Chapter 5
Coming Home
Niles wouldn't say he was awake, but he was semi-conscious. Loose ideas were beginning to form and connect with each other – he was cold so he needed a blanket, and those sorts of thing – giving some sense to the confusing jumble of thoughts that reigned inside his mind. It was a subtle awareness the one he was experiencing right then, but he could clearly register the small form curled up against his back. It is awake – more specifically, she was awake and Niles forced himself to flicker his eyes open and he glanced at the clock on his nightstand. It read 7:30, Amelia's usual waking-up time.
The child stretched and he felt her sit up next to him. After a few moments which, Niles supposed, the girl spent looking around the unfamiliar room, Amelia tapped his back.
"Niles?" she said in a hushed voice. "Niles, are you awake?"
The butler smiled. There was something in Amelia's voice that reminded him of C.C., and to be taking care of basically the most important thing in C.C.'s life was the greatest honour he could have ever received. He rolled over to face the child and found her sat with her legs crossed and hugging her toy monkey.
"Hello there," he rasped, smiling up at her. He noticed she was in a really good mood as he, too, sat up. "How did you sleep? Any more nightmares?"
The girl shook her head no and then, much to his surprise, the young girl leaned forward and hugged him.
"Nope. And it was thanks to you! You are the best!" the little girl exclaimed. "I love you, Niles!"
Well, that had kind of come from nowhere...
He knew that children often said things they didn't exactly mean, or maybe even understand, but hearing something like this from Amelia...it left him feeling overjoyed and awkward in equal measure.
He knew that he did love her in many ways, and that he would be honoured to eventually be able to have her as a...daughter? Stepdaughter? He didn't know how that would work, but he knew that was what he wanted.
But he also thought that telling her he loved her too would be inappropriate, for the time being. They weren't related – he was basically a stranger who happened to be nice to her and was dating her mother. And C.C. might not like it, either. Their relationship was so new, coming in and saying something like that could jeopardise it, and he didn't want that...
He had to come up with a compromise. He gently hugged her back, and chuckled.
"You make me very happy too, sweetheart," there was more than a good chance that she was too young to know the difference between what she'd said and what he'd said, but just in case, he decided to change the subject as he released her. "So, before we go and collect your Mommy from the hospital, how would you like to have some breakfast?"
That piqued the little girl's attention. The memories of Niles' delicious waffles and of his hot cocoa were enough to divert her attention from the... sweet (and somewhat awkward) moment they had just shared. Not completely, but it was enough.
Not that Amelia would mention it (and manly because her mother had always been very clear about not knowing how to contact her real Daddy) but the feeling caused by Niles being around was, in a sense, how she had imagined having a Daddy felt like.
Amelia loved her mother very much, not to get her wrong, but sometimes, when she saw her friends and their daddies, she felt a strange aching for something that she had never had. Granted, her small mind couldn't quite garsp that what she wanted was to have some sort of paternal figure, but part of her sensed that it had to do with her lack of a father. But knowing that her asking about her father usually upset her mother (although C.C. tried very hard not to show it), Amelia had decided since a very young age to not ask much about her father.
Niles, however, was a different story. Amelia didn't exactly know what it was, but something about the man made her feel safe, and he clearly made her Mommy very happy, too. Objectively speaking, he was just a nice, new man in her life, but there was something about his mannerisms and about how he behaved around her that made her feel quite at ease with him.
So, in a sense (and although she wasn't exactly conscious of this), Amelia was starting to see Niles as some kind of a paternal figure.
But back to the matter at hand, the mention of breakfast was enough to make Amelia practically jump in excitement on Niles' bed.
"Yes! Can I have your waffles again?" the girl asked.
Niles smiled at her, amused by the sheer excitement practically seeping from the child. "I don't see why not! But, if you want, I can prepare you any other thing you want!"
The girl stopped jumping for a moment and looked thoughtful. "What about... hotcakes?"
"You want hotcakes?"
Amelia nodded.
"Then hotcakes is what we shall have," he helped her down the bed and he then shoved his feet into his slippers. "Come on, let's go downstairs."
"Okay!" she grasped for his hand and pulled as hard as she could to get him to hurry up.
Of course she couldn't actually shift him, but Niles sped up anyway, making her laugh when he pretended she'd pulled so hard he'd nearly fallen over.
