it? He stayed out all night with a woman he just met? They'd known each other twenty years and…CC stopped herself; that was a road she wasn't willing to go down.

"You actually stayed out all night? I thought Miss Fine was just teasing you! Good work, Old Man," Max said, happy that Niles was finally doing something for himself. "And you made it home in time for breakfast," he pointed out.

"She dropped me off," Niles admitted, blushing. "Now, would you yentas like something to eat, or are you going to torture me all morning?"

CC still couldn't find any words. She was praying that a snippy remark of some sort would make its way to her, but it wasn't happening. It just wouldn't happen. It was all she could to keep from gasping when Fran told them that Niles hadn't come home, but now to find a coherent thought that didn't resemble jealousy was impossible.

"One last question…when's your next date?"

Niles placed a croissant in front of Fran. "Tonight. But I'm not going out until late, Sir. I'll be here for dinner."

"Another night of nookie, eh, Niles? Can't blame ya. Mr. Sheffield, you've got to meet Lois – she's beautiful." Fran bit into her croissant and smiled at the men who were staring at her. "You don't think I'd set Niles up with someone ugly, do you?"

For not the first time, CC wanted to reach across the table and strangle Nanny Fine. She could imagine her hands wrapping around the scrawny neck and pulling her across the table, but it wasn't like she could do anything about it. CC realized she had relatively few motor functions available to her; the shock must not have worn off for a few minutes, because when she finally regained the ability to shut her mouth, she realized the kids were already a good way through their breakfasts.

5

Niles was dusting the same spot on the end table as he had been for the last five minutes. Between Fran and Max squabbling over what the kids should be doing with their summer vacations and his mind drifting to the two women in his life who confused him more than anything else in the world, Niles had been quite unproductive so far. It wasn't the
end of the world, he realized. The house was never dirty as much as what he did was upkeep; not progressing as fast as normal wouldn't be the end of the world. Meanwhile, having CC sitting only feet away, reading the newspaper and trying to ignore them all did very little to help him think more clearly.

"Niles, don't you agree that the kids are better off staying here with us?" Fran looked up to her friend, and smiled. Of anyone, he'd be on her side and right now she needed an ally.

"I don't know…does that mean I have to cook three meals a day, every day in the sweltering heat?" Niles attempted a pensive look, though keeping the smile off his face was proving difficult.

"We have central air, Old Man," Max reminded.

"I was thinking more of my tanning time," Niles quipped.

"Oh, well, then, let's fob them off on someone else to raise! We'd hate to see you all white and pasty all summer," Fran said sarcastically, her smiling betraying her tone.

"As long as we're in agreement," Niles said, winking.

CC was all too familiar with the mischievous tone of his voice, and she questioned if she should be paying attention to what he was saying. Usually he reserved that intonation for her, and it always sent shivers down her spine. Glancing up, she wondered if he had always looked as handsome as he did now, or if it was the threat of him being taken away that made him look so sexy.

"If you can come up with plans to keep them all busy while still here in the city, then they can stay, but I won't have them sitting home all summer staring out windows," Max said, finally. It was his idea of a compromise, and knowing Fran, she'd take him up on the offer. She always seemed to pull rabbits out of her hat at exactly the right time to amaze him.

"Now that the summer plans are settled," Fran began.

"No, no, now that the summer plans are being fine-tuned," Maxwell reminded her.

"Yes, fine-tuning. Exactly. Anyway, Niles, I hear that you're going out again tonight? Talk about smooth operator! When was the last night you spent at home?" It wasn't hard to see that her friends were enjoying themselves. Every time she went out with Lois, Fran would have to listen to the most astounding accounts of her adventures with Niles (minus the good bits, which Fran often felt cheated by being neglected) and when Niles came home, he'd often regale her with witty one-liners that Lois had used. It seemed like the perfect match, and Fran was none-too-pleased that she was the one responsible for it all.

"Well, I don't want to be a wallflower, now do I?"

