About the story: well, it's over.
It took a lot of time, but final chapter is here.
I'm sorry it took me so long, but too many things happened in real life.
In answer to the very interesting question in a review: there is not a 'standard' body for hermaphrodites. Every person with the condition is born with a specific set of characteristics; so, the rule is that anyone with female internal organs in working order can get pregnant, and CC must fit into this, once this story intended to be totally in canon.
I must thank you all who have reviewed, followed and favorited. This story is very special to me, and your interest and support was, as always, something to be cherished.
More than a woman
Chapter 22: More than a woman – Part 2
Things seemed out of Fantasy Island to CC, that night when everything changed. The most absurd wonderful things kept happening:
-she was romantically rescued from a stuck elevator that had turned into a station of Hell with a whining woman in labor;
-she planned pranks with her favorite butler over the whining woman in labor and her obnoxiously sedated husband;
-she staged her wedding with her favorite butler over the said whining woman in labor.
Things had been so perfect, in fact, that CC's nausea disappeared immediately after the vows were exchanged, as if the new couple had really intended it to be like a magic gesture that swept all insecurities away.
The blonde was already plotting to be excused from the hospital to celebrate her wedding night with her longtime servant and beloved pester (now, officially hers) when the doctor who had talked to her earlier entered Fran's delivering room and said something CC couldn't care less, so happy she was.
But out of nowhere he announced her 'intuition had been right' and congratulated her because she was pregnant.
She had mentioned a pregnancy as a joke.
What kind of crazy world was this, where things you say as jokes turn real?!
No wonder she fainted.
And Niles too, because they never even considered using any kind of protection, against diseases or to prevent a pregnancy, since they got together. When CC went to Niles' room to talk to him, in that fateful night, she just intended to tell him the truth and go away – there was no reason to have anything related to sex with her. She usually didn't have anything, in fact, once her sexual encounters were always very well planned, surrounded by extreme care and suspicion; there was no way she would be carrying something, as a condom, that night.
Things got so emotional, anyway, she was sure neither of them would have cared about a condom, even if they had thought about it.
There were huge revelations happening – her body and his feelings, to begin with, and then his body and her feelings – and the last thing in their heads was to prevent any contact from the other, even if Niles had called CC a tramp for half of her life and CC had called Niles a freak almost from the moment they met.
(Luckily for them, she had always been careful, and he had lived like a monk for the most of his life, so there was nothing to worry about.)
Back to the point at hand: with her body being such a maze of creative ways of organizing itself, who would think a pregnancy was a real possibility?
When CC came to her senses, Niles was on his knees, cradling her in his arms and shooing people away.
She found it amusing that he was the one making sure she had space to breathe when they were in a damn hospital with lots of damn doctors around.
She was not surprised that he had woken up before her – he was shocked but not so much that he would black out for more time than her. It would be like not keeping up with the news of the century, and she knew her Niles enough.
(Her Niles.
Jesus…)
When he looked down at her face and realized she was awake he couldn't decide between being worried or ecstatic, and CC permitted a grin to show – maybe that was the moment she started grinning like an idiot, in fact –, pulled his head to her and spoke in his ear, 'You said you're good at making up excuses. Get us out of here'.
He nodded discreetly and helped her to get up, an arm supporting her by the waist, his hands firmly keeping her close to him and not very subtly acting as if he had to protect her from everybody's prying eyes.
Not one to miss an opportunity for mischief, CC hid her face on his neck and raised an authoritative hand to stop anyone who thought it was a good idea to get closer.
Niles announced he was taking care of it with a hand caressing her hair tenderly, and she was glad no one could see her face while they made their way to the door, because she found his annoyed act the cutest thing ever, but she still had a reputation to keep.
And she better took care of that, because if she felt her heart melting right now just at Butler Boy's obvious pretense, what would be when they moved together and had all the opportunities to shower themselves and their baby with affection?
(Their baby.
Wow.)
They exited the delivering room and walked to the empty corridor.
When they stopped, CC straightened and looked into Niles' eyes.
Her hand went to his chest, over his heart, and she could feel how quickly it was beating.
He gulped down, a turmoil of emotions menacing to overwhelm him.
Her grin got impossibly wide, and she whispered, 'We did it'.
Her words released something inside him and his eyes got full of tears.
They embraced tightly, as they had done at the elevator's doors.
(As they would probably do forever, because now they had each other.)
CC saw the doctor had come outside too and was observing them, keeping a respectful distance but not managing to hide the worry on his face.
