CHAPTER 30

"Niles, where have you been? I've been calling for the past hour, looking for the leather dossier! Oh, good morning, CC."

"Sorry, sir," Niles responded as he entered the mansion with CC in tow. "I've taken on a few duties for Miss Babcock. I was over at his apartment this morning."

CC rolled her eyes but she couldn't help but wonder why Niles hadn't informed Maxwell.

"Ah, I see. Well, I hope these duties aren't going to be taking up too much time?"

"He'll be cooking meals for me, Maxwell. I usually have lunch here or at the theatre so it's mostly breakfast and dinner that will take his time." CC explained as she followed Maxwell from the entrance hall to the office. Niles followed suit to help look for the leather dossier.

"Oh, I wasn't informed. How long will this be going on then?" Maxwell asked, looking at the files Niles had handed him.

Niles looked over at CC. "Indefinitely," She said.

"This isn't just something you're doing to keep up with the workload in the weeks leading up to the show? Do you mean to say this may be permanent – that you've hired him?" Maxwell asked.

Niles was curious too.

"Yes, I hired him. I'll decide how long I keep him based on his performance."

"Um, I'm standing right here." Niles said, stony-faced.

CC looked over at him and sneered, "Good! Then you've been warned."

And then she did something he hadn't expected or ever experienced from her before. She winked.

"Well, CC, if you plan on keeping Niles under your employment we may need to draw up some sort of schedule. He was my butler first after all. I can't have him shirking his duties."

Niles looked at his boss, suddenly worried. He hadn't thought that Maxwell would miss him that morning. He'd prepared everything before he left to CC's. But then again, Maxwell couldn't tie his shoes without Niles. He should've told him beforehand. He didn't want to lose his job.

Niles looked at CC, hoping that she would ease Maxwell's concern.

"Maxwell, it's a few hours out of the day. He may even be cooking here some days. Don't worry, I won't hog him. I don't even know why I'm inviting him to spend more hours in the day torturing me."

"Alright, CC." Max was distracted by the papers he held once again.

Niles was relieved. He smiled and left the room. CC watched his back as he went.

Lunchtime had reared its head through the afternoon clouds. Niles had ordered in Chinese food for the Sheffields and had made a small, traditional, English cottage pie for CC. She had left to the theatre and he was planning on taking it to her.

"Ah yeah! I was craving some Chinese all day at school!" Brighton said as he saw the boxes on the kitchen counter.

"Too bad, Mae Lee said you're so not her type!" Maggie said, causing Niles to laugh.

Brighton stuck out his tongue and began opening boxes to find what he wanted.

Maxwell entered the kitchen and moaned when he saw lunch. "Chinese, Niles?"

"Um, the children requested, sir." He lied. "And Miss Fine as well." He added for good measure.

"Alright, I suppose I'm outnumbered."

"If you don't need anything, sir, I'm off to deliver Miss Babcock's lunch to her at the theatre..."

"Yes, fine. Don't be too long. I need you here to do... Uh. You know, things you do."

Maxwell had no idea what exactly Niles did there. He just knew he was happy with the meals and clean house and was comfortable with Niles seeing as he had known him since they were young boys."

"Yes, sir." Niles nodded and rolled his eyes as he left.

Niles drove the limo to the theatre a little off Broadway, his passenger a small picnic basket.

When he arrived, he entered the theatre to see CC standing near the stage, talking to two men who had their backs to the entrance. One of them walked away, throwing his hands in the air in surrender and when CC turned to the other, he reached out to fondle her hand.

Niles heard her laugh and when he saw the man turn, he realised it was Damon. Great.

He strolled up to the couple and cleared his throat as they were kissing. CC pulled away and wiped the corner of her lips in embarrassment. PDA was not her style anyway.

"Ah, Maxwell's butler! Hello. What are you doing here?" Damon asked.

"He's working as my personal cook actually," CC explained. "Lunch?" She asked Niles. He nodded and lifted the basket into her line of vision.

"Great, I've been working up an appetite!" CC said, excitedly. "I'll just go and tell the actors and musicians we'll be taking a short break. She hurried up the stage and disappeared through the wings.

Damon looked over at Niles and crossed his arms, snorting.

"Is there a problem, sir?" Niles asked.

"It's just funny. A man holding a domestic job. Cooking, particularly. Funny." Damon said snobbishly.

"Yes, funny. I suppose if a woman enjoys my skills, it's only polite that I do what I can to satisfy her cravings... Hmm, I suppose that is quite funny." He grinned.

Damon looked at him, shocked at what he had implied.

"I'll have her get rid of you soon, mark my words, servant." Damon hissed as CC appeared from behind the wings and made her way towards them.

Just as she was almost within earshot, Niles muttered to Damon, "She had the soup last night. Twice."

Damon's jaw slackened just as CC reached the pair and smiled at them. "Shall we sit down to eat?" She asked.

"What have you got for me, Niles?"

"Traditional cottage pie."

"Ah, I see now you're forcing the British down my throat. First the tea this morning and now this." She laughed and he shared a smile with her before grinning at Damon, whose eyes flashed red in anger.

"This morning? At Maxwell's, you mean?" Damon asked.

CC opened the basket to peer inside. "No, Niles made breakfast at my apartment- Oh! This looks delicious!" She exclaimed as she lifted the dish from the picnic basket.

Damon was not pleased. Niles decided that was his cue to make a hasty exit and return to his other job. He didn't wait for her to thank him. The situation that had just transpired had been thanks enough.

CC placed the dish on the stage in front of them and opened the basket to retrieve the plate, cutlery and a soft drink that had been inside. She noticed a lilac tulip lying gracefully beside where the dish had been. She smiled at the thoughtfulness that had put her in a good mood. Butler training did him good. She decided to resist the urge to lift the flower to her nose and left it resting inside.

CC looked up and realized Niles had gone. "Um, would you care to share with me, Damon? There's enough for two," she said as she plated a portion.

"I'll try some, why not." He had to check out the competition. If the butler's cooking was good enough then at least he could convince himself that that really was the (only) reason his girlfriend had hired him and that he had nothing to worry about.

He took a bite and CC did the same. His eyes widened. "Good, right?!" She said, holding her hand in front of her full mouth.

He nodded in relief but was annoyed that he couldn't use the cooking as an excuse to get CC to fire Niles. He was just that good.

They finished the meal together without so much as a word to each other. CC was too busy humming in pleasure at the food every time she tasted another forkful.

"CC, darling. The sounds you're making give a man impure thoughts." He reached to stroke her lower back and she smiled and wiggled her eyebrows at him. He laughed at that. She'd never used that expression before. Where had she picked it up?

He kissed her and told her he had to run and that the preparations for the show were looking good.

"I'll let you know when I'll be back here again if you'd like to drop in on another rehearsal this week." She said.

"Yes, that would be lovely. We could do lunch before," he suggested, hoping that would get Niles out of his hair for the day.

"Yes, sure. Or Niles could even cook a little something for us if things are too busy that day. Do you have a favourite?" She asked.

He pursed his lips. "I'll let you know."

"Okay. I'll see you soon, then," she said and pecked his lips.

He pulled her in tighter, not satisfied, and then deepened the kiss merely because he could.

She was caught off guard and giggled shyly when he released her.

"I love that you're mine and I can do that to you whenever I want." He said proudly.

She smiled at his possessiveness and he threaded his hand through her hair a few times before speaking. "So, I'll see you-"

"Soon," she repeated, vaguely and smiled as he nodded and left.

She fixed her hair and looked back at the stage, taking the plate and cutlery and returning it all to the basket. She pulled out the tulip to look at it and found herself smiling.