He didn't let go of her hand as they got to the stairs and made it down into the kitchen. Placing his own apron over her, leaving himself uncovered, he began to gather the ingredients to make the hotcakes. Just as they had done with the waffles, he allowed her to mix the ingredients together while he poured the batter into the hot frying pan, and then he guided her hands when she asked if she could flip the cakes with the spatula. Soon, they had a fine pile of hotcakes, ready to be served.
Niles pulled out a chair for Amelia and picked her up to settle her on the seat, before slipping two hotcakes onto a plate, cutting them up and slicking them with a little bit of butter and drizzling maple syrup on them. He then placed this in front of the little girl.
"There we are," he said, beaming at the look of delight on the girl's face. "Would you like some cocoa to go with it?"
The girl spun in her chair excitedly, "Can I really have some?!"
He chuckled, "Of course you can! Even if I do say so myself, I make the best cocoa."
Amelia took to watching him prepare her drink, only occasionally picking up pieces of hotcake to eat. Niles didn't mind at all; she deserved a relaxed breakfast after a rough end to the day before. She deserved a lot of things, and he was going to treat her the best he could, which included slipping as many marshmallows as he could fit into her mug.
"And here is your hot cocoa, Little One," Niles said as he lowered the mug on the table. It was lucky that Eve and Jonah weren't awake yet – he would have had to make them hot cocoa if they had been up, and that would have meant less marshmallows for C.C.'s little girl.
The look of delight on Amelia's face when she saw the many marshmallows in her drink was absolutely priceless, and he couldn't help but laugh when he saw the "chocolate moustache" she got just over her lips after she had taken a sip of her drink.
He soon discovered Amelia adored to talk. As she ate, the girl told him all about the different things she'd learnt that week, about what she and her Mommy usually did on Sundays and how excited she was about him coming to live with them.
The girl was absolutely adorable, and he couldn't help but notice how similar she was to C.C.. He could see her mother in the girl's mannerisms; in the way she spoke, sat or even in the way she laughed. She was outstandingly similar to her in terms of physical appearance, but Niles noticed something in her eyes... those weren't a trait that had been given to her by C.C..
The shape of her eyes was the same as C.C.'s, but the colour... the colour was different.
It was a brighter shade of blue – they almost had an incandescence of their own. And, for some reason, they reminded him of his own eyes.
He remembered C.C. mentioning she had been reminded of him whenever she looked into Patrick's eyes, and Amelia having those eyes – his eyes, in a sense – produced a number of powerful emotions to course his body.
It was almost like he was...
He couldn't allow that thought. Not before C.C. had allowed it, and not before Amelia had allowed it, either. Whatever they wanted, that's what was going to happen. And, right now, all that Amelia wanted was to tell him about the art and English homework she had to do later that day, and to finish her hotcakes. He concentrated on listening, and on eating his own breakfast. The hotcakes were rather delicious, and thinking about that instead of The Other Thing was a much safer route to be travelling down.
As soon as both were finished, Niles cleaned the plates away and took Amelia back upstairs so that she could clean her teeth and get dressed. Then he had run a comb quickly through her hazel hair (having helped Miss Margaret, Miss Grace, and Miss Eve with their own before), and dressed and cleaned himself, they were ready to set off for the hospital.
He'd have to come back to the mansion to pick up his and Amelia's things, but he was sure the little girl was more anxious about seeing C.C. again than anything else.
"Right," he brought his hands together in a concluding fashion. "Are you all set to go pick your Mommy up?"
"Yes I am!" the girl exclaimed, grabbing her toy monkey before Niles helped her into her little, white coat. "Can we take her some flowers?"
Niles arched an eyebrow and smiled down at Amelia. That was a really nice idea. One that would probably cause C.C. to call him an old sap, but a nice idea all the same.
"I don't see why not!" he said as he wrapped a scarf around Amelia's neck. It still amused him how the girl's style was basically the same as her mother's, only her clothes were several sizes smaller and had drawings of flowers, hearts or things of the sort. "We can buy some in the hospital's gift shop. Does that sound good?"
Amelia nodded enthusiastically and grasped his hand. She was used to being carried around like that by her Mommy and by her grandpa or by her Uncle Noel.
"Wonderful. Now off we go," said Niles and the two of them made their way to the car.
