A/N: Answer to a RUNHP challenge.

The Rules:

1. Either Niles or CC is involved in an accident.

2. The accident victim believes they are married to the non-victim.

3. The 'spouse' and family must play along via doctor's instructions.

MIND GAMES

CHAPTER 7

CC looked from Niles around at the faces watching for her reaction. Then she looked back at him. "What?"

"I pushed you out of the way…that's why the car clipped me." Niles spoke softly, his eyes searched hers for some small sign that she understood. "CC my memories are fine…and completely accurate. I proposed to you on your birthday nearly a year ago. You accepted and we were married less than two weeks later in this very room on Valentine's Day."

She shook her head. "No…I wasn't even there…I was in the office with Max when the hospital called. I waited for the kids to get home and then came to the hospital. That was the first time I'd heard anything about it." CC again sought answers in the faces in the room. "Why are you saying this? If this is some joke Niles…it's horribly cruel…even for you…" Her tears started again.

"CC…please…you need to calm down…it's not good for the baby." Niles stroked her face softly.

"The baby?" Niles nodded. "I don't understand..." CC shook her head. "I don't understand."

"We'd gone for a walk that morning…" Niles started to explain.

"Us? Together?" CC questioned.

Niles smiled at her. "Yes, Love. Now let me finish and I'll answer all your questions. I thought I'd stop into the bakery for some croissants and you wanted to run into the drug store for some of those chocolates you like so much." Niles smirked at her.

"Peanut M&M's…" CC whispered softly and chewed on her bottom lip.

Niles smiled and nodded. "That's right. Florence, the assistant baker had only just heard about our marriage and was congratulating me with a hug and kiss on the cheek, just as you stepped into the doorway."

"The red head." CC remembered.

"Before I could so much as say boo, you ran off…right into traffic. You saw the car coming and froze. So I ran out and pushed you out of the way. You banged your head pretty good on the pavement, even got a few staples in the back."

CC's hand instinctively moved to the back of her head. The expression on her face showed when she'd found the scar. "There's a scar."

"I only had a few bruises." Niles continued. "When you woke up you'd lost all memory of the changes in our relationship after my heart attack. Dr. Rivers thinks it was because you were angry with me for my perceived indiscretion." Niles hands rested softly on her thighs, a gesture of intimacy that didn't go unnoticed by CC.

"Oh, God, Niles…I'm so sorry." CC offered unsure herself of exactly what she was sorry.

Niles took her hand in his and kissed them. "It's not your fault, Love."

"Tell her the rest, Niles." Fran touched his shoulder.

Niles frowned. "That part's not important."

"Like hell it isn't." Fran wasn't angry. "She deserves to know, Niles."

CC cupped his face. "Tell me the rest…Niles…please."

"You were out for nearly a week…" Niles began.

Fran interrupted. "Niles never left your side. Not for a minute we had to bring him food and clean clothes."

"Thank you, Fran." Niles gave her the 'back off' look. "When you did wake up…you didn't remember anything that had changed between us. So…uh…" Niles looked away.

CC pulled his eyes to meet hers. "So I was terrible to you…right?" CC kissed him softly and rested her forehead on his. "I'm sorry, Niles…really. But what was all the rest of it about?"

"Dr. Rivers thought it would be temporary and wanted to give you a week to regain your memories naturally. But he had an idea of something we could try should your memories not return." Niles watched to see if she understood.

"Ok, so my memories didn't come back…I remember being in the hospital…they told me it was some mix up with the dosage on my meds. But everything else..." CC paused a moment. "What about the bruise on your head?"

"Fran did that…pretty good wasn't it?" Niles smiled. "When your memories failed to return naturally, Dr. Rivers suggested 'Manipulative Memory Regeneration'. We discussed it with Dr. Bort and she was all for it. So, Max and I worked out a script for the really important stuff and hoped the rest would just work itself out."

