Chapter 11

Weeks had passed since the anniversary incident, but time hadn't done anything to better the things between Niles and C.C.. The celebration had actually come to an early end, and that night they had gone to bed, for the first time, without giving each other a goodnight kiss.

It was almost as though a thin layer of ice was now separating them – an invisible boundary that his words had unintentionally set. They hadn't talked about it; they didn't want to... but it had taken a toll on their relationship.

C.C. wouldn't say things were bad, but they weren't fine, either. It was almost as if there was an elephant in the room – Niles simply avoided talking about anything related to the incident or to marriage. He brushed it off, almost as if it had been nothing...

But it wasn't nothing. Was it?

Granted, he was trying to be loving and caring, but it almost felt... flimsy. Like his gestures were a way to try to cover his real feelings. She couldn't understand why he didn't want to talk about it, and soon uncertainty had led to fear.

Fear of the reasons behind this behaviour.

Why was he acting this way? On the many nights she'd spent in veil, toxic fears had quickly taken root – what if... what if he was reluctant to the idea of marriage or to discussing where they stood because he didn't want them?

What if he wasn't ready?

What if – God, this was, by far, her worst fear – what if he didn't want her because of Amelia? Part of her didn't want to believe this... Niles was anything but loving towards Amelia, but whenever the child had said that she loved him he seemed... uncomfortable. Almost as if he didn't know what to reply. She so wanted him to say it back. She wanted that encouragement, the knowledge that he wanted exactly what she did – for them to be a family.

She didn't want to lose him, not after everything they had been through, it would be agony beyond belief.

She wanted to voice this to someone, too, and who better than her brother, Noel? She'd invited him over for coffee while Niles was at work and Amelia was napping upstairs, and they were now at the kitchen table nursing steaming cups.

But for some reason, even though she wanted to get it all off her chest, she suddenly felt reluctant. She knew her brother would let her down gently, but what if he agreed that everything she said seemed to sound like Niles didn't want the same things she did?

She wasn't sure she was ready to hear it from someone else. And yet, at the same time, hearing it from Noel first might make it more bearable – give her time to prepare before she heard it from Niles.

Oh, who was she kidding? It was still going to hurt like hell; she could have all the time in the world to be prepared, but hearing it from the man himself would crush her.

"Is something wrong, C.C.?" Noel's concerned voice brought her out of her musings. "You haven't spoken in the last five minutes, or had your coffee..."

"Hm?" C.C. lifted her gaze from her coffee and looked at his brother. She couldn't even bring herself to muster a smile – what for anyway? She felt like shit and she wasn't about to disguise it. "Oh... well... yes."

"What's going on?" her brother said gently, reaching out for her hand and squeezing it.

She appreciated the gesture, it reminded her of all the times he'd consoled her when her parents fought or when her mother had first left the house. C.C. sighed. She wasn't going to beat around the bush – she was going to go to the crux of the matter. Her brother had always appreciated honesty, and the situation called for it.

"I... well... things aren't okay..." she began, but soon trailed off.

"Mh-hm... what isn't okay?"

C.C. sighed again – so much for trying to be straightforward! "Things... things aren't okay with... with me and Niles."

There. She'd said it...

She hadn't thought it would be so painful to say it aloud, but it made the problem official now that those words had left the realm of her thoughts. Making her fears known was almost like acknowledging the metaphorical knife that had been buried in her heart since the day of her anniversary. She hadn't wanted to acknowledge this, but what else could she do? She and Niles simply knew things weren't okay, and the tension was becoming unbearable. She knew talking things out was their only chance at solving things, but the fear... the fear of his rejection paralysed her.

Noel looked surprised by her admission, "Oh. Well, what exactly isn't okay with the two of you?"

He was just trying to help. She had to keep repeating that to herself. It was the only way she'd get through the pain that was surging through her body, and was going to keep doing so...

It was just like going to a doctor's appointment. She had to tell him what was hurting if she wanted him to do something about it.

C.C. swallowed, "I...I don't think he wants the same things as I do."

Noel sipped his coffee, and put it back on the table, "Why not? You two seemed perfectly on the same page the last time I saw you both."

"I know, but..." C.C. trailed off, resting her head in her hands. "I think that, maybe, along the way he's suddenly realised he's in too deep and now he wants out!"

"Why? What's he done to make you think that?"