"Only Fift…" Before Maxwell could finish the butler was giving him a death glare unparalleled by any he had ever seen before. "Only a few years of it, so far, right?"

"A few," CC chuckled. She was still stunned that he was going out again. It seemed to be a constant cycle around the Sheffield home as of late; Niles was either coming home from a date or leaving for one, and there were very few hours in between.

"You're makin' the most of it," Fran said, happily. "What are you two crazy kids up to tonight?"

"We were going to see a revival of Attack of the Killer Tomatoes'," Niles laughed, "but Lois' friends are having a dinner party and they wanted us to come along."

"Oooh, Niles, are you sure you wanna pass up a movie with Tomatoes attacking for a dinner party? If that doesn't sound dull, what does?" Fran teased. Sometimes she envied her friend for being so versatile. He could watch bad movies and make the experience remarkable, go to dinner with hoighty-toighty people and fit in perfectly, or he could
sit with the kids on board game night and marvel at the real estate he collected during a particularly good game of Monopoly.

Niles shrugged. "We can always watch a b-grade movie after the party, if we want. Lois loves bad movies too � the worse they are, the happier she is."

"Small minds," CC mumbled, with absolutely no good spirit. Under regular circumstances, she'd be waiting for a quick zinger from him, or a one-off insult from which she would derive some pleasure, but this was different; this time, she actually being cruel to be cruel.

"It's no great surprise that bad things please her; she's going out with you, after all. If she set her standard too high, she'd be disappointed." Of course his pre-pubescent girlfriend would be thrilled by bad movies; she had barely moved out of the Barney' stage of movie watching.

Fran scowled at the comment, and hoped to see Niles crack even the smallest smile at the barb, but nothing came. Trying to put some distance between CC's comment and Nile's impending reply, Fran tried to think fast. "A dinner party? Anything good planned for the night, or just the same ol', same ol'?" Sipping from her water glass, Fran
watched the frown appear on CC's face, and then turn into more of a grimace. If she didn't know any better, she'd think the woman was in pain.

"Dinner, gossiping, and just relaxing, I suspect." He had no idea what to really expect from a bunch of upper-level corporate broadcasters, except that it likely wouldn't be boring. If Lois' friends were at all like she was, he had hope that it would be a fun night of lots of jokes and stories.

"Aw, look, the Butler's going to play at the big boys' table for once you won't be setting it, eh Jeeves?" CC took another sip of her drink and wondered if there was enough alcohol in the world to make her feel as if things were going to be ok. It seemed that over the course of the past few weeks, she was consuming more alcohol than ever, and still not feeling the numbness it previously had brought to her so exquisitely.

Niles shrugged, wishing that this were like every other time they insulted each other. This time, it felt like they were playing for keeps; this felt like the definitive fight, even though to everyone else it must have seemed par for the course. He sure as hell wasn't getting any joy from this argument, and CC looked more angry than mischievous. "Every dog has their day, right Miss Babcock? After all, fifteen years after we hired you, we started letting you eat at the table with the family."

CC stuck out her tongue, a gesture that shocked everyone in the room. Even she had to admit that it wasn't her usual style, but for once she didn't care. It was all about appearances, she realized, and so far her concern hadn't gotten her anywhere but that much closer to heartbreak.

"And we're back to juvenile arguing," Maxwell pointed out, more than a little disappointed in his friends. "I've got work to do, not that you two aren't entertaining."

Picking up the tray that was sitting on the table, Niles quickly removed all the cups from the surrounding area and carried it to the kitchen. He couldn't help but cringe at the fighting between him and CC. It seemed that lately all they did was argue, and even for them, it was getting vicious.

He didn't want to fight with her. If he was honest with himself, all he really wanted to do was kiss her. Well, that wasn't all he wanted to do, but it would have been a sufficient start to the rest of what he wanted to do. Still, it didn't seem to be happening for them, and he wasn't sure that he could convince himself that she'd eventually come around. CC Babcock was, after all, the epitome of stubborn.

