A/N: These conflict chapters are painful to write, but must be written. Don't worry they will be happy in the end, I could never end a story badly, it would hurt way too much. Anyways, thank you so much to mewkazurinu2004, Lucky Starz, slm38, Kittensbreath, ladybrin, LaurenLaneLover and rx9872 for reviewing chapter 11. Sadly these characters are not mine.

Chapter 12- The Truth is Revealed

Niles day at work had been a living hell since he arrived there early in the morning. Immediately he was given a hard time about not being at the cast party and although Niles tried to tell them that it was an emergency that he absolutely had to attend to, they were not one bit sympathetic. He was looking forward to his afternoon lunch with C.C. and he had called her right when he had gotten to work in order to give her the meeting place. He was glad that he had someone to share in the experiences of life with whether they were good or bad.

However, he was a slightly worried about C.C.'s behavior this morning. She seemed a little preoccupied and he had this slight fear in the back of his mind that maybe she was having second thoughts about the two of them taking it to the next level. He wanted to believe that wasn't the case, but with the day he had been having at work, it wouldn't surprise him if another bombshell occurred.

"Mr. Brightmore, how is you day going?" Kat Saxon asked followed by a friendly smile.

"Honestly, it has been awful. Mr. Webber was not happy that I didn't attend the cast party last night. I tried to tell him it was an emergency, but he wasn't buying it."

"Well was it? Or did have something to do with that blonde woman I saw you run after?"

"Well, if you must know the answer is yes to both of those questions."

"Oh, what do you mean?"

There was no sense in hiding it anymore if they planned on being together. Clearly Niles wasn't at the point where he would shout it from the rooftops, however, he did want people who he worked somewhat closely with to know his true feelings. And so, since he considered Kat at least somewhat of a friend, he decided to explain his reasons for running out of the building the night before.

"Well Ms. Babcock….C.C. and I have known each other for an extremely long time. Our relationship over the years was complicated to say the least, but for as long I have known her I have been in love with her. I never thought a relationship with her would be possible, for we are from 2 different worlds, but then my family inheritance and my play being produced changed my life for the better and the truth is, my play would have never been produced if it wasn't for her and I say this in every sense of the word because she was the inspiration for the play in the first place. I wrote this play about class struggles and my love for her, hoping that one day she would see it. I never thought that day would actually come. Not to mention, she read the script and was the one who told me not to give up on trying to get it produced. So last night when she started to run away, I just had to stop her."

"And did you? Catch her, I mean?"

"Yes, eventually. I was finally able to express the way I feel about her after all these years. And I found out that she feels the same way. "

He couldn't help but smile at this thought and the bad mood that he was in was replaced by a beaming happiness.

"Well, I am happy for you."

Kat Saxon knew then and there that her battle to win this man's affections was futile. But the damage had been done.

Kat Saxon knew a great deal more about C.C. Babcock than she let on in front of Niles.

C.C. had been the co-producer of a company considered to be one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's biggest rivals, after all.

Seeing Niles run after this woman the last night, had made her, quite frankly, extremely jealous. When it came to the battle for man, she was not used to losing, especially to an older woman. She had decided that she wouldn't give up so easily considering she had had her eye on Niles Brightmore for several months now. And so, she did a little research on C.C. Babcock and with a little help from one of accountant friends, she was able to find out a great deal about Ms. Babcock, the most important thing being that she recently gave away a sum of $1 million dollars. Coincidentally, that was the same the amount Niles had inherited.

So thinking that this "coincidence" was a little suspicious, she continued to delve into the accounts and financial information of C.C. Babcock. She had her accountant friend find out where the money was transferred and sure enough it was a one-way transaction right into the account of Niles Brightmore.

She wondered why, C.C. would give him a $1 million inheritance and never reveal herself as his benefactress. It seemed strange to her and whether the intentions were good or not, she did not know. However, she knew that this secret would likely ruin any relationship that he had with this Babcock woman.

So through an anonymous caller, the information would be revealed to him today. She would have done something to stop the call, if she had known just how serious his feelings were.

Maybe I can still stop it. I have to try.

But just as she started to scramble for the phone and try and dial the number, Niles' cell-phone began to ring. In a last quick attempt to stop the bearing of bad news, she said urgently:

"Niles, don't answer it! You have work to do, right? Mr. Webber won't be happy. I am sure it is just a bill collector anyways."