Maxwell had allowed Niles to use the Porsche to pick C.C. up (mainly because it was the only car that counted with child safety seats). But as Niles was about to buckle Amelia up, the girl said, "Wait!"
"What's wrong, Little One?" he asked.
"We haven't put your things and mine in the truck!"
"Trunk," Niles gently corrected her. "And we can do that later, so we can see Mommy sooner!"
The girl's brow furrowed. "She won't like that."
"Why do you say so?" Niles was now positively curious.
"Because Mommy always says that it's bad to leave for later what you can do now. And she also says that laziness brews incompetence and that Babcocks are never lazy nor incompetent."
Now that was hilarious.
And he did so want to laugh at the way she was taking on such a knowledgeable expression throughout all of it.
But he didn't want her to get the wrong idea, either. Instead, he decided it was better that he agreed, "Alright, then. We'll go and get our things from upstairs first."
Amelia smiled and hopped down from the car seat, "Okay. But Bananas can stay in the car, right?"
Niles' smile vanished and he raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Bananas?"
She held up her toy monkey, as though it were obvious whom she meant.
He nodded in understanding, "Oh, of course Bananas can stay in the car."
He leaned in close, pointing a joking warning finger in the monkey's face. "But if we come back and find him swinging from any of the headrests, that will be the last time he's allowed on car rides."
Amelia laughed, and hugged her monkey close, before putting him down on the seat, "He'll be good, he promises."
"That's what I wanted to hear," Niles said and he gently took Bananas from Amelia's hands and sat him on the other child's seat. He then patted it on the head twice. "We'll be back soon, Bananas."
The pair went upstairs and grabbed their suitcases. They had to make more than one trip due to the amount of suitcases Niles had, but Amelia insisted in helping him take his luggage down. He didn't actually allow her to grab a suitcase (they were too heavy for her to carry), but she did get to hold onto one of the handles as he took it down the stairs and to the car's trunk.
Once the suitcases were properly packed and Amelia was buckled up in her seat, Niles climbed onto the driver's seat and they began their way to the hospital. The distance between the mansion and the hospital wasn't a long one, but it took them quite a while to reach their destination due to traffic.
It was horrible, as usual.
But once the car was parked and he, Amelia and Bananas had gotten out of it, they made their way to C.C.'s room, making a quick stop at the hospital's gift shop, where Niles bought C.C. a bouquet of roses and a "Get Well Soon" card.
When they opened the door to C.C.'s room, they found the woman already awaiting for them in a wheelchair.
"Mommy!" Amelia squealed in delight and ran to her mother, who was looking a lot better that the day before (although the pain medicine that was safely stored in her purse had a lot to do with that).
"Hi, sweetie," she opened her arms to receive as much of a hug as she could from her daughter, given her current position. She leaned over a little ways and soundly kissed the little girl on the head. "Did you miss me?"
Amelia hugged her as tight as she could, "Yeah..."
The little girl sounded like the question had made her a little bit upset. She'd probably been worried sick all evening...
She'd have to talk to Niles about it, when she got the opportunity, and make it up to her daughter in the meantime.
"Aw, I missed you too, baby," C.C. kissed her again. "But now we can go home! How does that sound?"
Releasing her mother, Amelia began to bounce up and down on her lap, "Good!"
"It sounds like a perfect idea to me, too," Niles decided now was an alright moment to step in, mother and daughter having had time to greet each other, and he held out the flowers and card for C.C. to take. "We made a little stop on the way here – we thought it might cheer you up. Amelia picked these roses out all by herself!"
"Did you, now?" C.C. smirked quickly up at Niles before turning to her little girl, who nodded. C.C. beamed, and used one arm to pull her in for another hug and a kiss. "Well, I think that deserves a kiss all by itself!"
Amelia giggled and allowed her mother to kiss her again before she gave C.C. a kiss of her own.
Niles was still absolutely wondered by the sight of C.C. being an adorable and loving mother. This softer side suited her, and he was honoured to be allowed to witness it. Years ago he would have never imagined C.C. was actually capable of being this way, but life was absolutely full of surprises.
"Niles helped, too," Amelia said, smiling up at the butler. "And he bought the card and the roses!"
"Well, then he deserves a kiss too!" C.C. said, an idea springing inside her mind. They had been looking for a moment to tell Amelia about their relationship, and this could be it. The girl definitely knew that certain shows of affection were only made when two people loved each other – she had been certain to teach her that – and one of those displays of affections, were kisses.