Had Niles stuck around the living room, he would have been quite surprised by Fran, who had taken the arguing between Niles and CC to heart.

"You're being horrible, ya know that?" Fran didn't know why she had stood by for so long and watched her friend get beaten down by a sliver of a woman, but suddenly she knew she had to put her foot down. There was, for the first time she had ever known of, a genuine possibility for Niles to be happy and that wasn't something Fran took lightly.

"Excuse me?" CC looked at the Nanny, mortified by the way she had spoken to her. Ready to explode into a tirade about the help not knowing their place in the home, CC stiffened, and took the defensive. She wasn't about to get beaten down by the nanny, of all people.

"You've had your chance to make your move, and you haven't. It's not his fault you think you're too good for him; that's your own stupidity. But don't make him miserable just cause you are." Fran wondered if she had lost it was it possible that she was about to tell CC Babcock where to shove her superior act?

"What makes you think that…?" CC tried to cover, but she didn't know quite what to say. She couldn't come up with anything. Of all the people she expected to call her on her feelings for Niles, she never imagined it would be Fran.

"If you really wanted Mr. Sheffield, you would have made a move. You're using him as a cover to be around Niles," Fran said. "I'm not as dumb as you think I am. You, however, are surprisingly dumb… a great guy like Niles comes around once every lifetime, and you let him slide by."

"I'm not interested in Niles," CC said, calmly. It was all she could do to keep from propelling herself at Fran. Did this woman not know when enough was enough? She just couldn't keep her nose out of her business, now could she?

"Are you saying that for my benefit or for yours," Fran asked, before leaving. If she stuck around, she feared it would turn into a hair-pulling, shoe-propelling fight, and as scrappy as she was, she wasn't sure she could take on an angry CC without being wounded somehow.

CC stood, stunned, watching the retreating figure. It was easy for Fran to say, she thought. It was easy to pretend that there was no good reason that she and Niles couldn't be together, but that was the help talking. That was the woman who had designs on her boss, and thought that most life lessons could be acquired though a twenty-two minute television show.

In reality, CC thought, there was no way she could let herself be that exposed as to fall in love with the help. It wouldn't be love anyway, she tried to convince herself. Love implied a long-term thing, and that was something she had a hard time imagining. She could easily see a few different scenarios of them passionately making love, but other than that, there were only glimpses at what she suspected could have been. Small gestures of love, like making breakfast in bed, or walking through Central Park together, struck her as brilliant ideas, but that wasn't them; he was a butler, and she was a socialite, and it would be impossible to explain to their friends, never mind her family.

6

"I hear your boss is having another big soirée" Lois said, casually, wondering if he'd invite her along. There was this aching feeling in the pit of her stomach that even though she didn't have a problem with him being a butler, he had some kind of problem with her being successful.

"Yet another excuse to get investors drunk and pry money from them," Niles said from his seat beside her on the couch. His hands casually stroked over her thighs as he leaned back and thought about the so-called soirée that she meant. These functions were hardly his favorite way to pass a night.

"Well, I have a pocketbook that someone might be able to pick," Lois pointed out offhandedly. "I'm always willing to invest in something if it might have a good return."

Smiling, Niles shook his head. "You really don't want to come." Why, after all, would she want to? It's a night of pompous Broadway-types talking about their greatest achievements (a task most successfully done in the past tense, with very little hope of a future tense) and drinking themselves into oblivion.

"Why wouldn't I? I'd like to watch you work, and I'd like to be able to sneak into the kitchen for … appetizers," she said seductively.

"You really want to come?" He was stunned. This was an unusual turn of events as far as he was concerned. It seemed like something so far out of the realm of probability that he had to wonder why she'd do it. To be near him? To see what the party would be like? To scout famous people?

"I do."

Feeling his resolve crumble, Niles thought for another minute. CC would be there at the party, of course, and the odds of him keeping Lois and CC apart for the evening were fairly slim. It could all blow up in his face, he realized, but he couldn't deny Lois if she wanted to attend. "Ok," he said, "but I think this means you owe me one."

