Hello everyone!:) Boy, am I really on chapter 5 already? Just in case anyone was wondering, this will be a longer fic, at least 20 chapters, I've planned them completely through till chapter 12 at the moment but have vague ideas for the remaining 8!;) Ok, this chapter is 4 1/2 A4 pages long, so should be plenty for you to read!And as I promised, you should (hopefully) very much enjoy that. The um...show number at the beginning was inspired by the "Curtains" number "Thataway". If any of you are interested go on youtube and type in "Curtains choreography", it's a short 2.55 min video but only the bit about Karen Ziemba is important. (gives you an idea what Niles is faced with ;) ) And yeah, JC was very much inspired by KZ, though KZ is a lovely person as well as a wonderful performer!lol Anyway, enough babbling on from me, enjoy the chapter!:)

Disclaimer: I don't own "Curtains", only the CD, and none of the Nanny characters!

Chapter 5: Jealousy and Nearness

The initial shock of possibly having to work closer together wore off soon, mostly though because they didn't see each other a lot once the production of "Saloon Fever" had reached the rehearsal stage. Niles thought that this was the best thing that could've happened because it allowed them a moment to breathe without constantly being at each other's throats; on the other hand, however, he was beginning to miss their verbal battles.

One day, a couple of months later, he got a phone call from Maxwell and was surprised to find that it was an urgent one. His employer had left the house early in the morning again to work with the actors at the theatre, leaving Niles to look after his now heavily pregnant wife. It wasn't a task that he minded exactly, after all, he could still carry out his regular duties, but on the other hand it did stop him a bit from the social life he cherished. Although admittedly it was his own fault because in theory he was still able to meet other butlers and chefs like Lucy while grocery shopping, but his fear of leaving Sara alone in the house forced him to do so less and less. On that particular morning he had been cleaning in the office when he heard the telephone ring, before he could pick it up though Sara had already done so.

"Niles!" she yelled a moment later and he followed her voice into the living room.

She was sitting on her usual spot on the couch, legs outstretched, rubbing her pregnant belly with one and holding the phone with the other hand.

"If you would just let me get it you would save yourself the trouble of having to strain your voice." he commented.

"And miss the opportunity to talk to my husband whom I so hardly see now?" she replied seriously and handed him the phone.

"Yes, Sir?" Niles asked, expecting another particular dinner wish.

"Old Man, I really need your help. JC is on the verge of quitting…again, because her assistant forgot to bring her the caramelized almonds she asked for."

"She shouldn't eat so much sugar in anyway, especially not when she plans to sing at the premiere soon." Niles said dryly.

"I know, I know. But we can't afford to lose her now, it would be a colossal setback. Could you possibly prepare some and bring them over here? Oh and Miss Babcock asks if you could bring us some dinner too!"

"I'm not asking, I'm demanding." he could hear C.C. correct him, before Maxwell apparently placed his hand over the phone.

"Sir, what shall I do about Mrs Sheffield?" he asked carefully.

"Sara will be fine. Make sure she has the phone within reach if something should be wrong."

"Very well, Sir." Niles sighed, not entirely happy "I'll be over as soon as possible and tell Miss Babcock I'm going to bring some worms for her to snack on."

Without awaiting Maxwell's reply he hung up and filled Sara in. Then he hurried into the kitchen and began to work on the almonds, silently thanking God that they still had some in the house. While the butter was heating in the pan he suddenly had an idea and went back into the living room to retrieve the phone.

"Lucy, it's Niles." hesaid while adding some sugar to the now melted butter "I'm afraid I have to ask another favour. Maxwell urgently needs me at the theatre, would you mind watching Sara for an hour or so? I just don't like the idea of her being on her own in case something happens."

"Sure, don't mention it. I'll be over in a second."

"Thank you." he said sincerely and put the almonds into the sugar and butter mixture.

The traffic on his way to the theatre was horrendous and so he got there later than he had expected. He had taken off his jacket on the way over and was now rolling up his sleeves because temperatures had risen unexpectedly this April. He carried a basket with some lunch for Maxwell and C.C. on top of which rested the bowl with the almonds. Explaining to the stage door manager that he was the Sheffield's butler, he soon found himself in the relatively dark auditorium. He remained where he was for a bit until his eyes had adjusted to the barely illuminated room, before he began walking towards the stage. It only took him a second to realize who JC was because her stage presence was so strong that it almost seemed the other actors on stage were papier-mâché dolls. Her brown hair was piled up and held together with a pin and she wore heavy make-up and fake eye lashes. The burgundy dress she wore was low cut and complimented her perfectly and the minute she opened her mouth and began to sing Niles could understand why Maxwell couldn't afford to lose her. She was a treasure- moody and a diva- but a treasure nonetheless. Noticing that he had come to a standstill while gawking at her and that she was staring back, he finally forced himself to move again. This time he made it to the third row in which C.C. and Maxwell were sitting and placed the basket on the seat near the aisle, eyes still glued to the actress on stage. She was doing a dancing routine that was flirtatious, to say the least. There were a lot of kicks involved and more than once did he get a glimpse of something he wished he hadn't seen. To add to that the chorus boys had the glorious line "What's that stirring in my pants?" that not only made Niles question the quality of the musical, but also made the heat rise to his cheeks until he was certain he was completely red in the face.