Granted, she wasn't planning on snogging Niles in front of Amelia, but a quick peck on the lips would do.
Niles seemed to pick up on what C.C. wanted to do, and he arched a questioning eyebrow at her. Was she sure? He had truly gotten along with Amelia, but was she ready? Well... C.C. was her mother. She knew what was best and she called the shots when it came to her daughter. So he leaned down and pecked her lips.
Amelia gasped, but instead of looking horrified or scared, like Niles had dreaded, she giggled.
"Why did you kiss him Mommy?" she asked.
C.C. straightened herself out, and prepared to explain. She was hoping that the agreed phrase would be enough to make her daughter understand what was going on. That wasn't going to make saying any of it easier, and she was more than a little afraid of the possibility that Amelia wouldn't like it, would feel that she was going to be replaced somehow, that it would damage the relationship that they had...she knew she wouldn't give up her daughter for any reason whatsoever, but losing Niles again after just getting him back would hurt so badly...
But she wouldn't know what was going to happen until she said something and found out. She gently used her free hand to take Niles', and continued hugging Amelia with the other, before addressing her little girl.
"Well, you see...um," she sighed, and started again, feeling like maybe she what she was going to say was going about it all wrong. "You know how people have friends? Really good friends, that you wouldn't ever want to be away from?"
Amelia nodded, and let her mother continue.
"Well, sometimes – a lot of the time, actually, people have special friends," she explained. "And these friends are closer to us than any of our other friends. They make us laugh, and we joke with them and talk to them, and have fun. But we also do other things, like kiss and hug and hold hands. And that's what Niles is for me...he's my special friend."
Amelia looked like she was processing that information.
Niles held his breath, and he was sure C.C. would be able to feel his grip tightening on her hand.
"Is that alright, Amelia?" he asked, fearing the answer.
Amelia looked at Niles, her face showing little emotion. She didn't look distraught or angry, but she was not all smiles, either. She looked thoughtful, and Niles tried to console himself by thinking that thoughtful didn't necessarily mean bad.
"But Mommy," the girl spoke, cocking her head to one side. "You kissed him on the lips!"
C.C. nodded, not really knowing where her daughter was going. "Yes... I did kiss him on the lips."
"And you are holding my Mommy's hand," the girl addressed the butler.
"Yes I am, Little One."
Amelia then became silent once again, as if considering all the facts and the information that she had been given. And suddenly, they could see that something had clicked inside her head, and she gave both her mother and the butler a beaming smile.
"It's like in Disney movies!" she exclaimed. "You kissed him because you are in love. Do you love him Mommy?"
"Yes I do," C.C. said, briefly looking up at Niles and giving him an encouraging smile.
"And do you love my Mommy?" the girl asked Niles.
"With all my heart," Niles said, giving C.C. a smile of his own. Things were clearly going okay; Amelia hadn't snapped or cried (so far).
"So you are boyfriend and girlfriend!" the girl concluded, giggling. "Right, Mommy?"
Whilst Niles tried to make his spluttering laughter sound like a coughing fit, C.C.'s face froze half in a smile, half in a look of shock.
"Uh...well, we weren't going to call it that, but yes, I suppose we are," she eventually replied. "Is that okay with you?"
The minute it wasn't, both adults knew they'd have no choice in the matter. But if the little girl's current grin was anything to go by, she wasn't upset by this idea at all.
In fact, she looked rather elated at the prospect.
And indeed she was. She really did love having Niles around, and if he and her Mommy were boyfriend and girlfriend, then that would mean he'd be around all the time!
"Yeah, that's okay with me!" she hugged her mother again, and then raced around to the other side of her chair to give Niles his own hug.
"I certainly am glad to hear that," Niles hugged her back tighter than he had done so previously, and grinned up at C.C..
"So am I," C.C. added, looking at the two most important people in her life in adoration. "But, if you don't mind, could we move this celebration outside so we can go home? I don't know about you, but I am rather tired of being here!"
Niles and Amelia both laughed, and the little child let go of Niles before climbing onto her mother's lap. C.C. wrapped her arms around her daughter and held her while Niles moved to the back of the chair and began pushing it towards the exit.
