Yes,yes, I know what I said...just feel free to ignore me from now on. I had a lot of time and wrote 3 A4 pages on one day and then finished it off today on the ferry over to Vancouver. I really hope you'll enjoy this and I'll update again once I get the chance to in Oxford. Flying back tomorrow and I'm already nervous but on the bright side I am going to see David Hyde Pierce live the day after tomorrow!:) I'm excited, with "Frasier" being my favourite sitcom and I do love Niles (must have to do with the name ;) ) Before I forget it... this chapter wouldn't have happened without the idea that NilesLover101 gave me, so thank you very much and this chapter is for you!:) Read and review please,it makes me incredibly happy!:D

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but I keep grinning at the Bellboys in the hotel we're staying at!^^

Chapter 8:A Family Vacation

B.B. Babcock's visit changed everything, not just the entire dynamic between C.C. and Niles, but also the relationship she had with Sara. C.C. wasn't the same anymore once her mother was gone, as if the visit had reinforced old rules she had once learned. Now she was constantly on edge, causing even Maxwell to fall out with her occasionally, but more than that she was distanced and unreachable. She clad herself in fine outfits by Dolce& Gabbana, as if they would provide her with the warmth she so desperately craved. Instead of lingering long enough to stay for dinner, she rushed out of the house as soon as she could, usually to meet some acquaintances of the social circle she now moved in. Niles was giving her the silent treatment, and Sara could see how it was affecting C.C. At times she even swore that her friend was phrasing a sentence in a particular way to encourage him to engage her in the banter they had once shared, but Niles didn't budge. Instead he focused all his attention and his love on Maggie, who would grow up to remember this but not the godmother who had once looked after her as well. As the years moved on some of the wounds healed, at least between Sara and C.C., although the old trust was gone.

By the time Maggie turned eight, she already had a brother aged four, named Brighton. Sara was just pregnant with her third child when she decided it was time for a holiday. It was easier said than done though because Maxwell was still just as busy working and her and Brighton had different ideas of the sort of vacation they wanted. Finally settling for a compromise they decided to go rent a log house in Jasper, Canada. It offered enough outdoor possibilities to keep her son and husband busy and if she wanted to, she could enjoy a spa at the city centre. Niles had quickly been convinced to come along, even though this wasn't a selfless act- the family was so large that they needed the help of a butler. The hardest task, however, was persuading C.C. to come as well. Sara was certain that it would be good for them to rekindle their friendship far away from anyone they'd know, but she had no idea how to get her to agree when having to admit that Niles would be there too. Eventually it was Maxwell who helped her by suggesting to C.C. that she could enjoy a holiday and they could still get some work done.

On 7th July it was finally time, two yellow cabs were parked in front of the Sheffield residence, the impatient drivers strumming their fingers against the stirring wheel as the Sheffields as well as Niles and C.C. were coming out of the house, suitcases and bags in their hands. They were driven to JFK Airport to take a private jet Maxwell had hired to Vancouver. Comfortably spread out on a seat behind C.C. and Sara, Niles couldn't resist the urge of the first jibe after a very long time.

"Maybe we should've brought a nappy along for Miss Babcock." he said, knowing very well that they could hear him "You know, the way she tends to act like a baby on a plane."

C.C., who was white as a sheet again, just kept looking out of the window but a little while later Sara caught her smiling to herself.

"What are you thinking about?" she tried curiously.

"Oh nothing, I just remembered something that I had almost forgotten."

Sara nodded and squeezed her hand, gaining hope from C.C.'s reaction. That hope was soon dashed, however, when C.C. kept trying to talk Maxwell into going over some contracts but he kept declining because Brighton constantly occupied him.

"Maxwell, you know very well that I agreed to come along because you said we would discuss business and now you're here playing with the children-"

"C.C., it's a holiday." Sara pressed gently "He spends so little time with them as it is."

"Yes, unlike you we don't constantly focus on our career." Niles added.

"Well, if I had your job I wouldn't even call it a career." C.C. said sharply, bringing out the hurt again in Niles' eyes that had slowly faded over the years.

Sara closed her eyes, praying for patience, the two of them were more exhausting than her kids. She just hoped that they would stop hurting each other and just fess up to their feelings. She was almost certain that there had been a time where Niles had been very close to admitting it and that it was mostly up to C.C. to look past the stereotypes she had been brought up with.

The landing in Vancouver was a spectacular one for they had a beautiful view of the coast and the mountains in the distance. Maggie was sitting next to Niles who was pointing everything out to her, always accompanied by a funny story.

"You know, they've got dolphins here, maybe if you look really closely you can see one jumping out of the water."

