Chapter Two: This Really Bites
The hot water from the shower ran down C.C.'s cold body and it felt absolutely glorious. Her still wet clothes were scattered on the bathroom floor as well as her shoes and jewelry, she just didn't give a damn at the moment. All she had cared about was getting warm and this had been the best solution she could think of.
With the scented soap her sister had sent her from Paris, she scrubbed herself off and washed her hair with the shampoo she had sent as well. What a great birthday present. When she was finished, she grabbed the towel that was hanging from the rack and wrapped it around herself and carefully, she stepped out of the shower and crossed to the mirror. She ran her hand over the mirror to wipe away the steam and she cringed when she saw that her hair looked like a large dark blonde fluff ball. She stuck her tongue out at her reflection and then walked into her bedroom where she got into something she rarely wore, jeans and a loose fitting t-shirt.
She grabbed her brush from the dresser and ran it through her hair, yanking about twenty percent of the knots out in the process. As she was drying it, she pondered about what she'd do for the evening. There was nothing good on TV she was certain, and she didn't have many friends, which was by her own doing. After she was sure her hair was completely dry, she settled on reading a book.
Stretching her long legs out in front of her and propping herself up on the armrest, she began to read the Nora Roberts book she'd had forever, but never had started reading until now. It was the story of a jewel thief who takes a business woman with him on his heist and true to good ole' Nora, he fell in love with her and she with him. She rolled her eyes in aggravation when the two main characters began to start the intercourse process and she threw the book on the chair. She folded her arms across her chest and huffed. Why couldn't things like that happen to her? Not the whole kidnapping part, but find someone that would love her for her and not just because she was rich. She'd had a few boyfriends here and there, but they'd been nothing but guys who were looking for a good time, which she'd given them, but not very willingly.
She closed her eyes and tried to imagine what her perfect man would be like. Dark hair, blue eyes, and an accent, just like Maxwell. She snickered as she fantasized about him, but her fantasy was broken quickly when her phone rang.
"Shit." She mumbled as she reached for it and answered with a blank hello.
"Miss Babcock, it is by Mr. Sheffield's request you come to our house this evening for dinner, though I don't know why I couldn't just leave a bowl outside for you." C.C.'s mouth clanged open.
"Now listen here you pathetic excuse for a human being!" She snarled.
"Oh please, is that the best you can come up with?" He shot back.
"I really hate you. I truly do. And normally it takes me a while to hate someone right off the bat." She paused and then remembered Nanny Fine. "Ok, one other person, but still, if you give me any grief this evening, I will-" She was cut off again.
"You'll what? There is nothing you can do that can hurt me. I worked for Mr. Sheffield's father, there isn't anything you can do that would beat him." He replied. "Dinner will be ready at six. You've got twenty minutes." He hung up then and she slammed the phone down on the table. She made a mad dash into her bedroom and found her black turtleneck dress with the short sleeves and put it on. She parted her hair to the side like she normally did and fixed her make-up. She looked at the watch on her wrist and she only had five minutes to get halfway across town. Shit!
While C.C. was racing around her penthouse, Niles put the phone down and chuckled to himself, he stopped when he heard Maxwell coming down the stairs.
"Ah Niles, did you call Miss Babcock?" He asked.
"Hours ago sir, just as you asked." He lied.
"Good. So old man, how are you adjusting to the United States?" Maxwell asked as he walked into the dining room with Niles following behind carrying one of the silver holders. He placed it on the "buffet table" as Miss Fine had called it before he answered.
"It's interesting. Here, people drive on the right side of the road and the steering wheel isn't on the same side as in England either."
"MR. SHEFFIELD!" Fran Fine's shrill voice echoed through the house and both Niles and Maxwell covered their ears.
"And the women are ten times louder." He added before he walked back into the kitchen. Maxwell sighed before he walked into the living room and there was no sign of her.
"Miss Fine? Where are you?" He called.
"What do you think of this dress?" She asked as she began to walk down the stairs. She was wearing a lovely red dress that sparkled, much like the one she'd worn to the first party she'd been to at this house.
"It's gorgeous Miss Fine, but why are you so dressed up? It's just Miss Babcock." He said as she came closer.
"I just wanted to impress her. I think she has some resentment toward me." She whispered and nodded.
"Oh. That wouldn't surprise me. To be honest, I've never really seen C.C. happy before in my entire life."
"She's probably only happy when she makes other people miserable." Niles stuck his head out the door and said.
"Niles, be nice. You've only been here a few days and you're already on her bad side. I'd be careful if I were you." He replied.
"Please, what can Miss Babcock do that is so harrible?" Fran asked.
"You would seriously be shocked." Maxwell replied before they all walked into the kitchen.
Everyone was sitting in the dining room twenty minutes later and they all sighed with relief when they heard the doorbell ring.
"That'll be Miss Babcock, Niles." Maxwell said as he straightened his tie.
"Really? I had no idea." He replied sarcastically before he walked out into the living room and hurried to answer the door. He stopped breathing for a moment when he saw how pretty she looked.
"What are you staring at?" She asked while she pushed past him.