The reason was that she had tears rolling down her face and the stupid grin, but Niles was sobbing in her arms.
'Is he all right?', the doctor asked when she acknowledged him.
CC patted Niles' back and spoke softly in his ear, 'Doc wants to know if you are all right'.
He just nodded on her shoulder.
'Are you sure, hubby?'
He groaned and sobbed a bit more in response.
'I have everything under control', she informed the man in white, 'He is just in shock he was able to get me pregnant being that old. What?', she turned her head to hear better what Niles had whispered, 'No, I don't mean this old. I'm not talking about myself. And the sobbing guy should not contradict the only reasoning person in this entire building'.
He parted from her, finally able to take a deep breath and calm himself, 'Now I'm all right'.
'You better be', CC straightened his tie tenderly, 'It seems marrying me was not enough – you had to make sure to have an heir, too', she gave him a mischievous smile, 'I wonder to which lengths will a person go for money…'
'If you were a person you would know'.
He answered as if it was the natural thing to say, while drying his face and trying to compose himself, and by the grin on the woman's face the Doctor understood they were the kind of couple who not just enjoyed teasing, but connected through it.
So, he congratulated them, nodded at their happy answers and walked away, sure they could take good care of each other.
(And the Doctor was right: those two fitted together perfectly.
Niles had been the strong one to pick CC up from Sheffields and Fines, take her out of the delivering room and make sure no one would bother her; and then CC was the strong one to hug Niles and tease him until he recovered from the shock at the realization that they would be parents.)
They exited the hospital building holding hands and entered the first taxi they found.
CC gave the address of the penthouse to the driver.
(No way she was going to the mansion, tonight. She knew there were important things happening to the Sheffields and she recognized they were part of the family, but their own things came first, right now.)
The moment the taxi started moving, Niles reached out to enlace her waist with his arm, resting his hand on her hip.
CC, still grinning like the proverbial idiot, turned to him.
Their eyes locked.
They got closer for a soft kiss.
They parted and she relaxed against him, took his free hand and rested it on her stomach, covering it with hers.
'Dear', he sniffed, fighting fresh tears.
She snickered.
(And rubbed her nose soothingly on his cheek as a purring cat, because no one could be more of an other half to her than that sweet man, and he was worth she showed some support.
In fact, she enjoyed it when things hit him full force and he was not able to keep his emotions bottled inside. She liked how exposed to her he got, exactly when she wanted to know what was going on through his mind and heart. It was refreshing, after years of men who would never express anything even remotely close to emotional, and this same man feeling safe to express just ambiguous emotions towards her.)
The roads were mostly clear. They arrived quickly at their destination, walked into her building and rode the elevator still holding hands and looking at each other in silence.
CC had the stupid grin on her face, and Niles had the troubled expression that showed when he was so excited he didn't quite know what to do with himself.
She chose not to say a word about it. Knowing him, it was a matter of time for him to do or say anything to get some relief from his overwhelming emotions, and then she would think of what to do in response.
They entered the penthouse, she waited for him to close the door and pulled him by the tie to her arms for a deep kiss, to which he answered in kind.
He kept his eyes close and his forehead rested on hers when they parted. Her hands planted themselves on his chest, as if they needed to feel the strong beating of his heart all the time they interacted.
'Hey, relax', she whispered, 'We really did it'.
He opened his eyes and gave her a nervous smile while she opened the knot of his tie, 'You mean reaching the penthouse without me bursting into tears in front of every person we met?', he sighed at her chuckle, kissing her forehead, 'Aren't we full of miracles?'
'Yes', she said, taking the tie off his head and throwing it away, her eyes never leaving his, 'We are'.
It took him some moments to realize what she had just said.
'Oh, my God', he spoke in an almost pained tone, his grip on her getting tighter, 'I love you so much'.
CC felt that just saying it back wouldn't do justice to the feelings that coursed inside her.
She put her hands on his cheeks to make sure he saw the emotion in her eyes.
He understood it, and nodded.
'It's not a small miracle that we're having trouble with words', CC said, eliciting a chuckle from Niles, 'And I intend on keeping doing all kinds of miraculous things to and with you, Love'.
'I want this promise to be in your wedding vows'.
'Deal'.
Their lips found each other again, enjoying their connection as a couple – a proudly married one, now – but a rasping sound and a whimper took them out of their happy bubble.
It was Chester, who had noticed they were home and was trying to get their attention from the external area where they had left him.
Niles smiled at CC, 'I'll see to him. Why don't you take a shower and change while I do it?'
She nodded, 'I'll take the offer. I could kill for a shower, right now'.