She leaned so close to the side of the plane that her nose was touching the window. "I can't see any, Niles." she whined.

"Ah Miss Margaret, dolphins are very sensitive animals, they probably know that Miss Babcock is coming and are scared of her inhuman powers."

Maggie giggled and even Sara smiled, she looked over to her friend to see how she had taken the butler's joke. C.C. looked a bit as if she had a toothache, a smile was tugging at the corner of the mouth but she was doing her best not to say anything.

"Chas, it used to be so easy for the two of you." Sara said quietly, giving C.C.'s knee a squeeze, but she simply shook her head and remained silent.

On the way to the luggage conveyor belt they passed a number of totems.

"Eugh, boring art." Brighton complained.

"This isn't just art, son, these totems tell stories and legends." Maxwell corrected gently.

"Yes, there is even one of Miss Babcock." Niles chimed in "It's a totem showing a woman with a basket and legend says that she used that to steal away young children and then she ate them."

Brighton's eyes widened, before he breathed: "Cool!"

C.C. turned around to face Niles, hands on her hips, but Niles who wore a smug grin merely shrugged and continued walking. Once their entire luggage was collected they walked across the street to the car rentals company and half an hour later they stood in front of two white Toyotas.

"I wanna drive with dad!" Brighton exclaimed, followed by Maggie's happy "Me too! Me too!"

"Of course." Sara said with a content smile "That leaves me and C.C. to drive with you, Niles."

"Can't I be in Maxwell's car?" C.C. asked.

"But daaad, I don't want her to." Brighton complained.

"Smart boy." Niles commented and held the car door open for Sara.

They drove for the remainder of the day, reaching Jasper late at night. Maxwell took Brighton in his arms and carried him inside, while Sara was busy waking up a sleeping Maggie.

"Are you going to let C.C. know we're here?" she asked and thought nothing of Niles' overly innocent "Of course!"

When Sara was out of sight he bent to pick up some old, wilted grass that was partly wrapped in cobwebs. But the malicious glint in his eyes disappeared for a second, when he sat back down in the car, alone with C.C. for the first time since their fall-out. She had aged, naturally, he was comparing the C.C of then to the C.C. of now, seven years later, but he found it quite becoming. Even in her late twenties she had been a looker, but now that she was in her mid-thirties she seemed to fit more into her personality, he couldn't explain it better than that. She was wearing her hair short now, which only served to highlight the sharpness of her character, in a way he missed her long, blonde hair because it had made her seem so soft. A tired sigh left his lips when he realized that not even in sleep she looked peaceful, but rather full of sorrow and bitterness. It was literally edged into her beautiful face and it shook him because he knew that once there had been the possibility of gaining her trust, of softly stealing his way into her heart, but now…

He went into panic mode when her eyelids began to flutter slightly, he'd never hear the end of it if she caught him watching her. So instead he placed a handful of grass on the crown of her head, extracting one blade with which he began to tickle the area underneath her nose. C.C.'s eyes flew open before a mighty sneeze erupted from her, causing the grass to fly all over her.

"That was your waking call, Ma'am, your coffin is waiting." he said grinning at her and slammed the door shut before her "NIIILES!" could wake up the neighborhood.

He was a number of steps ahead of her and had already dropped his bag on the bed in his room, when she finally entered the house.

"I cannot believe you did this." she yelled.

"Hush, C.C., you are going to wake up the kids." Sara pleaded, wondering what had happened.

"Mrs. Sheffield, Sir, if you don't need me, I will retire now."

And he left the room, letting out a low chuckle, when he heard Maxwell say "Um…C.C., there is something in your hair."

Sara found him the next morning as he was preparing breakfast. Niles was already treating the kitchen as if he was as familiar with it as he was with the one at their Park Avenue residence. He wore a pair of black pants, combined with a blue t-shirt and he seemed extraordinarily happy as he softly sang along to the tune that was playing on the radio while breaking some eggs into the pan.

"I hate to dampen your good mood, Niles." she said as he turned around to greet her with a smile "But you do know that you won't win her heart by playing these pranks on her."

"It's not about that." he replied, his expression sobering immediately.

"Of course not," she sighed, sitting down at the table "you are simply doing it because you enjoy seeing her miserable."

"Possibly." he said with a shrug as Maxwell entered the kitchen.

"Why are young kids always up so early?" he asked stretching, before sitting down next to his wife, placing a small kiss on her lips.

"I think it's ideal, Sir. You could have breakfast earlier than everyone else and take Brighton out fishing. If Miss Margaret isn't awake yet she could spend some time with Mrs. Sheffield and Miss Babcock at the spa later on."

"And what are you going to do, old man?"