C.C. had already signed the discharge papers and had been given all the medication she needed, so the only thing that was left was going back home. Even though her stay at the hospital had been an extremely short one, she couldn't wait to be in her home, lying on her own bed and with her daughter and her... boyfriend… by her side.
The word boyfriend still sounded juvenile but, for all intents and purposes, that's what they were.
They were a couple.
They had to make a stop at the front desk so C.C. could be given her crutches before going to the car, but once she'd gotten them, Niles continued to push her wheelchair to the Porsche.
"Alright," he said as he put the crutches in the trunk and closed it. "I am going to need you to move, Little One. I have to help your Mommy out of her wheelchair."
The girl obeyed and even opened the door of the passenger seat for Niles before she herself climbed into the back of the car and settled Bananas on the child safety seat next to her own
Meanwhile, Niles slipped a hand underneath her knees and wrapped the other around her upper back.
"You carry Mommy like she's a Disney princess, too," Amelia called out to him, and the two adults shared a smirk, before C.C. looked over at her daughter.
"He'd better," she replied, making the little girl laugh.
"And I'd better watch out and make sure of it, otherwise Her Royal Highness could have me thrown in the dungeons forever and ever," Niles joined in on the fun as he delicately set C.C. in the front passenger seat. "Not that I think she would, because she's as merciful as she is beautiful."
C.C. completely and utterly failed to look unimpressed – she folded her arms, but could only grin at him in return.
"We'll see how merciful I am," she replied, lifting her arms up when Niles reached over to plug in her seatbelt. Because of her ribs, she couldn't exactly move to do it herself. "If I'm feeling kind, he might get a reward."
"What reward will he get, Mommy?"
The question caught the couple off-guard, if they were honest. A glint of mischievous amusement sparked in C.C.'s eyes.
"Well, that all depends on what he'd like," she looked over at Niles, who had made to stand up so he could go and put Amelia's seatbelt around her, but was now caught half-way between crouching and standing. "Tell me, Sir Niles, what would you have that I might grant you?"
Well, if she was going to play that game, then he was more than happy to do so, as well.
"Nothing more or less than being your Prince Charming, Your Royal Highness," he staged a bow.
C.C. rolled her eyes while Amelia laughed from the back of the car. In the little girl's eyes the man was more than funny.
"Smooth talker," C.C. said and had to bite back a grin.
"Only for you, my dear," Niles replied as he helped Amelia with her seatbelt. He still couldn't believe just how well everything had gone! Amelia was happy with their relationship, and now they'd slowly move forward, together.
They made their way back to the mansion chatting and joking, and Niles made sure to go extra slow for C.C.'s safety. He didn't want to put her in any more pain than she was already in.
"And did you do your homework, sweetheart?" C.C. asked her girl as they approached their home. She was almost sure of what her answer would be.
"Nope..." the girl replied, almost sounding sheepish. "I was too worried."
"You have nothing to worry about," C.C. said looking over her shoulder as best she could. "I am okay, sweetheart."
"Exactly," Niles interjected. "And I'll help you do it while Mommy rests. Okay?"
He saw Amelia nod on the rear-view mirror and he smiled as he pulled up the driveway and parked the car. He then turned the engine off, helped Amelia out of her seat and removed the wheelchair from the trunk before setting C.C. into it once again.
The moment they entered the house, however, they came across with none other than B.B. and Stewart Babcock.
So much for a tranquil morning...
"Grandpa! Grandmamma!" Amelia exclaimed before running towards her grandparents.
"Hi there, Sparky!" Stewart gathered his granddaughter into his arms and kissed her cheek, receiving one in return. "Happy to see us?"
"Mm-hm," Amelia nodded, leaning over to kiss B.B. as well. "Good morning, Grandmamma!"
"Hello, dear," B.B. gave her granddaughter her own quick kiss on the cheek. "What are you doing outside? Where is your mother?"
"I'm right here, Mother," C.C. called out to them as Niles wheeled her over.
Both her parents' eyes widened, and they hurried over, Amelia still in Stewart's arms.
"C.C.! Kitten, what happened?!" he nearly shouted, settling Amelia down on the ground so that he could examine his daughter.
Amelia went to Niles, and hugged at his legs. He took one hand off the wheelchair so that he could rest his hand on her head, holding her there.
"There was a slight mishap involving a driver going the wrong way down the street I happened to be crossing," C.C. explained. "But I promise I'm fine. Just a few broken bones."