None of this went unnoticed by C.C. whose eagle eyes had been following the rehearsal until she had caught a movement from the corner of her eye. With a light shrug she turned her attention back to the stage, at least the show was doing something right when it managed to attract men, and yet there was an odd sensation stirring in the pit of her stomach.

"Ah, Niles!" Maxwell exclaimed, noticing him for the first time once the music had stopped "Good, you made it."

But before he could answer, a shrill voice could be heard.

"Is this the butler?"

Niles was surprised to find that the woman who had such a heavenly singing voice would talk in such a crude way.

"My, doesn't he look delicious? I'd love to take a bite out of him."

For the second time that day he visibly blushed, while his fingers were nervously fumbling with the bowl of almonds. Even though the spell had been broken once JC had said the first word, he felt an almost repulsing pull towards her. There was something in her dominance he couldn't resist, an almost animalistic urge to grab her and have her even though rationally he knew she was completely wrong for him.

"Are you deaf, Butler boy? Get your juicy booty over here."

Niles blinked rapidly several times, finding that his feet were already carrying him to the stage but he was calmer now, more composed and suddenly capable again to see how old and revolting the actress looked under all her make-up. The nickname didn't work… not when she said it, yet when it left the lips of a certain blonde…

"Here are your almonds, Miss." he simply said, handing the box to her.

"Forget the bloody things. There's something else I'd much rather try."

And she grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him closer. Before she could make a move though a sharp, uncompromising voice pierced the air.

"We are not paying you to eat and flirt with the help!"

Niles looked over to the source of the voice, finding that C.C.'s eyes briefly rested on him before they fixed JC again with an icy stare.

"Maxwell, I will not let that…secretary of yours talk to me in such a way." The actress declared, drawing herself up to her full height.

"Secretary? I'm the one who gave you this job." C.C. spat.

"I don't need your pathetic offer. I'm Jane Clarence, I can have any job in the City and any butler too, including yours."

"He isn't mi-"

"Then you won't mind if I go out with him, isn't that right?"

C.C. opened and closed her mouth silently like a fish, but her fists were clenched at her sides and her body was rigid with tension.

"Maxwell, you better make this happen, otherwise you'll have to find a new star."

"Fine, take the maid." C.C. snapped, already extracting a flask from her purse "What do I care?"

Niles, meanwhile, was shooting Maxwell a look that clearly pleaded not to have him go out with that dreadful woman but with a barely noticeable shake of his head his employer dashed all his hopes.

C.C. was standing outside in the parking lot, smoking her second cigarette in a short time. She had just taken another long drag when Niles stormed out of the backdoor.

"Are you happy now?" he asked but without waiting for an answer continued walking until he reached the street.

No, she wasn't happy…not even one tiny little bit. As a matter of fact she was feeling almost nauseous and uncertain of her ability to ever face the actress again without ripping her head off. Why would she want the stupid butler, what in the world was so special about him? She sighed, wishing for once that she would see him the way everyone else seemed to… As the weird feeling in her stomach began to increase she let out a frustrated sigh and instead focused her anger on him. Why had he been silent? Standing there like a complete idiot, turning read and letting her talk to him like that? He never took anything sitting down; he always had some sort of comeback… She just couldn't believe how a man like him could let anyone treat him like that. She was just on her way back inside when she ran into Maxwell who looked very annoyed.

"C.C., I think it's best if you take the rest of the day off." he said.

"No, I'm fine now. That woman just rubbed me the wrong way, but I promise you I will control myself."

"I'm sorry,C.C., but for the sake of our show I'm going to have to ask you to stay at home today. I'll manage everything. I will see you tomorrow."

"Maxwell-" she tried, but he merely shook his head in a gesture that meant he didn't want to hear any of her excuses. "Stupid butler." C.C. muttered under her breath and turned around to hail a cab.

The atmosphere in the following week was icy, to say the least. C.C. was still annoyed because of the way Maxwell had treated her after the little incident and Niles was more than fed up with his employer for using him like that. Nonetheless rehearsals had to continue and Niles' date kept coming closer and closer, whether he liked it or not.