"Oh, I'll think of something, Sir." he said, grinning broadly when he caught Sara's eyes who knew very well that he wanted some time on his own.

His plan was beginning to work up to the point when Sara and Maggie decided to leave for the spa without C.C. who still hadn't emerged from her bedroom. Niles cursed slightly under his breath, knowing that he couldn't really go anywhere until he had served C.C. some breakfast, so instead he sat out on the veranda, reading a newspaper article. When he heard footsteps approaching, he said, without looking up:

"You missed the trip to the beauty spa and god knows you would need it."

"Beauty spa?" her deep, rich voice sounded confused "I thought this was supposed to be a holiday in the mountains."

And when he turned around he saw that she was wearing a pair of beige shorts, a red v-neck top and hiking boots.

"What are you smirking about, Butler Boy?" she asked provocatively.

He chuckled and shook his head, saying quietly as he walked past her: "You surprise me, Babcock."

She followed him into the kitchen and watched him prepare breakfast for a while. The age difference between them was becoming more pronounced as the years progressed and he was looking a little chubbier than when they first had met.

"What would your Gucci friends say if they saw you now?" Niles said, placing a plate with pancakes in front of her.

She looked off into the distance, muttering: "I'm growing tired of people asking me that."

"Are you sure that's the only thing you're getting tired of?" he questioned, leaning closer to her.

For a moment her sky-blue eyes swept across his face, but the answer she knew he was hoping for wouldn't make it past her lips.

"Enjoy your breakfast." he said and exited, fleeing as far as he could from her because she was doing it again, drawing him back in although he had sworn to move on.

He was having conflicting thoughts all day long, his repressed feelings suddenly resurfacing at once when he had gotten a glimpse again of the C.C. he remembered meeting on the plane. The tough young woman who was proud of her family, but certain of her abilities to make it on her own and become more than just a secretary. He waded into the water of the river that ran just outside their log house, until he stood in it knee-deep. He didn't know how long he had been standing there like this when he suddenly caught sight of her at the other side of the river. She simply stood and looked at him and when she noticed that he was looking back she smiled. It was a weird moment, a gesture he hadn't expected at that point but he felt his lips involuntarily curve into a lopsided grin. He had no idea how long she had been watching him, but just the fact that she had made his heart pound faster.

Acting on a whim he raised his hand, signaling her to wait while he disappeared into the house. Hurriedly he grabbed a basket and put some fruit as well as a bottle of apple juice into it. Then he buttered some toasts and took a lump of cheese from the fridge to add it to the basket. Finally he just took some cutlery and a couple of serviettes and he was off in the direction of the bridge that crossed the river. To his disappointment C.C. Babcock wasn't there anymore, he sighed, already cursing himself for his foolishness when somebody called his name.

"Hey, Butler Boy!"

He looked up and around until he spotted her sitting in a tree house, legs dangling over the edge. He knew that this used to be a family camping area, so he wasn't surprised to find a tree house, but her sitting there casually talking to him was, indeed, confusing.

"What were you doing staring at me the across the river, Babs?" he asked, putting the basket down.

"Just wondering if you had gotten cold feet." she replied, the glint in her eyes telling him that there was more meaning than one "And what have you got in that basket that you so dismally are trying to hide?"

"I prepared some food." he answered truthfully.

"Well, then you better bring it up." she said loftily, rising to her feet "Because there is no way I'm coming down."

"Yes, you getting off your high horse would indeed be a miracle." he muttered but when he saw her glaring at him, he decided not to destroy the moment and instead asked, a boyish grin playing on his lips: "I can come up just like that? Aren't you going to give me three puzzles to solve first?"

She frowned until she remembered the conversation they had had a long time ago and she burst out laughing.

"You can't be serious!"

"Well, Babs, naturally I could climb up without but that would be admitting that I am the perfect man for you." he teased with a knowing smile.

"This is ridiculous," she sighed "I would never even consider-"

"Just give me the puzzle, Babcock." he growled, placing his right foot on the ladder.

She contemplated the situation for a moment, it was childish and she didn't really know why she was allowing him to put her in such a position. All she knew was that she found it quite exhilarating, the fact that she was in control, that she could just give him a puzzle she knew he wouldn't be able to solve if she wanted to. It was also something she shouldn't really be doing with a domestic; after all it would make it seem as if she was actually considering it. Maybe it was the forbidden aspect of it all, the fact that this was a game and didn't reek of important, life changing decisions.

"Alright, Butler Boy. You will have solved the first puzzle if you can tell me what C.C. stands for."

He gave her a cocky smile and began to climb the ladder. When he reached the top she was lying on her stomach, her face inches away from his own.

"You better hand me that basket and then disappear. You know the rules, you aren't allowed up here until you've solved all three puzzles."