"And you didn't think to call?!" B.B. exclaimed, sounding indignant and worried in equal measure.
"I rarely agree with your mother, but she is right," Stewart stroked C.C.'s hair, looking at her in the eyes. "You should have called us!"
C.C. grimaced. "I am sorry... it was a really hectic day and by the time I had some peace the medication made me sleepy. Not to mention I was worried about what to do with Mia."
"I stayed with the Sheffields!" the girl piped up, going over to her grandmother and asking to be carried by her. B.B. lifted her in her arms and allowed her to rest her head on her shoulder. "And with Niles, too."
"You contacted the Sheffields?" Stewart, despite his worry, couldn't help but smile. He had tried to encourage her to go back to them since she had first returned to New York
"In a sense..." the former producer said, smiling. "It was more like fate brought me to their doorstep."
"And what do you mean by that, dear?" B.B. asked.
"She met her boyfriend and he took her to them!" Amelia piped up, playing with a loose strand of her grandmother's hair.
B.B. softly took Amelia's hand away from her hair, and stared in confusion at the child.
"Boyfriend?" she echoed. "What do you mean, "boyfriend"?"
The older socialite turned to her daughter for clarification.
"What does she mean, "boyfriend"?" she asked again. "Since when do you-"
"B.B., how about we give C.C. a chance to explain?" Stewart interrupted. "I'm sure we'll get all the answers we want, but no one will get anywhere if we all just stand around parroting everything everyone else says."
C.C. couldn't help but be relieved by her father stepping in like that. Her mother's stressed reaction to the news was making her feel anxious, and someone coming in to stop her had quelled it momentarily. She was no doubt going to feel anxious again when B.B. knew the truth. But she was going to have to know, and sooner rather than later. If she was lucky, her father would be just as supportive of them as he had been when he'd found out about Mia.
"Thank you, Daddy," she quickly looked up at Niles. He was also wearing an expression which suggested dread. She looked back at her parents again. "I'll tell you everything, but I think we should get into the house first, that way we can all be comfortable, and Mia can get started on the homework she hasn't yet finished."
"Very well," Stewart said and moved back so Niles could push the chair into the kitchen and make their way to the living room. Stewart and B.B. followed them, and the latter lowered Amelia back onto the floor so she could look for her school books and she could start her homework.
When they reached the sofa, Niles carefully scooped C.C. up in his arms and laid her on the cushions, taking care that her back rested properly against the back of the sofa. He then pushed the coffee table towards her, put a little pillow from the sofa on it and set her encased foot on top the pillow.
"Thank you," C.C. said, reaching out for Niles' hand and squeezing it. "Can you check that Amelia has everything and bring her down here? She can do her homework in the kitchen."
He nodded, realising what C.C. wanted – if Amelia was in the kitchen then she wouldn't hear the conversation being had by the adults.
"Of course," he said and took off for the upstairs landing.
In the few minutes that took Niles to get Amelia from her room, Stewart had prepared some tea and brought some cookies for him, his daughter, his ex-wife and Niles.
So once Niles had made sure that the girl had her animal crackers, a glass of juice and was colouring her drawing, he went back to C.C., ready for a hard conversation. He sat down next to her and clutched at her hand.
Stewart raised an amused eyebrow.
"So, C.C..." he began, his lips pursing as though he were trying to stave off smiling. "This...boyfriend of yours..."
C.C. didn't look over towards Niles, even though the urge was there. She didn't want her mother to interrupt by deciphering it all too quickly. She knew B.B. would probably put up a fight about her dating a servant, and she wanted to ease them both into it, rather than just spring it on them.
Although her father's eyes were resting on their hands. He'd probably figured it out already, and he was just waiting for her to confirm it. Well, it was nice that at least one of them wasn't yelling about it.
"Yes..." she said, waiting as patiently as one could when it felt like there was a time bomb ticking away somewhere in the room.
Leaning back comfortably in his seat, Stewart folded his arms, cocked his head to one side, and grinned, "What's he like?"
That wasn't the question she'd expected at all, but she supposed her father might have also been easing B.B. into what he'd already worked out.