"I wondered why it looked like your room had been boxed up for months. And I was really impressed with the choices that Fran and the children made when they packed for you too." CC sighed a little still wondering why it hasn't come back.

"I never really unpacked. When you didn't remember…" Niles swallowed. "Us…I thought I should get my things out of the house and move back in here until we figure out what's going on. I lived out of those boxes until we put the plan into action."

"So what you're saying is you had to woo me twice?" CC touched his face softly and looked into his eyes.

Niles kissed the palm of her hand. "I just had to hope that either your memories would return sometime during the make believe, or that you'd fall in love with me again."

"I can't believe that I could've lost you because of a silly overreaction. Thank you, Niles…for not giving up on me." CC leaned in and kissed him warmly.

"Kids…" Fran said softly. "Let's give them some privacy." Fran shooed the children into the dining room followed closely by Max who finally turned around and grabbed Fran pulling her out of the den as well.

"I'm sorry I put you through this Niles." CC pulled him into the chair where Max had been sitting, and sat on his lap. "Once I realized how I felt about you…I didn't really care that you didn't remember, but with the baby coming…I couldn't go on like that. I thought it was a lie…a dream…and I wanted nothing more than for it to be real."

"Well," Niles started. "It is real."

CC frowned. "But why don't I remember, even now?"

"You will...we've been so very happy...you're memories just can't decided which way to go." Niles kissed her rested her head on Niles' shoulder. "CC, I know why you reacted the way you did in the bathroom that first day…and then later that night…when you didn't want to go to bed. But I have to know…" Niles wasn't sure he could finish the awkward question in his mind.

"You want to know why I changed my mind after dinner at the Rainbow Room?" CC finished for him.

Niles nodded sheepishly. "It had only been a few days."

CC sighed. "It was what you said…and that kiss."

Niles blushed. "What did I say?"

"Well," CC started and remembered. "First, you told me the story of when you knew you were in love with me. I remember that day. I was very proud of myself when I first walked into the kitchen that day and called you Hazel. But you gave right back. I wanted you to, you know."

"Wanted me to what?" Niles asked curiously.

"In the hospital you said if you'd had it to do over that you'd have kissed me that day. I wanted you to kiss me. More than I can ever remember wanting to be kissed." CC smiled. "Then, after I climbed into your bed that night, you told me how you knew I was afraid of thunderstorms." CC snuggled into him. "I really didn't remember any of that happening. But it makes perfect sense to me now. I could never explain it, but I always felt safe in the mansion. If there was supposed to be a thunderstorm I'd find an excuse to work late so Max would ask me to stay. It wasn't the house…it was you Niles. You make me feel safe."

"Like I said…" Niles started.

"I know…" CC interrupted him. "You made it your job to keep me safe years ago. It's only just now become official." CC kissed his cheek. "Not to mention you called me Love...a lot."

"You like that do you, Love?" Niles kissed her head. "Keep going…what else did I do?"

"Well…you slipped my rings on my finger. I didn't think any man would ever put a ring on that finger. I can't explain how it felt…not just the rings, but that it was you." CC started chewing on her bottom lip. "And when we got home…you moved through the apartment so naturally, so confidently, it felt like you really did belong there."

"But you still reacted…let's say less than enthusiastically when I woke you in the bathtub." Niles frowned. "Then you said something about not expecting the dream to be sitting on the edge of the tub?"

"I was dreaming about you, coming in and kissing me and there you were for real." CC laughed.

Niles tilted his head in that charming way. "You were dreaming about me, huh?" CC sneered at him playfully. "I was hoping that my sitting on the edge of the tub would jar a memory or something, not scare the crap out of you."

"Well then after you saw my reaction, why did you suggest that you'd climb in with me?" CC waited smugly for his answer.

"Well, Love, it wouldn't be the first time we shared that tub." Niles nearly ogled her. "But you were telling me how I finally got you into bed." Niles raised his eyebrow.

