I Believe My Heart Chapter 12, a nanny fanfic

Happy Tuesday to all. :-) Isn't it a glorious day? Well, mine has certainly been glorious. :-D I bought and watched Snow Cake today, which was a really great movie, and I bought another 2 movies with Alan Rickman - what an amazing actor. :-) Well, I won't bore you with details about my day, so I'll just get to the chapter. However, I feel I need to warn you about the chapter, though I've already done that. It's long, so you need to get comfortable before you start reading. :-D It's my favorite chapter so far, and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. And believe me, I enjoyed writing it. :-) And as always thank you for reading and an extra special thank you to all you, who review - they make me smile. :-)

To amyb: Thank you for reading and reviewing - it means so much. :-) I'm thrilled you think the chapter was lovely. I'm glad you still loved the chapter even though it was fluffier than the others. Btw what does fluffy mean exactly? Next update is here - hope you'll like it. :-)

Chapter 12

After seeing the children off at 8.30 Friday morning, Niles was a little lost on how to go about his day. He thought about going to the gym seeing as he hadn't been there much since CC started working on the benefit. He'd only gone during the previous weekend when he'd had a bit of time to himself, and during the week he'd used the equipment he had a the house.

However, seeing as it was a beautiful day out, he decided to sit outside reading the paper while enjoying a cup of tea, and then go for a long stroll afterwards.

An hour and forty-five minutes later Niles was standing in front of the mirror in the downstairs bathroom, taking a last minute glance at his appearance. He'd changed out of his suit and opted to dress more casual wearing a pair of light grey colored pants and a baby-blue colored polo t-shirt.

Just as he came out of the bathroom he heard the front door open, and then saw CC burst through with a handful of scripts on one arm, an overnight bag in one hand, and Chester in the other hand.

Not having noticed Niles yet, she started calling for him.

"Niles? Niles? Are you here? Niles!" He stepped into her view.

"Right here, Miss Babcock."

She turned to look at him and was stunned for a moment at what she saw. He looked gorgeous, and she noticed that his shirt made his eyes shine even bluer than usual. The shirt fit him quite nicely too, she observed. When she noticed he was looking at her questioningly, she shook her head for a second to clear her mind. But then she got concerned.

"Are you taking the day off?" He gave her his impish grin.

"Not officially. But seeing as the children are in the Hamptons and won't be back until Monday, I had planned on relaxing for the entire weekend, and doing absolutely nothing."

"So you have no particular plans?"

"No. Why?"

"Because, I'm desperate." He arched an eyebrow at her and looked amused.

"That's supposed to be news?" When she gave him a glare, he held up his hands in surrender. "Go on."

She sighed and shook off some of her tiredness.

"I haven't found a suitable scene yet. They all seem so useless and pointless. They seemed that way the first time, I read them, and they seem even more so now. But I don't know if I've been too tired to give them a fair chance. I've made arrangements with actors and need to call those I'll be needing for the scene today, so that we can meet tomorrow and I can give them the script for the scene, and then meet with them again Sunday to rehearse it. I've also made arrangements with a music director to hand him the music for the song, we're supposed to include. And I'm also meeting with a set designer and a costume designer. But so far I've got nothing to give to anyone." Not being used to ask anyone for help on anything, she swallowed her pride and toughness, and looked at him pleadingly and spoke honestly. "I'm at a loss on what to do, and I don't think I can do this on my own, so I could really use your help. Will you help me?"

He just stood there looking stunned. She sounded so vulnerable and desperate for help. It was so out of character for her. He was used to the tough business woman, and loved every part of that, but at the same time he was just as madly in love with this soft, vulnerable side of hers that he always knew she had. And he was glad she was showing it more and more. Not knowing how many other people got to see this side, he felt proud, honored, and privilege that she showed this side to him.

"I'd be glad to help, but I don't exactly have any experience in the field." She rolled her eyes.

"We both know that's bull." His eyes went up in surprise. "You work for a Broadway producer, and see plays all the time, and even though you're not in the business, you have a more than fairly good knowledge of what's a hit and what's trash." He smirked at her.

"That's quite a compliment."

"Yeah well, I'm tired." He chuckled and she gave him a tired smile. "So will you help me?" He nodded and smiled back.

"If you think I can be of assistance, I'll gladly give it a try."

"Thank you."

He took a look at the scripts on her arm, and then noticed her overnight bag for the first time.