"Well...he's the kindest man I know. And the most charming. He works hard to take care of the people he loves, and can't stand it when they're hurt or upset. He has the best sense of humour of anyone I've ever met, and a needle-sharp wit. He's also very intelligent, and he knows so, and he's proud of it but he's not arrogant in any way," she felt – no, she knew – she was gushing, but she couldn't help herself. "He is humble, and he is accepting, and he loves me and Amelia. And I don't know how I ever managed without him."
"Yes, yes, but do we know him?" B.B. asked, sounding impatient. She probably wanted C.C. to say a famous or powerful surname – someone they'd met at some function or other, and who had been charming, witty, and wealthy. Someone who could keep her daughter and granddaughter in the life to which they were accustomed.
Well, she was in for a big surprise...
"Yes, you do," she said, her voice sounding surprisingly stronger than she really felt. "Actually you've known him for a long time."
Only then did she dare to look over at Niles. She found he was looking at her too, and from the corner of her eye C.C. saw her father smile. He knew... now they had to wait for her mother's reaction.
And she was fearing it with good reason.
Back when she had first told B.B. about her pregnancy, her mother had practically vanished her from her life until their reconciliation after Amelia's first birthday. They owed it to Noel, who had put his efforts in getting them to at least talk civilly to each other again.
It didn't take long for B.B. to basically fall in love with her grandchild, but it had been hard for her and C.C. to get over their fight. But B.B. had apologised and she had kept her word of being a good grandmother. C.C. could only hope that she'd come to accept Niles as she had come to accept her situation with Amelia.
The blonde looked back at her parents and smiled. "Daddy," she looked at B.B., "Mother, I am dating Niles, the Sheffield's butler."
Silence.
Silence for a very long time.
Everyone in the room were starting at B.B. and holding their breath. Would she scream? Be angry? Storm out of the room?
"So… he is your new boyfriend?" the older woman said in a clipped voice and pointed at Niles.
C.C. nodded.
"Okay. Congratulations then," B.B. frowned. "Why are you looking at me that way?"
C.C. was at loss for words. She was okay with her dating a butler?! But why?! She was B.B. Babcock, for God's sake!
"Who are you and what did you do with my mother?" C.C. deadpanned.
"Why do you-" B.B. trailed off for a moment as understanding washed over her. "Oh, you mean because I am not mad?" the older socialite laughed and waved a dismissive hand. "Darling, I have accepted so many things in my life that this is nothing! I have accepted that my only son is homosexual and that my youngest daughter had a child out of wedlock – I am completely fine with you dating a servant. If he makes you happy and takes care of you both, then you won't hear any complaints from me."
And suddenly it was like someone had removed the bomb from the room. All the tension was gone, and it was released from both halves of the couple in a loud exhale of breath, culminating in light, happy laughter. C.C. put a hand to her chest, feeling her heart beating fast, and then she grinned up at Niles, who hadn't released her hand yet and probably didn't intend to.
She didn't mind that part at all, though. Even if her parents had minded, she wouldn't have let go.
"Thank you, Mother..." she breathed, calming herself. "I...I just didn't expect that kind of reaction. I hate to say it, but I was almost assuming that you were going to-"
B.B. shook her head, "There's no need to apologise, dear. I know that we had our disagreements when Mia was first born, and that you were probably afraid something like this would make it all come back again. But I don't want us to end up not talking to each other again. And if this man makes you and Amelia happy, then I am happy as well."
"I certainly try my hardest, Mrs Babcock," Niles nodded once, smiling.
"I think we know that, Niles – when you brought C.C. in to set her down, I'd never seen such care, not even from doctors whose job it is to make people comfortable," Stewart cut in. "And even before all of this happened, I thought I sensed something between the two of you, so I'm glad I was proved right in that regard."
B.B. rolled her eyes at Stewart. "What a surprise!" she said in a monotone, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You loving being right. Absolutely unseen and unheard of."
Stewart gave his ex-wife an unimpressed stare. "B.B., are we really going to do this when our child has just given us such good news?"
"Start what?" the older woman said, taking a sip of her tea. The younger couple could see she was trying very hard not to smirk. "I was merely pointing something out."
"Sure you were," Stewart grumbled. He knew B.B. still adored getting a rise out of him. "Anyway, back to the matter at hand, I am very happy for you both."
"Thank you, Daddy," C.C. said, now allowing Niles to wrap an arm around her shoulders.
"And does Amelia like him?" B.B. asked.