"It was all of it, Niles. The life you showed me in those few brief moments, those few short days, it was the kind of life I dreamed of. I thought it was funny that you had such a detailed dream life…with me. But the more I lived in that world with you…the more I realized I didn't want to leave it…" CC slid off his lap and pulled him to his feet.

"But then as we were leaving the restaurant…you summed it all up. You said you loved me and that you missed your wife." CC rested her hands softly on his chest. "Then you kissed me like you did that night, here in this room. And I decided I wanted to spend the rest of my life kissing you like that." Their eyes locked. "I love you, Niles. Let's go home."

Niles took his wife into his arms and called politely to the family. "We'll see you all in the morning!"


When they arrived at the penthouse, Niles unlocked the door with his key and tossed them into the dish on the foyer table and CC burst into laughter. "What?" Niles spun around as watched her double over in laughter still holding onto the doorknob. "CC…lock the door before the neighbors think you've gone mad." CC closed and locked the door.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him softly. I'm sorry, Niles. But it just occurred to me that on the day I brought you home from the hospital you did that same thing. It made me wonder then, but now…"

"What thing?" Niles asked trying to imagine what he'd done in the last three minutes that was so funny.

"You used your key to unlock the door and then tossed them into that dish." CC smiled.

Niles frowned. "CC…I do that every day and have for over a year. Even before we married." Niles moved into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and then noticed her smiling at him. "Oh for Heaven's sake…now what?"

"You did that too. You went right to the fridge for a bottle of water." CC smiled at him lovingly. "I thought then how natural and normal it looked. I guess I know why now."

Niles dropped to the sofa. "CC…do you remember anything?"

"I remember a few little bits and pieces, like the M&M's and the redhead. I remember the staples coming out." CC rubbed her scar and joined him on the sofa. "I'm sorry, Niles. I want to remember our life together. Now that I know…it'll just take time I guess…You'll see…"

Niles nodded. "I think for now, we could all use a good night's rest." CC's head whipped around to look at him. "Rest? Shouldn't we celebrate? The baby, us being married… or anything that involves you making love to me?" CC stood and pulled him too his feet.

"CC…I love you…and you know I would love nothing more than to ravage you right here on the sofa, but I'm exhausted." Niles raised an eyebrow. "But, Max gave us tomorrow off to celebrate the pregnancy so in the morning…I'm all yours!"

"Well just so you promise to hold me in your arms…I guess I'll let you slide." CC took his hand and they walked into their bedroom. Niles let CC use the bathroom first and she returned in short order wearing her peach pajamas. "Niles…what are you doing?"

Niles had changed into his royal blue pajamas but was sitting at their bedroom desk. "Oh…I'm just checking on something…a little surprise for Christmas." Niles waggled his eyes at her.

CC slipped under the covers. "Niles…is it a surprise because it's a Christmas present…or because I don't remember it?"

"Well, I was checking on two things. One you were aware of and haven't mentioned so it will be a surprise…maybe it will jar your memory. The other is a real Christmas surprise." Niles slipped into bed next to her. "CC…tomorrow if you'd like we could paint the living room."

"Nice try Niles. I know you love that color because it brings out my eyes." CC rolled over to face him. "If you're going to try to test me or jar my memory, you're going to have to better than that."

Niles sighed and brought her left hand to his lips and kissed it. "You know, we can put our real rings on now."

"Niles…I'm never taking this ring off again. I don't know why you took it off to begin with." CC rolled away.

Niles' eyes grew very big. "What are you saying…that you don't want to wear the wedding rings we got married with?" Niles asked feigning hurt.

"Niles…I insisted we use my grandparents rings…it was our first real fight. Then I showed them to you and you loved them and the deal was done." CC recounted the moment quite accurately as she fell asleep completely unaware of the fact.

"CC…you remember our rings?" Niles asked softly, hopefully. "CC?" Niles pulled her tightly into his chest. "You're coming back to me, Love…a little at a time…but you're finally coming back to me." Niles fell asleep as the smile spread across his face.