He looked at her face for some moments, as if he wanted to say something and didn't know what. CC wondered if it was a new love declaration or a zinger.
Giving up, Niles took her hands and kissed her knuckles, closing his eyes and keeping his lips on her skin.
She gave him time to breathe and deal with the turmoil inside him. She knew there was nothing she could do but wait for him to express it when he felt ready.
Niles lowered her hands in silence, let go and walked away to Chester.
CC went to her bathroom suite, undressed quickly and entered a very welcomed hot shower.
(She was extremely happy, but it didn't mean her shoulders were not tense after so many things happening, including elevator labors and vomiting and weddings and surprising pregnancies.)
When she took her towel to start the drying process, she found herself in front of the bathroom suite gigantic mirror, and stopped to look at it.
That mirror had seen some of her worst moments. In that bathroom she went through doubt, frustration, sadness. The glass had reflected her despair and deep fear of never finding acceptance, even from herself, after so many years of being conditioned to think of her body as an abnormality.
Contrary to popular belief, CC never felt comfortable at the idea of being the Evil Stepmother. She was not the kind of character who would ask her mirror the same question every night and expect a specific praising answer.
(She couldn't choose just one question, and would be frozen in terror if confronted with any final answers, anyway.)
But, even if she was sure she didn't fit in the role, she still couldn't quite dismiss it.
It was not easy, but her mental breakdown, the same one that took her to The Place, forced her to realize definitive or even right answers didn't really exist, and what mattered were the choices people do to make themselves happy with whom they were.
That realization pulled her out of The Place, and convinced her that being a caring human being was a small price to pay to have a clear mind while she recovered her mental health.
Besides, it made her accept Niles' importance in her life, and that maybe he had a point when he insisted she should never try to be the misguided Evil Stepmother, once she was so obviously the powerful Witch.
She started considering him so important, in fact, that she couldn't go away without telling him the truth, when they fought.
And that was what changed everything.
In some days she would be moving to California and leaving this apartment empty for at least a while; however, luckily for this mirror, now it had a lot of good scenes to remember, too.
Lots of them were about discovering how arousing to have sex in front of a huge mirror can be, when you are so crazy for someone that everything about them feels wonderful, tastes great and looks perfect.
But not all good memories were related to sex: some of the best were about sharing space while preparing for bed or for the day, establishing a routine while chatting, teasing and making the other laugh just because it felt good to see them happy.
In some mornings Niles got ready for work really quick, thanks to decades of experience, and then he entered this bathroom with Chester in his arms and kept talking to the dog about how beautiful the Ice Princess was, and how suspicious it was she took so much time to get ready, and that he wondered if she had to rehearse spells to frighten people at work, or was hiding sharp objects in her clothes, or if her accessories were already the sharp objects she would use later in vicious attacks, or whatever his muse inspired him to say.
CC acted on impulse once, planting her lips on his to stop the rumbling, and soon discovered that the only way to interrupt those routines was through kisses.
(Maybe that was one of the reasons why Niles kept teasing her – because it never failed to elicit amorous responses from her.)
Speaking of the devil, CC got out of her reverie at the sound of Niles's steps in the bedroom, and decided to call out for him, 'Wanna join me, lover?'
'Thank you, but I have showered, already'.
CC made a face.
He didn't even register the invitation to share a moment with her.
I can't leave the man alone for a moment and he is already fretting.
'I was thinking...', he started.
She raised her brows at herself in the mirror.
Niles was making the list of things he intended on doing as quick as possible, and that included finding good doctors in California, re-planning the furniture in the house they had just chosen, and making sure they had acceptable schedules for their new life together, in order to provide time for him to work for the Sheffields but take care of her, and that she was able to keep her business activities in a good level of comfort and health.
Yes, she knew he would want to make sure everything was perfect.
Key-word: he.
She was in a relationship with a man who was used to take care of everything for other people, to keep the world around them tidy, clean and proper. A man who had heard, through all his life, that he was responsible for things to run smoothly.
And he must be going crazy over the possibility of failing, once he loved her and now there was their baby to consider.
Their baby.
She grinned at the mirror.
(Yes, the idiotic grin again.)
Well, that man was very wrong if he thought he was dealing with things by himself.
CC was going to show Niles he was not alone, anymore.
(And that she was not Maxwell, had more than half a mind and could provide things for herself, if needed.)
'Is everything all right, Love?', his voice sounded very close to the bathroom door, 'Are you feeling well?'
She opened the bathroom door in a huff.