"Well, she was really happy about our relationship when we told her," C.C. glanced over at the kitchen, trying to get a glimpse of her little girl but not quite managing it. She couldn't stretch much due to the fractures. "And she told me she spent a good night at the Sheffields with Niles. By the way, I didn't ask, did she sleep well?"
Niles' lips pursed. The answer to that question was a bit difficult – Amelia had not slept well when she was sleeping on her own, but after she'd moved to his bed everything was fine. He just didn't want to make C.C. feel guilty for Amelia being afraid, but he couldn't lie to her either.
"I guess you could say so..." he began. "She had a nightmare and came to my bed in the wee hours of the morning, but after I tucked her in and sang her a song she slept quite peacefully."
"Oh, you sang for her?" C.C. couldn't help the delight in her innermost being. The thought of it warmed her greatly. She wanted them to spend as much time together as possible, so that they got to know each other.
She wanted them to be a family. It was too soon for her to say it out loud, but that's what she wanted.
Niles picked up on the happiness in her tone, "Yes, and then she fell asleep right after that. No more nightmares, and a good night's sleep."
C.C. nodded, "Good. And thank you, for helping her through it."
"No need to thank, it was my pleasure," he smiled gently back, and rubbed her shoulder.
Suddenly, the peaceful silence was interrupted by the patter of a small set of feet, coming from the kitchen. Amelia scurried in, a piece of paper held delicately in both hands.
"I finished my art homework, Mommy!" she cried out, holding the paper up for C.C. to inspect.
"You did?" C.C. took the proffered paper. "We'll, we're definitely all gonna have to look at this...!"
C.C. gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. The drawing was absolutely beautiful! She had long since noticed that Amelia was a talented little artist, but she had truly outdone herself this time!
The drawing depicted what appeared to be a little family having breakfast in the kitchen. It was obvious that it was the breakfast that she, Amelia and Niles had shared the day she was hit by a car! The girl had even taken care to draw the pancakes in detail – C.C.'s had raspberries while hers and Niles' had strawberries.
"I had to draw my favourite moment of the week," Amelia explained, smiling. "I liked cooking breakfast with Niles and then eating it all together!"
"Sweetie, it's gorgeous!" C.C. choked out, her eyes misting over faster than she could do anything about. For some reason the little scene drawn by her daughter had made her incredibly emotional – they truly looked like a family... a little, beautiful family that she could call her own.
It was too soon to put it in words and say it aloud, but C.C. knew that right there, depicted on paper and drawn by the hand of her small daughter, was everything she wanted and needed.
"It really is," Niles added, his eyes slightly glassy too.
Amelia smiled at her mother and Niles. "Thank you, Mommy! Thank you, Niles!" the child suddenly started, as though she had just remembered something. She spun on her heels and ran back to the kitchen and moments later scurried back into the living room, this time carrying three more pieces of paper.
"I made a drawing for Niles, too," Amelia said, handing him the piece of paper. On it she had drawn Niles singing to her last night. "And one for Grandpa and Grandmamma too!"
Soon, around the room there came cries of delight as each adult studied their drawings.
"Mia, this is an absolutely wonderful picture!" B.B. ran her fingers over each detail, almost in actual awe.
"I certainly have to agree there," Stewart grinned. "You are quite an artist, Sparky."
"Thank you, Grandpa and Grandmamma," Mia replied shyly.
Niles and C.C. looked at her, neither one able to disguise the looks of happiness or pride on their faces. She really did have a talent, and she was kind enough to share it with everybody. And if that homework piece came back home again, it was going to be framed. So that they could put it somewhere everyone could see and admire.
It was going to help show everyone who came into their home that a real little family lived there.
Niles looked down at his own drawing again, heart bursting with love. She'd drawn each and every little thing that she'd remembered – from the details on the face of her toy monkey, to the dark blue stripes on his pyjamas.
He knew he'd treasure it forever. It told him that he really was important to her, like she was to him.
And he hoped that one day, he'd be able to call her his own.
But for now, he'd enjoy the ride as they went. For now, he'd enjoy what he could have. And that was taking care of his girlfriend and her daughter. It was a lot more than he thought he'd get, and it made him happy.
Happiness, he realised as he looked between C.C. and Amelia, was right there in that very room.
AN: Hey ther! Sorry for the delay, we'be had a couple of hectic weeks. Anyway, we hope you enjoy our story and please let us know what you think!
HL