"What's with the bag? It looks like, you're staying over."

"I am." He looked at her surprised. "It's just that everything I might need is here. Books, files on previous plays we've done, contacts, and so on. With everything available to me here, I don't see the point in working at home. So I'm sorry if it interferes with your plans, but I can get more work done here." He shook his head.

"It's quite alright."

"Good then let's get started."

"Alright, but let me just run upstairs and change." She looked at him confusedly.

"Why?" He shrugged.

"I just don't think this is appropriate attire." She rolled her eyes again and got annoyed.

"Listen, Bell Hop! I don't have time for you to do your hair, do your nails, do your makeup, and dress up right. So just be a good little puppet and do as I say. Here." She handed him her bag and Chester. "You can carry my bag up later, and for now just give Chester some water and put on some coffee for the two of us. We have a lot of work to do." With that said, she left.

It wasn't until after she'd left the living room that she realized, she'd actually come up with a pretty good insult that he had no comeback for. And that alone made her feel a little less tired.

When Niles was left standing in the hall with Chester, he'd indeed not had a comeback for CC. But it didn't matter to him. The vulnerability and helplessness in her eyes had been replaced with fire, and it had made him happy.

Nearly fifteen minutes later Niles came into the office carrying a tray.

"Coffee's ready. I brought some scones as well."

"Just put it on the desk."

"We're staying here?"

"Of course. It's where I get the best work done."

"Well, I can see that you've already made yourself comfortable on the couch. So just exactly where am I supposed to sit?"

"Maxwell's chair." He gaped at her.

"I can't use that." She smirked at him.

"Oh but you know you want to." Seeing as he still didn't budge, she rolled her eyes. "Just sit down in the damn chair, Niles. I won't tell Maxwell, and no one's here to tell him either." He groaned in defeat.

"Oh alright."

"Good. I've already laid out some scripts for you to read. Just go straight to the scenes I've marked. There's no time to read through the whole scripts." He nodded.

"Okay."

After pouring both of them a cup of coffee and handing CC a scone, and taking one for himself as well, he got comfortable in the chair and started reading. CC got comfortable as well and started reading over some of the other scripts one more time.

Nearly six hours later Niles threw the last script down on the desk and started to rub his eyes and his temples. They hadn't talked about the scripts during the day, so when CC heard him throw down the script, she looked at him expectantly.

"Well?" He looked at her and shook his head.

"You were right. They're all crap."

"I knew it. What the hell am I going to do now? I've failed everyone I've made plans with this weekend, and I've embarrassed Sheffield-Babcock Productions. We'll be the laughing stock in the Broadway community, if I decide to use one of the scenes from one of these scripts at the benefit." She leaned forward resting her elbows on her knees, and then put her head in her hands. "I'm such a loser."

He hated seeing her so devastated, and decided to try his best to cheer her up. He got out of the chair and went to sit next to her on the couch.

"Miss Babcock, you're not a loser. Far from it, in fact." She still didn't look up. "Look, we'll go over the scenes again, and I'm sure we'll be able to find one that's suitable." She looked up at him.

"But, Niles, you said it yourself that they're crap. Do you honestly think that Maxwell and I will be able to show our faces in the Broadway community again, if we decide to do one of these scenes?" He sighed and answered her honestly knowing that she needed that.

"No."

"Exactly. There are going to be important people at the benefit, and these people could be potential future backers. If we do one of these scenes, Maxwell and I might as well kiss our careers goodbye, because no one would ever want to do business with us again." She put her head back in her hands. "But with the scripts available to me, I have no other choice. Bye-bye career."

He knew she was right. If she put on one of the scenes at the benefit, she and Maxwell would be laughed at. And seeing as she'd be doing all the work, Maxwell would have her to blame for the downfall of their production company. Seeing as he didn't want either of them to lose their careers, he was only left with one choice.

"Um, Miss Babcock, I might have a solution." She looked up at him again.

"And what would that be?"

"A friend of mine has given me a script that he's written. He knows that I work for Mr. Sheffield, and so he's given me his script hoping that I would give it to Mr. Sheffield."

"Yeah so?"

"Well, I've read the script and it's good. Or at least I think it's rather good." He shrugged not feeling too comfortable under that quizzical stare. "Or at least better than what I've read today. If you want I can go and get the script. It's a musical and it comes with sheet music and everything." She sighed and nodded.