Niles, already wearing a white t-shirt and boxers, blinked and gave some steps back, 'What...?'
No, he was not surprised because she had suddenly appeared.
It was because she was naked and half hard.
She smirked and advanced to him, resting a hand on his chest and pushing him lightly, until the back of his legs bumped on the bed and he sat down.
CC stopped right in front of him, 'We're not discussing those things now'.
He gulped, his eyes giving her the once over and trying not to detain themselves on every part of her body he already wanted to touch, 'No?'
She lifted a foot to rest it on the bed, besides him, 'No'.
He sighed, his fingers caressed her leg, his lips following suit until they reached her inner thigh, 'Don't you think we should talk about how things will change?'
'Well, once I'm kind of a workaholic – shut up, Niles – and both of us enjoy planning and controlling things, I'm sure we'll own it', she said, caressing his hair.
He kissed the skin very close to her center, then rested his head on her thigh and looked up, 'Isn't it one more reason to start thinking things over now?'
She breathed deeply to focus, 'It's going to be a long road to learn how to share responsibilities and pleasures, but we don't have to hurry'.
'I don't follow'.
'We never worried about roles in our relationship, since the beginning, and it's not going to change, now that we have tied the knot', she smiled softly at his smile, 'Once I told you that you were not my servant, but my boyfriend. What I meant is that you were my partner. I may joke about it, but you must know you don't have to do everything for me, because we're together, in this'.
Niles licked his lips, 'I know what you're doing'.
'Yes, I'm protecting you from your own stupidity, once it seems you still don't realize this relationship is not something you have to figure out by yourself'.
It took him a moment to find his voice, and he spoke in an almost shy tone, 'I was going to say you were using your irresistible sexiness to help me not get obsessive over the situation, but I guess both things mean the same, in this case'.
She grinned, 'You're so clever!'
He rolled his eyes while his fingers caressed the skin of her thighs.
And suddenly, he grabbed her hips and pulled her, so he could give her middle those intimate kisses both loved.
'That's it', she managed to say, eyes closed in pleasure, 'Let's just enjoy the moment'.
'Uhum'.
'I know you're anxious to overthink everything, but not if I can help it'.
'Uhum'
'You'll have to calm yourself and wait'.
'Uhum'.
'You already have a lot to pay for what you've done to me'.
That made him stop and look up, 'What are you talking about?'
'You got me pregnant. Have you already forgotten?'
'Hey!', he protested, 'I couldn't have done it the needed multiple times it required without your consent!'
'And that's the point', she leaned in to kiss him, 'Things work a lot better when we help each other'.
He lost himself in the kiss and, when he realized, she was pushing him to lie down on his back.
He obeyed, positioning himself at the middle of the bed to get more comfortable, and she followed him, not stopping the kiss while laying her body on his.
When they lips parted, CC looked into Niles' eyes, 'You're so wonderful I feel all right about putting up a project with you', she frowned, 'I hope you realize how big it is to me. I'm the Ice Queen. I never felt at ease at working with anyone, and I should be the one fretting over this marriage and baby thing'.
It was his turn to frown, 'And you're not?'
'No, because I trust us', she smiled, 'I'm sure we will be great at whatever we'll have to do. And I mean it when I say whatever, because I have no idea what is happening, anymore!'
He chuckled, and that sound she loved made her grin like an idiot, again.
'All right, witch, you win. I'll be a good boy and let you show me the wonders of sharing pleasures and responsibilities with such a generous rag as you'.
'Isn't a world gone mad? I'm being generous with the man who has done something that will prevent me from having sex with the leggy blonde of my dreams for a while'.
His eyes got wide, 'Now I see your point'.
'Good for you, even if I didn't intend on waiting for you to see my point in order to obey me', she pecked his lips and started helping him to take off his shirt, 'You have to do as a say'.
'It's nothing new, then'.
The shirt went flying through the room and CC was already going for the shorts, 'Yes, and I love you and I'm carrying your child'.
Niles gawked, not able to form a coherent sentence.
CC threw the shorts away and opened his legs to get between them, 'Yeah, it feels amazing just saying it. I wonder how it will be from now on'.
She inclined forward to kiss him softly, her lips soothing while her hands teased.
He sighed in response, some tension already starting to leave his body.
'Relax and let me take care of things', she whispered in his ear, 'Let me remind you of some magic tricks your witch is great at'.
ooo0ooo
CC closed the last box of photographs from Niles' bedside table with a smile on her face at the memories from their first night as a married couple.