It was the end of the week and C.C. was looking forward to a nice, hot bath followed by a quiet evening in with a good book and a glass of wine. She had been avoiding making conversation with Maxwell as much as possible, which only worked so well because they still spent most of their time in rehearsal. She was just putting away some scripts and other paperwork, when Maxwell handed her her coat.

"Thanks." she said, without looking at him and took it.

"C.C., Niles is going on the date with JC tonight and I told him to stop by your place afterwards."

"Why?" she exclaimed, meeting his eyes now that it was inevitable not to.

"You do remember Sara and me asking you to become our child's godparents? Well, I know you haven't seen her in quite a while, but I'm sure you're aware the date is approaching and so we would love it if you started working on that speech."

Grinding her teeth together in annoyance upon seeing all her plans disappear she only managed a "Certainly, Maxwell."

On the way to her apartment she could feel her tensing muscles and it only served to increase her already throbbing headache to know that she couldn't have a bath because Niles might barge in on her any time. So instead when she reached her penthouse she opted for a change of clothing and a generous glass of wine. The clothes she wore were carefully selected, something more casual but not enough to give the butler any wrong ideas. Thus she had picked a black pair of sweatpants with a black and white top that was tied by the waist. After she had pinned up her hair she took the first large sip of her wine and settled down on the sofa.

Niles had been just as miserable when Maxwell had told him to stop by C.C.'s apartment, although admittedly he had felt a spark of excitement for just a second. This he made a conscious effort to ignore, however, because he couldn't allow himself to swoon over the woman when it was her who had caused him to suffer through this horrible date. Arriving at her penthouse around 9 o'clock he fully intended to lie to her, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of having succeeded in making him miserable. The doorman let him in once he had stated his name, explaining that Miss Babcock had already informed him of the impending visit. He had then taken the lift up to her apartment, all the while marveling at the grandeur of the place. It was clearly fit for a Babcock…he sighed, taking off his jacket before exiting the lift. With each step he took towards the door his nervousness grew until his knuckles finally rapped against the wood. The woman who opened the door looked so wonderfully unlike the C.C. Babcock he often saw at the Sheffield residence, that he couldn't help but stare for a moment. Everything from her visibly softened appearance was enough to warm his heart and also made him vulnerable for the first harsh remark.

"You're here so early?" she asked "Well, the date can't have been very good then."

Coming back to the twisted reality of their current relationship he decided to build on his previous plan by rubbing it in even more.

"You will find, Miss Babcock, that I have many ways of pleasing a woman, some of which are not measurable by time alone." he said smoothly, stepping into her apartment.

As he walked past her she caught a whiff of a scent that very clearly wasn't his, but a heavy women's perfume. Instinctively her hand went to her stomach as a sickening feeling began to spread, while she used the other to close the door. When she turned around she saw that he had already made himself comfortable on the sofa, clearly having chosen to be completely impolite.

"I need another glass of wine…" she muttered to herself but looked up in surprise when she heard Niles say "Don't mind if I do."

Concluding that he must have caught the last part of her sentence and interpreted it as an offer, she let out a frustrated moan and walked into the kitchen to fetch a glass for him.

"Next time keep the corny details to yourself, Butler Boy, "she began after having taken another hearty sip of the wine "Your cheap servant come ons might work with that insufferable diva, but they are wasted on me."

Her eyebrows arched in curiosity when she noticed that he nearly emptied his glass before being able to reply.

"I don't like this situation anymore than you do, Babs, why don't we just skip the niceties and get it over and done with?"

"Fine." She said curtly, while leaning forward to pick up the notepad she had already positioned on the table.

"We should probably start with "Dear…"" Niles suggested, swallowing the remains of wine in one gulp.

"Yes, it's always a good idea to address the person directly." C.C. commented "What are they going to call her?"

Niles' mind was still busy trying to come up with a good come back that it took him a moment to realize he, in fact, had no idea what the little girl would be called.

"I'm not sure…all I remember is Sara mentioning that it will be a girl but the name… no, she never mentioned a name. And Maxwell was so busy working with you and my duties in the house kept me busy-"

"Well, you are the butler." C.C. interrupted.

"Why thank you Miss Babcock! With you around it's quite impossible to forget that." He growled.

At this C.C. broke into ringing laughter that was so sincere that it even made Niles' lips curl into a smile. Brushing his hand through his hair as if that would erase the tingling sensation he was feeling, he slid off the sofa and poured some more wine into his glass, before refilling hers.

"I do hope their daughter is going to be more like Mrs Sheffield than Maxwell." Niles said pensively,sipping at his wine "Maxwell is a good man at heart, but he can be awfully indecisive sometimes and Sara is like a breath of fresh air, much more emotional and far less rigid than he is."