He took a deep breath, taking in her heavenly scent, and lifted up the basket with his left hand, putting it down next to her.

"Just you wait, Babcock, just you wait." he said in a low voice, before he climbed back down.

C.C. was the last one to return to the house when everybody except Niles and Maxwell had gone to bed. It was already dark outside and they were sitting on the veranda the only light source coming from a flashlight that had been positioned on the ground.

"Ah, it's Frankenstein's monster!" Niles exclaimed as the light extorted her facial features.

"Can it, Bellboy. The light doesn't flatter you either, I can see each and every one of your wrinkles." And she made a disgusted face.

"I was just telling Niles about my first fishing experience with Brighton, it was lovely really, except for the fact that he constantly needed to be kept busy." Maxwell said as C.C. walked around the table to stand between both men.

"Yes, kids that age never shut up." she agreed with a nod.

There was a moment of silence until C.C. let out a yelp of pain.

"What are you doing?" she hissed, glaring at Niles.

He had noticed a number of cuts on her leg and had bent down to touch them.

"Did you have a run-in with a bear?" he asked, trying to cover up his instinctive reaction to feel her skin and assess the damage.

"No," she snapped "I left the main path and had a little problem finding it again…"

He grinned as he got to his feet. "What a shame that you did make it back in the end."

C.C. refused to go to a spa the next day as well. Instead she took one of the cars and drove to Maligne lake where she went kayaking with a guide. Niles had to admit that he was beginning to love that adventurous side of her, having half-expected that she would stalk through the woods in her high-heels she usually wore in New York. But she had surprised him and he wondered why she found it so easy to adapt to a different environment.

He went out hiking through a beautiful meadow until his arms were getting sun burnt and he decided that it was time to head back, if he wanted to have a cold shower before preparing dinner. He made a number of salads as well as a kind of help yourself buffet consisting of cold and warm dishes. When C.C. returned she seemed to be in a foul mood for no evident reason. She didn't greet anyone and just put some food on her plate, beginning to eat before anyone else had started. When she had finished she dropped her cutlery with a loud clank and turned to Maxwell.

"When you're done, we seriously need to start working."

"Not tonight," Brighton said stubbornly "he promised us we'd have a game night."

"Then your father will have to over think his priorities."

Maxwell shot her an angry look before he focused his attention on his son. "Listen, Brighton," he began and that was all it took.

The boy angrily jumped out of his chair, yelling: "I hate her! Why do you even listen to her? It's her fault you're never spending time with mum!" and he ran from the room.

"Talk to him." Sara said as C.C. got to her feet to leave the log house.

Once Maxwell was gone she slowly stood up and was headed for the door.

"Mrs. Sheffield, I'll talk to her. I can't let you out late at night, think about your baby."

Niles gently said and walked past her and out of the door. He knew that he didn't owe C.C. anything, that maybe she had even deserved some of Brighton's words but he didn't like the thought of a distraught woman fleeing and possibly even getting lost in the woods. He saw her white top and hurried up as she was disappearing behind the trees.

"Miss Babcock!" he shouted but she never stopped.

He finally caught up with her as she was heading up a steep hill to a look out.

"Would you just stop and listen?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulders but she shrugged it off and continued walking until she had reached the wooden house of the lookout.

"Chastity Claire Babcock, you infuriating woman will you swallow your pride and listen to me?" he finally shouted, pressing a hand to his chest as his lungs were aching due to lack of oxygen.

At this she whirled around to face him. "You know my name." she stated evenly and he smiled.

"Of course, that's what you asked me to find out, wasn't it?" he said flopping down on one of the chairs.

"Yes, but I never expected you to do it."

"Please, Babs, stop lying to yourself. That was the easiest puzzle you could've given me. I mean, Mrs. Sheffield always calls you "Chas", so there was a hint, plus your mother called you Chastity, and as much as I wished I had missed that particular moment, at least it meant that I got to know your first name. Claire…well, lets just say I had a little research to do but with Mrs. Sheffield as my source I now also know that it was your grandmother's name."

"You realize, of course, that now I am going to have to kill you." she said keeping a straight face, although he laughed.

"Yes well, I am willing to take that risk." And he patted the chair next to his "Have a seat, you still haven't calmed down again."

She sighed and reluctantly took it, drawing her legs up to her chest.

"What's it to you?" she snapped.

"Because I like that I could theoretically use all of this against you, but I won't." he shrugged.

"Why?" she questioned suspiciously.

He fixed her with his eyes for a moment, forcing her to look down but she wouldn't budge.

"Because I might just be the butler, but it's enough to know that even a Babcock might need a break once in a while."