"Sure go get it. I guess it can't be worse than all the plays I've spent the last couple of days reading. And if you say it's good, it must be." He beamed with pride of her compliment, which went unnoticed by her seeing as she had her head back in her hands.

"Okay, I'll be right back."

"I'll be here. It's not like I have anywhere else to go." He chuckled softly and left in a hurry.

When he got to his room, he went to the back of his closet and took out the script from its well hidden hiding place. Ever since Fran had been to his room that time when she thought he was a murderer, he'd decided to keep his most prized possessions well hidden. And this script was no exception.

The fact was that it wasn't a friend of Niles', who had written the play and the music. It was Niles himself. When CC had gone to The Place, he suddenly found himself with a lot of time on his hands, and a lot of emotions inside of him. Although, he'd still kept busy with work and also gone to see her, as often as he could, he'd also poured all that emotion along with his frustrations into a new play.

He'd had some of the ideas for the play running around in his mind for years, but he'd never before been able to put them into words or print. However, with CC away everything he felt had slowly but steadily formed into a play. That even included the music. He'd written the songs with the aid of the piano in the living room. But seeing as he could only use that whenever he was completely alone, he'd also gone to a bar, where he knew the owner, and borrowed the piano in the backroom. He didn't know if the play contained enough songs, but he was pleased with what he'd come up with, and one song was especially dear to his heart.

However, not knowing if CC would even like the play, he wasn't too bothered with not being sure if the play was fully completed. If she did like the play and decided to do one of the scenes, he was sure there would be at least one scene with a song in there that would be suitable. With that confidence in mind, he went back to the office.

She was still sitting on the couch looking devastated when he got back to the office. So without any further fanfare, he handed her the script.

"Here."

When she looked at him and saw the script, he was holding out for her to take, she was rather surprised by how professional, it looked. Some of the other scripts, she'd looked through, looked as if they were written by small children. Not only were the scripts thin with very few acts and scenes, but the content of the scripts were downright ridiculous. It was the same with the music. Most of it didn't even rhyme.

She stood up and took the script from him, quickly snapping into action.

"Thanks. Now I don't mean to be rude, but get out." He looked at her incredulously.

"What?"

"I need peace and quiet to read a new script, and I can't do that with you here. I'm sure you're anxious to know what I think of your friend's play, but you're just going to have to give me time alone to read it. I'll come find you when I'm done."

He sighed knowing he had no choice. But on the other hand he was also relieved that she didn't want him in the room. He didn't think he would be able to sit quietly by, and if he couldn't he might give himself away, and she'd know or at least suspect that he'd written the play.

"Alright I'll leave you to it. I'll most likely be in the living room."

"Then I'll come there first when I'm done. Bye-bye." He did, however, roll his eyes at that last comment but complied with her wishes.

Niles had started out by sitting down on the couch watching TV, but with nothing good on, he quickly turned it off again. He then decided to take Chester for a walk knowing that CC would still be in the office for a long time. But being too nervous about CC liking his play, the walk had been a short one. When he got back, he started pacing around the living room, but eventually that got to be too much for him as well. He then went upstairs with CC's bag and got the guestroom ready for her, but that didn't take long and he soon found himself in the living room again. Deciding he'd end up driving himself crazy if he did nothing, he ended up finding his feather duster and started to dust in the living room.

Nearly two hours after leaving the office, Niles was once again sitting down on the couch in the living room having had enough of dusting. And to his luck CC walked out of the office a few minutes later.

He sighed in relief when he heard the door open and got up off the couch. But when he saw her looking like she wanted to tear his head off, he got scared and nervous that she hated his play. With the way she looked, he wouldn't be surprised if she thought he was out to pull a prank on her by giving her a lousy script and saying it was good.

He swallowed the lump in his throat to get his nerves in check before he dared to talk to her.

"So what did you think of the play? Did you like it?"

She was in his face by now and anger seethed from her lips.

"Like it? Like it? LIKE IT? You want to know if I LIKED the play?" She started to hit him with the script, and he brought his arms up to shield his body. "No, you Idiot, I didn't like the play. I LOVED it." She hit him a few more times for good measure while he stared wide eyed at her.

"Well, if you love the play, why are you hitting me?" She gave him one final smack with the script.