"I'm not too sure yet. I was trying to figure that out." She stopped dead in her tracks and stomped her foot.
"Shut up servant!" She half shouted and clenched her fist.
"Or you'll what?" He raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"Ugh!" She then stormed into the dining room, where she took her normal seat next to Brighton.
"Good evening C.C." Maxwell said as he put a napkin in his lap.
"Evening." She smiled. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something red and shiny. She looked across from her and saw what Nanny Fine was wearing. "Good lord, did..." She tried to think of the little girl across from her's name, but couldn't. "The little one dump her glitter on you?" She asked.
Fran's smile dropped. "No, my cousin designed this." She replied.
"So Maxwell, what did you invite me over for?" She asked sweetly.
"We wanted to keep the neighborhood terror away, but gained another." Niles said as he put her plate down in front of her. She clenched her teeth and looked up at him with an 'I'll kill you' look.
"I just thought it would be a change of scenery for you, you always seem to be alone when I call you." Maxwell said as if he hadn't heard a thing.
"There's a reason for that." Niles mumbled as he walked back to get Fran a plate and Gracie one as well.
"Thank you Maxwell, how sweet." C.C. replied, trying to tune out Niles.
"You're welcome. So children, how was your day?" He asked. For the rest of the evening, C.C. barely said a word, not wanting the butler to have another stab at her. She hated to be teased and picked on, she was already insecure and he wasn't helping matters at all, but something occurred that drove her over the edge.
"So C.C., do you think we have a hit on our hands?" He asked when they were in his office.
"I really do! I actually read this one!" She said enthusiastically and then bit her lip when she realized that she told on herself.
"That's good. Better than Phantom or Cats?" He asked.
"Absolutely!" She lied. Nothing would ever beat those two, unless of course Cameron MacIntosh did something.
"Great! Ah Niles, is there something the matter?" He asked when Niles opened the door. She rolled her eyes and looked at him as well.
"Oh no sir, just coming to check on the puppy." He smiled at C.C. and her mouth dropped open as did Maxwell's. He had never heard something like that from Niles before and just as he was about to say something, he was even more shocked by what came next.
"Oh so I'm a dog now?" She asked. "Fine!" She grabbed his arm and bit down hard on his wrist.
"OW-W-W!" Niles shouted as he yanked his arm away from her and clutched it. He moved his jacket and shirt sleeve up a little and his eyes grew wide when he saw that her teeth had penetrated through both of them. He had two bite marks and blood was starting to come out of the tiny holes she'd left. "Sir! Look what she did to me!" Niles showed him and Maxwell looked at her, she had pulled out her compact from her purse and was reapplying her lipstick like she'd done nothing wrong.
"Niles, I warned you. And C.C. apologize to Niles this instant." He said and she raised her eyebrows at him.
"Why? I was just acting out the part. Those actors we hired aren't the only ones who can get into character!" She shouted as she stood up.
"Well you didn't have to work very hard!" Niles and C.C. then began to shout at the other and when Maxwell had finally had enough he screamed.
"ENOUGH!" The noise made them both look at him with huge eyes. "You two need to stay away from each other for a while I think." He said.
"Agreed. I'll see you in a week." C.C. looked at Niles once more before she grabbed her purse and walked out the door in an angry way.
"Niles, I think you should do something about your wrist." He said as he sat down at his desk and looked through his papers while still fuming.
"Yes sir." He replied sadly. He hadn't meant for it to turn out the way it had. As he walked into the bathroom to rinse off his arm, he regretted doing what he did. Now he'd have to go one entire week without talking to her or seeing her, and knowing his luck, she'd do anything she could to avoid him. Whoops.
"Mr. Sheffield, is everything alright?" Fran asked when she walked into his office in her pajamas.
"Oh yes, everything's just fine." He replied when he looked up at her.
"We heard a lot of shouting, what was going on down here?" She asked.
"Just Niles and C.C., I can already tell that I'm going to be miserable with those two in the same room." He said.
"How was he treating her? Or did she do something first?" She asked as she sat down on the edge of the desk and crossed her legs.
"He did, if you haven't noticed, he's been teasing her pretty much all evening." He said.
"Oh-h-h, I think I know what's wrong with him." She said resting her finger on her chin.
"What?"
"Well, I was watching this show once, and the guy picked on this girl unmercifully, and in the end, he was in love with her the entire time and had been picking on her to show his feelings." She smiled and placed her hands on her hips to emphasize. Maxwell stared at her for just a moment before he broke out into laughter.
"That's a good one Miss Fine, but I think you should stick to reality from now on out." He then went back to his work and Fran gave him one of her famous looks. She shrugged and then left his office to go back to her bedroom. She'd prove someway that she was right, she just knew she was.
I just love the name of this chapter, it fit perfectly for both things that happened. I hope the insults were good enough, I came up with most of them on my own, the one about the puppy came from one of the episodes, except Niles called her a dog, but close enough. And the miserable thing was from 'Oy To The World' which I've watched at least sixty times already getting geared up for Christmas! Reviews=Happy C.C.! (My nickname I acquired, fabulous right?) And this page is actually five full pages...wow, new record for Fanfiction pages.