"I have to answer it, it might be C.C."

She wanted to take his phone and throw it across the room as the remorse ate her up inside. But instead she just sat, paralyzed and powerless as he answered the phone.

She had no idea just how much pain and anguish this one phone call would cause.

…

Niles just stood with his mouth hanging open in shock as he hung up the phone. He was stunned that he would receive a phone call like this from an anonymous source and he questioned whether or not the phone call was some sort of joke.

Why would someone joke about that? And if it were a prank caller, how would they have known mine and C.C.'s names, the amount I inherited and other personal details about the both of us. It scares me to think that some random person could have access to all of that personal information. Well, I need to verify that this is true.

With that thought in mind, he planned on leaving work, immediately.

"Kat, I need to head to the bank, to check on something. Do you think you could cover for me, until I return? It shouldn't be too long."

She had a hard time looking in his eyes and could barely speak. She just barely was able to get out the words "Sure."

"Ok great, see you soon"

And with that he walked briskly out of the office, wondering 2 things. First and most importantly, is this phone call for real? Secondly, why was Kat acting so strangely? He didn't think too much about the latter, for the most important thing in his life was his relationship with C.C., but it struck him as odd nonetheless.

With these thoughts in mind, he continued his walk to the bank, which was quite close to his office.

There, he went straight to his accountant, Kevin Morgan, and asked him flat out if the anonymous caller's accusations were, indeed, true.

It hurt him tremendously to find out, that they were indeed, accurate. With this new information, Niles questioned C.C. Babcock's true intentions and wondered if she had been just toying with him the whole time.

…..

C.C. was waiting patiently for Niles to arrive for lunch. They were to meet at a little place, near his office, called Al's diner, where they would sit, have a simple meal and ultimately, discuss their lives and future with one another.

It had taken all the courage she could muster to decide on telling him about the inheritance at this very moment, but she could keep the secret from him no longer. Her reasons for giving him the money, had all been good intentions of course, but with their previously complicated relationship in the past, she figured, he might not see it that way initially. That is why she needed to be the one to tell him and explain her reasoning.

She continued to wait patiently. Her nerves were starting to get to her however, and she frequently glanced at her slim gold wristwatch noticing that 20 minutes had gone by and he still had not shown up yet. She debated on calling him, but decided against it, figuring he was just stuck at work.

She ordered a coffee and sipped on that as she waited for him to arrive. Before she knew it, 20 more minutes had gone by and still no sign of Niles. She was starting to get worried now. Maybe something happened. I need to call him.

With that thought in mind, she dialed his cell number and listened as the phone just rang with no answer. Maybe he's still stuck at work?

But as much as she told herself that, her insecure and pessimistic voice was telling her that something else was accounting for his absence.

As anxious as she was for him to arrive, she actually was pretty hungry, so she decided to order a sandwich. She figured it would at least give her an excuse to stay another half an hour. It was now 3'oclock.

Her food came around a quarter after and she slowly nibbled on her sandwich, while still anxiously waiting for his arrival. She considered calling him again, and decided she would finish her meal and then call him one last time.

It was 3:40 pm when she finished her food and she dialed his number in one last attempt to see where he was. She sat on the line, praying he would answer, but the answer to the prayer was no, for she got no answer. She left the restaurant at 4 pm, not sure what to think. Of course she was not happy about being stood up, but she had known Niles long enough to assume he had a good reason for it.

She headed back to her penthouse apartment, not sure what to feel. She decided to take a shower, for it would hopefully have a calming effect on her.

She stripped down, got in and took a quick shower, before getting out and putting on her pajamas for the evening. She would call it an early night, for tiredness was starting to overcome her.

She popped in a VHS tape of a romantic comedy, figuring she wouldn't have to think too much about the movie in her sleepy slumber.

As she continued to watch the movie, her eyes started to close, as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

It was a deep sleep and C.C. started to dream about her life and future. She saw her wedding, a family and her house, no their house.

She was awoken from this fantasy, however, by the sound of her phone.

Still groggy, she slowly picked it up and answered it, sleepiness still evident in her voice.

"Hello?"

It was Niles on the other line.