"Because for over a week I've been reading crappy plays with horrible content and lousy songs, and all that time you've had THIS. Do you know how much time I've spent on those stupid plays, and how much work has gone into trying to work out a set design for all those lousy scenes? I haven't just been working here. I might've only taken scripts home with me last weekend, and yesterday, but that does not mean, I haven't been working once I've gone home. Not to mention I've been up early every day to go to the gym, because I haven't had any time to do that in the late mornings, afternoons, or evenings since starting on the benefit."

He felt bad, and especially knowing now why she'd been so exhausted every day. But on the other hand, he had no way of knowing she'd gone through all of that, with the exception of knowing how much and how long she'd worked, whenever she was at the mansion.

"I'm truly very sorry, Miss Babcock." She sighed and shook her head.

"No, don't be, Niles. I'm sorry. It's not your fault. I shouldn't be taking it out on you." He smiled at her, but was still a little bit unsure.

"So you honestly loved the play?" She nodded and gave him a tired smile.

"Yes, I honestly did. The play is amazing. It might need a little work here and there, but they're minor things. The play has really incredible potential of becoming a hit, and I can definitely use one of the scenes for the benefit. In fact, I've already found the perfect one."

"I'm glad to hear it." He was still a little nervous. "But you're really sure that the play is good enough?" She rolled her eyes.

"For crying out loud, Niles! What do I have to do to convince you? Beat you with the script again?"

She raised the script pretending to be ready to hit him, and he covered his body with his arms again, before shaking his head.

"No thank you." She smirked and put the script down. "I'm just a little worried that you might not have given it a fair shot. You're rather tired, and I don't want you ending up with a horrible scene. I mean, it wouldn't be good for Sheffield-Babcock Productions."

"Whenever I get a new script in my hands, I'm able to work through any exhaustion I might have, and give the script my full focus and attention. My mind just works that way. So, I don't know what else to tell you, Niles, other than the play is really amazing. Do you believe me now?" He smiled back and nodded. "Good. And now that I've answered your question a million times, I'm curious about why you haven't given the play to Maxwell already."

Time to come up with a believable cover story.

"My friend only recently gave me the play, and by then you'd already chosen a new play to produce. Not to mention that Mr. Sheffield was busy with the wedding, and you wer…" He stopped not knowing how to finish that sentence. She on the other hand merely nodded.

"Yeah, we all know where I was. Continue."

"Well, with everything going on I didn't think it was an appropriate time to give the script to you and Mr. Sheffield. Besides, I don't think Mr. Sheffield would want to bother too much with a script knowing, I recommended it."

She nodded knowing he was right about Maxwell, and it made her sad. She offered him a smile.

"You might be right, but it doesn't matter what Maxwell thinks now, because he put me in charge of this benefit, and we're using a scene from this play." He smiled broadly.

"Oh thank you, Miss Babcock." He then quickly added an afterthought. "My friend will be most pleased."

"You know I'd like to meet this friend of yours. I really want Maxwell and I to get his permission to produce his play, so I think we should talk to him about it."

Not wanting to reveal he was the writer, it was time for yet another cover story.

"And I know he'd love to meet you too, but at the moment he's out of the country. After finishing the play, he decided to go on a voyage of self discovery. I'm afraid he'll be gone for months, and that it'll be impossible for me to get a hold of him." She chuckled.

"I didn't know you had hippie friends."

He rolled his eyes pretending to be annoyed, but in reality he was thrilled that she seemed to believe his lie.

"Yes, well good for you that you learned something new today." She smirked at him.

"Well, if you do get a hold of him, or talk to him when he gets back, you tell him I want to talk to him about his play. He might've given you the play to give to Maxwell, but we still need his approval to produce the entire play. The paperwork needs to be in order."

"I'll make sure to tell him that, if I talk to him." She sighed.

"But it really is too bad you can't get a hold of him." Niles raised his eyebrow questioningly.

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Because, I would love to hear, his ideas on a set design. I'm sure he has some. Seeing as he's written this wonderful play, he must have some ideas of how it would all look." He shrugged.

"Well, he has some but not a lot. I mean, he did discuss them with me, so I can give you the details of his envisions, if you're interested?" She looked at him surprised.

"He really did that?" He nodded. "Well that certainly takes care of that problem. You and I are going to discuss details this weekend, and you're coming with me for all my appointments." He stared wide eyed at her, both surprised that she was taking him along and that she was at all interested in hearing what he had to say. When she saw the look on his face, she pointed her finger in front of his eyes, and gave him a half stern look. "You can relax next weekend, so for this weekend you do as I say. Is that clear?" He chuckled and nodded.