(Yes, they had lots of sex that night – including in front of the giant bathroom mirror –, reinforcing the possibilities of their relationship: when CC felt dominant, Niles did every little thing her creative mind demanded; when Niles got the upper hand, she found it so sexy she was at his mercy.
Their connection promised to last forever, and both were sure there would never be a way out of this belonging.)
'I'm done here, Love', his voice brought her back to reality. He was ready to go, his tie and coat back on him.
'It was time', she teased, accepting the hand he was offering to help her, and then noticing the three bags he had piled next to the door, 'Why so many?'
He looked at her innocently, 'Oh, it's nothing. They are almost empty'.
CC raised a brow, smelling a rat, and stated, 'All right. You take all of them, then. Come here, Chester!'
The dog went happily to her arms and she stopped at the door, observing while her husband made a face and tried to seem comfortable while holding so many bags by himself.
'You could just tell me what is there', she offered.
He huffed, 'Your clothes'.
'I don't remember leaving so many...', she realized what he meant and spoke, 'I can't believe you did it'.
'I just took care of your things. What are you so troubled for?'
'In some months there will be a lot to do, if the hellish parenting books I've been reading are to be trusted. You must loose up a bit and not do everything that pops on your mind as a caring gesture'.
'Are you saying I'm too old to do something nice for my wife?'
'I'm saying you don't have to pretend you're the perfect butler for me'.
'I'm not sure, but I think I should be offended'.
CC grinned – yes, as an idiot – and approached him to touch lips, 'I meant I'm already impressed', she rested a hand on his shoulder, 'I love you, I think you're wonderful, and I want to preserve your energy the most I can while we still can have sex'.
She winked at his excited face and her hand pressed his shoulder lightly, 'Give me the lightest'.
'What?'
'I'll help you with the bags. You turned me into the kind of good person who pays idiocy with a good deed'.
He grinned and gave her one of the bags.
CC walked to the door, and Niles followed her while commenting, 'It's really comforting that things get smooth between us so easily'.
'Yeah', she answered in a strange delighted tone, her steps getting quicker.
He knew in a second she was plotting something.
So, it was not a surprise when she entered the main room and spoke, as if they had been discussing it until that moment, 'Niles, from now on stay out of my luggage. I don't like my underwear ironed and folded'.
Fran was there, and he couldn't resist teasing back, once they had an audience, 'I'm sorry, but when I got a load of the size of them, I thought they were mine'.
She stopped and looked at him, and he waited for what she chose as an answer. Maybe it would be something daring about her gender; maybe it would be something nasty about his.
'Will you listen to us? Married and a baby on the way!'
She made a small pause, and he waited for the punch line.
'I think it's really softened us'.
She passed by him, and Niles was the one with the silly smile, now, at the simple sweetness of her words.
He closed the door behind him and joined CC in the porch to wait for the taxi that would take them to the airport.
'I want to tell you something before we leave'.
His voice suddenly sounded serious, and she turned to him.
'I don't regret waiting so much for us to get together, even if it seems a lot of suffering could have been avoided', Niles put the bags he was carrying on the floor, and started taking hers to do the same, 'I sincerely think things just could have been the way they were. We had to go through all of that to understand what we meant to each other and, when we were ready, the pieces fell into place'.
She smirked, 'It means you agree we have softened?'
'Who can say?', he smiled tenderly, resting his hands on her waist, 'It's not really necessary to have your edges softened when someone fits so perfectly in them'.
She grinned – yeah, that way –, leaned to kiss Niles and, to their surprise, Chester kept silent, as if they were so happy it didn't felt right to interrupt.
When they parted, she whispered, 'Some kisses and beautiful words may help me to forgive you for being such a fussy husband'.
'You can do whatever you wish, Pumpkin', he answered, 'You're more than a woman, more than any labels could describe, and I'm lucky to have the opportunity to be yours forever'.
When Fran exited the mansion, some minutes later, walking slowly to follow Yetta's pace, she saw the couple still pecking lips tenderly, rubbing noses and just being generally sweet.
To show their support, the brunette took Chester from CC's arms, while the grandma patted Niles' arm appreciatively and winked at the blonde, 'You go, girl'.
They had, then, the last kiss in front of the house where they slowly built their own kind of happiness.
The place where they met and decided to hide the fascination for each other under bickering, to be able to be close without being too obvious about it.
The place where their teasing gained increasingly colorful meanings.
The place where their feelings for each other went out of control and forced them to collide.
And, happily, the place where they admitted there would never be an end to their need to seek the other, and colliding were just part of what was meant to be.
The End