"Yeah, she's always been like that." C.C. agreed quietly.

Niles looked up at her but came to the conclusion that he would have to bare something of his life to find out more about her.

"Maxwell and I basically grew up together. My father was his father's butler and as his son I was trained at a very early age, not only that, as the older boy I was often asked to keep an eye on Max. Sometimes, on very rare occasions, Maxwell even came home with us. I come from a very large and loving family and I think Max missed that in his own. Especially with his father everything was always about the business, you won't believe how many times Max had to spend Christmas without him."

During his speech C.C. had silently slid off the sofa as well, instantly drawn to his warmth as the words he spoke painted pictures of her own lonely childhood.

"We didn't live very far away from the Sheffields and, like I said, my brother and I were trained to be butlers very early on… I think, my father wanted to use every excuse to keep us close. Mr. Sheffield Senior soon realized that Maxwell and I were getting along splendidly and possibly even, that I had a positive influence on his son, I guess that's why he offered to pay for my education at Oxford."

"Wait, if you have a degree from that University, why are you working as a butler?" she asked.

"That is between me and the Sheffields. Besides, I didn't think you cared." He said, raising an eyebrow and taking the time to look at her.

C.C. instantly averted her eyes and drank some more wine, finding that no right reply was making it past her lips. She remained that way and didn't say another word until Niles asked: "How did you meet Sara?"

She frowned slightly before her face eased into a smile.

"Well, my parents had sent me to this country club for a couple of weeks during the summer time and Sara happened to be there as well. I found it a dreadful experience as most of the children had basically been dumped there by their parents who wanted to spend some time alone. I was especially miserable because my parents were already divorced by then and I knew that I wouldn't have that warm coming home feeling to look forward to and I think most of the other children sensed that. Sara, on the other hand, was just as unhappy to be there and so I managed to get her into all sorts of trouble."

Niles' chuckle brought her out of her reverie and she propped her head up on her right hand to study him. His blue eyes were sparkling and his "Continue" sounded so warm and gentle that she wanted to close her eyes.

"Well, I got her to come with me to the lake at night to smoke and she was always useful when it came to boys. You see, girls and boys were separated then because we weren't trusted but a lot of them managed to sneak over to see us girls, but before they could reach the main house Sara would stop them and tell them about me. She and I had found that old tree house and I used to hide up there and any boy who wanted a kiss had to solve three puzzles."

"Why didn't you just meet them the way Sara did?" Niles asked, turning around to face her while putting one hand in the gap between their legs, so close that C.C. could feel the heat radiating off him.

"Sara always found it easier to talk to them; I never knew how to approach them. That way I also found out who was really worth it, who considered me important enough to solve the puzzles. I was a hand full at that age, mother blamed it on growing up with my father…" she trailed off when she noticed that he was watching her intently. "What are you looking at?" she whispered nervously. Her breath hitched in her throat when she noticed his eyes roaming across her body, from the messy strands of hair that had found their way out of the pin, over her flesh that had become visible once the tie of her shirt had loosened slightly, to her feet that were nearly touching his.

"I think I can see young C.C." he said softly, a warm glint in his deep blue eyes.

Her heart seemed to beat too fast for her body to cope and she had trouble breathing regularly.

"We're nearly out of wine." She breathed, breaking the spell and scrambled to her feet to find another bottle.

They worked until very late and while Niles was going over their completed speech one last time, C.C. was falling asleep. It took him longer than usual to read it because his mind kept drifting off to the moment they had shared a little while ago. He couldn't forget that deer caught in the headlights look in her eyes and the way they nervously flickered up to meet his, before focusing on a spot on the wall again. She had been frightened and excited at the same time, god, if only he had done something… He stopped his musings when he heard the first quiet snore and a smile spread on his face when he realized that she was fast asleep. Setting the notepad down on the table he carefully got to his feet, trying not to wake her and reached for a blanket with which he could cover her. Having made sure she was warm enough he lightly touched his fingertips to her cheek before forcing himself to leave the penthouse. Everything inside him screamed to stay with her, savor the feeling of her body close to his, but the rational part of his brain told him that it wouldn't be wise, for if she woke up to find him asleep next to her, the insults were sure to be harsher than usual.

The next morning when he was preparing breakfast the image of her sleeping form still brought a smile to his face, that was until his employer entered the kitchen.

"I see you're still alive after writing that speech with Miss Babcock, old man." He said comradely, patting him on the back.

"Yes, Sir. It was the date that was much worse. I want to make something very clear here, I only did it because this is your first show and you need that actress, but I will never be used like that again." Niles said firmly and, ignoring Maxwell's attempt to answer, he added: "Breakfast will be ready in 10 minutes."