"Perfectly." She gave him a triumphant smirk. "So what scene did you choose for the benefit?"

"I'll show you."

She found the scene in the script and showed it to him. He nearly gasped out loud when he realized, it was one of his favorite scenes in the play that contained that song that was so special to his heart. However, he kept all audible sounds of happiness to himself and opted for merely smiling.

"Yes, that's a good scene." CC shook her head.

"It's more than just good. It's so beautiful. And that song." She shook her head in wonderment. "I don't know what it is about that song, but there's something about it that just speaks to me."

Feeling he was starting to become emotional, he knew that he had to come up with a way to quickly excuse himself, so that he wouldn't give himself away. Hearing her stomach growl, he found his excuse.

"Seems like someone's hungry." She chuckled.

"Yeah. Perhaps we should think about ordering some food."

"How can you even suggest ordering food, when you've finally found the perfect scene? No, I think we should celebrate with something other than takeout. How does Tournedos Rossini sound?" She was a bit surprised that he was so enthusiastic, but didn't give it more thought and nodded.

"That sounds absolutely amazing. But do you have the ingredients for that?"

"Yes, everything I need to make it is in the kitchen. So if you can hold out for a little over half an hour, I can make that for dinner."

"Oh absolutely. I'm not going to pass up a meal like that for takeout."

"It's settled then. Well, I'll be in the kitchen."

He wanted to leave in a hurry, and hoped that she wouldn't follow him straight away. He still needed a few minutes alone to collect himself.

"Okay. I'm just going to read through the scene a couple more times, and then I'll come join you."

"That's fine. Take your time."

All the way to the kitchen, he sighed in relief.

When she entered the kitchen nearly thirty minutes later, she closed her eyes for a moment and breathed in the smell of food.

"That smells absolutely divine. It sure as hell beats takeout." He chuckled at her.

"I should hope so. Dinner is just a few minutes away." She nodded and came closer to look at the food.

"Prime beef, black truffles, and foie gras." She smirked at him. "Does the boss know you buy such expensive food, when he's not home?"

"Yes, of course."

"Well, we'll just see about that. I think I should have a little talk with Maxwell, when he gets home." Niles groaned.

"Okay, so he doesn't know. But it's not like he knows what I spend the food budget on anyway, or how much I really spend." She crossed her arms and smirked at him.

"So exactly how much of Maxwell's money, do you spend on food for yourself?" He gave her his lopsided grin and then shook his head.

"Not as much as you'd think. How can I when, I hardly have the place to myself? Besides, anything I want to eat, I can just get from the fridge or the pantry, and since I stock those, I can put anything in there. And it's not like Mr. Sheffield bothers to check the bills for groceries much anyway. He trusts me to take care of the food with all it involves, and only looks at that account once in a while to make sure there's enough money in it."

"But what about when you do have the house to yourself, and you end up cooking a meal like this? Doesn't Maxwell notice that you've spent a lot of money on food that he won't ever get to enjoy?" He gave her his impish grin.

"Not when you know the right people." She looked at him confusedly.

"Okay, you need to explain that." He chuckled.

"In all my years working for Mr. Sheffield, I've done my fair share of shopping at the local markets, grocery stores, and in shops that sell food specialties. When you've become accustomed to doing your food shopping in those places, you form friendships with the people selling the food. And when that happens, you end up getting special offers and price cuts in exchange for recipes." He then gave her that impish grin again. "You also end up getting them to make it look like they're charging you more money for a cheaper item, in order to keep a more expensive item you want to keep for yourself off the bill."

She laughed throatily.

"Clever, Niles, and very sneaky." He gave her a nod.

"Thank you." He looked down at the food. "Well, seeing as dinner is just two minutes away, I'll go make the dining room ready." She shook her head.

"Don't bother with that, Niles. We'll eat here. There's no point in bringing everything from here to there just to bring it back again. Besides, we have a lot of work ahead of us, so we need to get back to that after we've eaten." He was surprised by her response but nodded nonetheless.

"Okay, if that's alright with you." She nodded.

"It is. Seeing as we're eating soon, I have something to take care of. I'll be right back."

When she'd left Niles smiled to himself that she didn't mind eating in the kitchen, and then went back to attending to the food.

A couple of minutes later, he put the food on the table and looked up when CC entered the kitchen again. However, he looked a bit shocked when he noticed the bottle of red wine, she had brought with her.