"I don't like leaving my debt unpaid," Lois remarked, leaning nearer to him and pressing her lips against his.

"If this is how you repay debts, you must have one hell of a credit-rating," Niles laughed, seizing her lips with his.

The party kicked into full speed by 8:30, and people were everywhere. When Niles opened the door to Lois, however, everything seemed to stop. Standing there in the most remarkable red halter gown, she smiled, her incredible green eyes lighting up. "You look amazing in a tux," she said softly, passing her wrap to him.

"You look amazing," he replied, though barely coherently. "There's something about you when you wear red…" He looked around the room and when he was sufficiently pleased that there was no one looking, he planted a sensuous kiss on her lips.

"Well, if that's what the color red does to you, I'll have to wear it more often," she suggested.

Niles blushed, before taking her coat in one hand and leading her to the crowd. He was back on duty and had to remain as professional as possible, he tried to remind himself. "Should you need anything, you'll be able to find me somewhere between the front door and the kitchen, though with the way these things go, you might find me anywhere."

"So it's like "where's Waldo", except I'm looking for my incredibly handsome boyfriend?" Smirking, she watched as people flitted about the room, champagne flutes and wine glasses held tightly between their fingers.

"I will not, however, sport a red and white striped hat," Niles pointed out.

"Ah, a good thing to clarify, or else I could end up in bed with just about anyone." Lois laughed, noting the shocked expression on his face. "Yes, at the end of all of this, you're coming home with me, if you so choose, that is."

"We'll see what time I can kick all these leeches out," Niles grinned. The doorbell had impeccable timing, ringing and making itself known. "I've got to get back to work, or else I may never go back."

"Swing by later if you get a chance. I wouldn't mind a few minutes alone with you."

Niles winked. "Oh, I'll give you more than a few minutes."

Everything had been moving smoothly. The beverages were flowing quite effortlessly and the checks seemed to be writing themselves, almost. Everyone was having a good time, and other than Niles having to periodically beat people away from the piano, there were few incidences of Broadway 'one-up-manship' which often destroyed these kind of events.

In fact, everything seemed to be going perfectly.

"It's been a good night," Lois pointed out, leaning close to him.

"It really has, hasn't it? Have you been hit up for money yet?" Niles realized that she wasn't moving away from the spot she occupied directly beside him.

"By just about everyone in the room. Your boss hasn't though."

Niles said a silent prayer of thanks. If CC hadn't tried to hit her up for money, she likely didn't know who she was. "It's never a bad thing, if your wallet is still in tact when you leave."

Laughing, Lois pressed her body more firmly against his. "But I wanted to contribute. Now I'll just have to spend all my money on little gifts for you," she teased. "There was this great lace thing at Victoria Secret. It came in red, I think…"

Turning his head towards her, he seized her lips with his own, passionately kissing her. The idea that this woman, this perfect, sweet woman, could want him still astounded him. Someday, he'd wake up and find out it was a dream, but in the meanwhile, he wanted to enjoy every minute of it.

Across the room, CC had seen the display of affection and her stomach did flips. Why the hell was he kissing a beautiful, very young, blonde? She was stunning, and from what she guessed, she was very likely Lois.

The kiss lasted for longer than it should have, and CC scowled. Had he no respect for his boss' home? Did Niles not realize that at least in this environment, he was to act like a good servant, even if it was all an act? More than anything, CC thought, if he was going to kiss anyone with such ardent passion, it was supposed to be her. It was the game they'd been playing for years, and now some young beauty was going to come along and spoil the dynamic?

As a waiter passed by with a tray of beverages, CC grabbed a drink and slugged it back quickly, a hiss passing her lips as the amber fluid burned her throat. When she looked back up, Niles had disappeared, and Lois was looking about the room appreciatively. The smile on her face made CC's blood boil, and the thought of what had transpired just a moment earlier still rang fresh in her mind.