"Where did you get that from? Don't tell me you took it from the wine cellar?" She nodded, put it on the table, and went to get the corkscrew. He picked up the wine for a closer inspection. Then he gasped. "This is one of Mr. Sheffield's most expensive wines."

She came back and took the bottle from him.

"Yes, and it'll go lovely with the food." She was about to start opening the wine when Niles snatched it back from her.

"We can't drink this." She snatched it from his grasp.

"Sure we can." He snatched it back again.

"No, we can't." She rolled her eyes.

"Why not?"

"Because, Mr. Sheffield will know that it's missing."

"No, he won't. You and I both know how dense that man can be." Niles nodded.

"Yeah, that's hardly unnoticeable. But he takes notice of the strangest things, and I'm telling you, he'll know that this wine is missing. And when he does realize it's gone, he'll blame me."

"Oh relax, Niles. It wasn't the last bottle of its kind, I took, so I'm positive Maxwell won't notice if one bottle is missing." She snatched the bottle back again. "You can't deny that this particular wine will go great with this meal." He sighed knowing she was right.

"No, I can't. But that sti…" She quickly tore into the capsule, which rendered him speechless.

"Great. Glad you agree." She smirked at him when she'd uncorked the wine. "Let's eat."

He sighed knowing now he was powerless to stop her. He then nodded in agreement.

"Yes, let's eat."

While they ate they discussed details about the play, but they also enjoyed each other's company and eating together with no one else there. Though neither one told the other one about that.

After dinner they went to the living room and continued talking about set designs and making a schedule of their plans for the weekend. Knowing now how many actors the scene required CC had called the actors needed with the exception of the two leads, who'd be performing the song. She still couldn't quite decide on which actors to use, and felt like she couldn't make a decision without having heard the song first.

"Hey, Niles?"

Niles looked up from the notes, he was going over.

"Yes?"

"I'm having trouble deciding on which two actors I need for the leads. I think I can only do that after I've heard the song performed." He shook his head in confusion.

"I can understand that, but I'm not sure I quite follow. Do you want to meet with all the potential actors for the parts tomorrow, and hear them sing the song?" She shook her head.

"No, I need to make a decision tonight. So I was thinking that you could play the song on the piano and sing it." He stared at her incredulously.

"You want me to what?"

"I want you to play the song on the piano and sing it." She was being sincere, he noted.

"Bu..but why?"

"You have a beautiful voice and you know how to play the piano. You're also the only one here, who can do it."

"But I can't." Now she shook her head in confusion.

"Why not?"

"Because, it's a duet."

He was actually surprised with himself at how fast he came up with that answer, even though it was the truth. However, she merely shrugged at that.

"It doesn't matter. All I need is to hear the song, and then I can envision who's going to be the male lead and also the female lead. Tell me, have you ever played this song and sung it?"

He answered without thinking still being too stunned of her request.

"Yes, I have."

"Perfect, then you'll be able to do it."

"No, absolutely not." She gave him a questioningly look. "Um, I mean, I couldn't possibly do it."

"Niles, what's the big deal? I know, it's a duet, but that doesn't mean you still can't sing the song alone. And you just said you've sung it before. So other than it being a duet, what's the problem?"

"I assure you, there's no problem."

"Good, then let's get on with it." She stood up from her seat on the couch and walked over to the piano getting the sheet music settled. When he still hadn't moved a couple of seconds later, she got annoyed. "I'm waiting." When he still didn't move, she let out a frustrated groan. "I don't have time for this, Dust Buster. I have people to call, and with a million things ahead of us tomorrow, I don't really feel like staying up half the night. Now I don't care why you're acting so childish and being so stubborn, but just get your damn ass over here right now, and start playing."

He let out a frustrated groan of his own, but thought it was best not to be too frustrated, or he was sure she'd be on to him. He already felt that he might be a bit too obvious with his reluctance to play the song.

It wasn't that he was dead set against playing the song, but he feared that he'd get too caught up in the moment, and perhaps become too emotional while he was singing. Not that he felt he'd cry, but he feared that his voice might become thick with emotion, and that he'd give himself away.

However, knowing that there was no way for him to get out of playing the song, he got up from his seat on the chair and walked over to take a seat on the piano bench. He hoped that CC would keep a good distance, while he sang the song, but she pulled up a chair and sat beside him.

He took a couple of deep breaths to calm his nerves and closed his eyes. Taking one last deep breath, he opened his eyes and placed his fingers on the keys, and just by playing the first notes, he lost himself in the moment. He decided then and there that he didn't care how he sang the song, and decided to sing with everything he had in him.

"I'm standing by an angel
tears well up inside
feelings of belonging
Of gratitude and pride

I'm blinded by your presence
In this moment that we're in
If God was to describe you
Where would he begin
Your colors blend together
And you become the light
If only you could see the way you shine
Darling, when you tell the world you're mine

You're the future I believe in
I know you, through and through
Your each and every heartbeat, every breath
Every time I look at you

You're mine, against all odds my love
What we have, it is unbreakable

If God was to describe you
Where would he begin...

I'm standing by an angel."

When the song was over silence filled the entire mansion. Niles didn't dare look at CC fearing that he'd show her just how much he loved her. So instead of looking at her, he closed his eyes waiting for her to talk to him.

However, CC was at a loss for words. Everything about the performance had been beautiful from Niles' voice, to the music, to the words. And there was just something about those words that she couldn't pinpoint. It had left her quite emotional and she could feel her eyes brimming with tears that threatened to fall at any moment. Not wanting to lose it in front of Niles, she quickly cleared her throat and put up that well guarded wall that covered her vulnerability, and that allowed her to be the business woman and bitch that she knew, she was.

"Thanks. I know who to call now." She stood up quickly, and headed for the office only half looking over her shoulder as she addressed Niles. "I'll be in the office making the calls."

Niles just stared after her, and kept staring after she'd left. After a few seconds he then turned back towards the piano closing his eyes and let out a frustrated groan. However, he wasn't frustrated with her but with himself. He could've told her how he felt about her, could've told her he'd written the play and songs. But no. He'd been a chicken like always. And even though he'd sung the song with every emotion in him, he knew that whatever he did or said could never win her over, since the song had no affect on her. Letting out one final frustrated groan, he got up and started to clean up the living room of the cups and plates, they'd used.

When CC was behind the closed door in the office, she let go of her emotions and let the tears flow freely from her eyes. She leaned against the door for support, but when her knees started to weaken she sat down on the couch. After a few minutes she started to dry her tears and was calm enough to think about the lyrics of the song. If only he'd feel that way about her. If only. But she knew he never would and could.

Drying the last remainder of her tears, she stood up and walked over to the box of tissues on the cabinet. She grabbed a couple and then grabbed the bottle of water that hadn't been removed from the desk, when they'd eaten lunch in here earlier. She put a bit of water on a tissue and then ran the wet tissue against her eyes, hoping that it would help conceal her puffy eyes that she was sure, she had. Noticing her handbag on the couch she was glad it was still there, because she knew that a small amount of water on her eyes wouldn't be enough, for her to be sure that her eyes weren't puffy anymore. She quickly got her compact mirror out and when she was sure her eyes were no longer puffy, she put it away, took a few calming breaths and then started calling the two actors.

When she came back to the living room nearly ten minutes later, she started to rub her eyes pretending to be really tired. She was still not sure if Niles would be able to tell that she'd been crying.

Having just finished tidying up, Niles looked up as she walked in.

"Did you make the arrangements?"

"Yes, I did." Just seeing him standing there brought the emotions back and the words of the song, so she quickly faked a big yawn. "I'm really tired, so I'm off to bed. Don't bother waking me, because I brought my own alarm clock. Goodnight, Merry Maid. Oh and don't forget that we have to be up early. We have a long schedule ahead of us tomorrow." She quickly headed for the stairs.

"Yes, I know. Goodnight, Babs."

Once she'd left he stayed in the living room for few minutes breathing in the lingering scent of Chanel No. 5, she'd left behind. He then sighed deeply and headed for bed himself.

TBC

NOTE: The song included in the chapter is called When You Tell The World You're Mine, and it was written by Jörgen Elofsson and the music was written by Jörgen Elofsson and John Lundvik. It was a wedding present to Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden, and was written especially for them. It was performed at their wedding in church, and it was performed by Agnes Carlsson and Björn Skifs. If you'd like to listen to the song, you can find it here: .com/watch?v=_P7EbCM70rI

As far as I can see, half of the link to the song, is missing. Before .com just add: http : / / www . youtube - Of course don't add the space between the letters. This is just the only way, I could get it to work.