Making her way across the room, she knew it was a bad idea. CC could just feel how badly this had the potential to go, but she also knew that she had to meet the woman who was occupying so much of Niles' time. Research, she tried to tell herself, but it was a lost cause.

"Hi," CC said, steeling herself. "I'm CC Babcock."

"Lois Brennan," Lois said, extending her hand to the stranger. She had no clue as to who this woman was, but there was something about her that felt 'iffy'.

"I'm Maxwell's business partner," CC clarified, hurt that Niles had never mentioned her. Then again, they were 'arch enemies' and the likelihood of him ever thinking about her, let alone discussing her, outside of the mansion seemed slim to none.

"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you," Lois smiled. "It's a wonderful party," she managed, attempting chit-chat.

"Thank you," CC grumbled, wondering what had possessed her to make her way across the room. "So, what brings you here this evening? I don't remember seeing your name on the guest list." Well, that was absolutely tactless, but all things considered, it might have gone worse, CC rationalized.

"I'm here with my date," Lois said calmly, wishing she had another drink in her hand, or someone to extract her from this rather odd conversation.

"Ah, and who would he be?" CC steeled herself for what was coming next. She didn't want to hear the words that were likely to come at her, but maybe this was what she needed. Maybe, somehow, this would be what she'd needed to get him out of her system, so to speak.

Lois smiled, setting her sights on Niles. "There he is. I suppose you know him already."

CC's eyes followed in the direction in which Lois was pointing and snickered. "You're dating Niles, huh? Well, no accounting for good taste." Uh, this game was killing her. All she wanted to do was pull out her check book and make an inappropriate offer to 'buy' Niles- an idea that struck her as rather genius and maniacal all at the same time.

"Excuse me?" Indignantly, Lois glared at CC. Who the hell did this woman think she was?

"He's a damn butler," CC pointed out. Those television execs were hardly bright-burning bulbs.

"Thanks for clarifying that; I thought he was just particularly helpful." Lois wasn't sure why she felt such burning animosity for the woman in front of her, especially since she barely knew her, but it was there, full force. "I can't imagine why he wouldn't like picking up after you and your ego."

"I'm just saying, can't a woman like you find a man?" Tactless, she knew. Hell, even CC had to admit that Lois was gorgeous, and if for no other reason that that, her presence was very stressful. The added anxiety she felt could only be attributed to the relationship she seemed to have with Niles – a man who, although he wasn't hers, wasn't exactly free.

Scowling, Lois didn't like what CC implied. "If you're questioning Niles' masculinity, then you're blind as well as stupid."

"No need to get nasty," CC said calmly, though there was an unfamiliar emotion bubbling through her, and controlling her thought processes. If Niles were here, he'd have a lovely smart-ass comment for her, but as it stood, she was on her own.

"Well, maybe you should stop offending me; it's not a very host-like thing to do." Sipping from her champagne glass, Lois looked around the room for her date.

"I likely wouldn't offend you if I didn't find you so offensive," CC muttered, watching as Lois located Niles and approached him. The way the woman's hand slipped into his, and the way he smiled when he turned to see her looking at him, made CC cringe. He wasn't supposed to look at Lois that way; that look was supposed to be reserved for her – for that moment right after he delivered a particularly good insult!

"CC, glad I found you," Maxwell said, before noticing how distant his business partner seemed. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Maxwell, just nauseous. I seem to have had something that was bad," she complained, still looking at Lois, who was now virtually fondling Niles.

Obviously the attention of the blonde socialite wasn't lost on Lois, as she looked up and noticed that she had CC's unwavering attention. Mischievously, she leaned towards Nile's and whispered in his ears, causing a fierce blush to creep over his face.

CC glared, before taking another swig of her champagne. "Trollop," she grumbled, secretly feeling hollow. She could hear Maxwell mentioning something in the background, but her concerns were focused intently on where Lois' hands seemed to wander.