She let out another breath at Noel's question, feeling the tears starting up more than a little, "He...he always shies away, when Amelia says that she loves him. It makes me think he doesn't feel as strongly about her as she does about him. Like he doesn't want to get attached to her. And then...the other day, at our anniversary lunch, he...got really riled up when Fran started asking when we were going to get married. He said...he said that he wasn't going to ask me to marry him now! Back then, part of me though he simply meant right then and there, but what if he didn't? What if he's taking it all back? What if he's realised doesn't want to be with me after all?!"

Her voice gave away her desperation, and she pushed her mug forward to rest her head on the table, buried in her arms. She soon felt Noel's arm slip around her in what she supposed was meant to be a comforting hug. But it wasn't enough. She thought maybe getting some of this off her chest would make her feel better, but it didn't. If anything, it made her feel worse.

Voicing it all out loud made her realise how plausible it all sounded. Niles shying away from getting attached to Amelia, dismissing the notion that he was going to take the next step forward...

He didn't want to be a family, did he? This was it. It was over, and there wasn't a damned thing she could do about it.

If he didn't want her, and if it was because of Amelia, what else could she do? She had to put her little girl first, even if it meant not being with the love of her life. This would be it when it came to romance. No more dating, no more...anything. Just working and raising her little girl, all the while wondering where it all went wrong.

And he'd probably go on with his life, find someone else who hadn't accidentally had another man's baby, and have his real happily ever after. The thought crept into her head, no matter if she wanted it there or not, and she began to cry harder.

She felt Noel pulling her to him and enfolding her in a tight embrace. She remembered he'd do that whenever their parents fought, and it still had a certain soothing effect. It wasn't nearly enough, of course, but it was the best comfort she could get.

"Have you talked about this with him?" Noel asked quietly. "About how you feel? Or the fears that you have?"

"O-of course not!" C.C. stuttered. "I wouldn't even know what to say to begin with!"

"C.C., you can't ignore it! Regardless if your suspicions about him are correct or not, you'll eventually have to talk about it," Noel said, frowning. "Niles doesn't seem like the type of man you are describing, but if that is the case then pretending this doesn't exist won't make it better."

"So you think we have no future?" C.C. sobbed, feeling almost as though someone had just slapped her.

"I didn't say that!" Noel retorted, reaching out for his cup of coffee and taking a sip as he held C.C. to him with his other arm. "I just said that you can't ignore this, regardless of what he truly feels. You need to talk this out with him."

"But I can't! That's why I am talking to you."

"Why? And, C.C., I can listen to you and give you my advice, but I don't have a say when it comes to your relationship with Niles," Noel said and looked down towards where C.C. had laid her head.

"It's the same thing Bort told you – stop pushing people away. If you feel there is something wrong, then tell him!"

The blonde scoffed and pulled away from her brother. She leaned back against her own chair, arms crossed and a frown on her face.

"Oh, right, so I'll just say "hey Niles, I am terrified about you not wanting to marry me because of Amelia. Is it true?". I bet that will work flawlessly."

Noel wasn't impressed by her words, which were dripping with sarcasm. But just as he was about to reply, they heard someone rapping on the door. Moments later, Amelia pushed it open. She must have awokwn from her nap.

She looked... worried. God... had she heard?! Please, don't let her hear!

"Mommy?" Amelia said in a tremulous voice. "Why are you crying?"

She immediately wiped her eyes. She couldn't be seen like this by her daughter! Much less explain to her the reasons why she was like this...

How could she possibly tell this beautiful, amazing little girl that the closest thing she'd ever had to a father didn't love her like either one of them had hoped, and wouldn't be around anymore? It would destroy them both!

"Oh, it's nothing, sweetie," C.C. sniffed. "Just Mommy being silly, that's all."

Yeah. Silly to think – to hope – that the man she loved really wanted to be with her, despite everything. Silly to think that they were on the same page and heading in the same direction. Silly to think that she'd found her whole and complete family...

Maybe her whole and complete family had been Amelia all along. She hated herself for thinking it, because she loved him so much, more than she ever thought, but it made the idea of him finally telling her everything and then leaving her...no, not more bearable.

But in the days and months ahead, that's what she'd keep telling herself.

"Your mother just has a little bit of a headache, sweetheart," Noel lied very gently to his niece. "Sometimes headaches make people feel sad, because they hurt so much. But we have to work through them, even if it means talking to someone about it to make the pain go away."

C.C. tried not to grimace. That was Noel's subtle way of emphasising what he viewed as the best course of action. She wasn't sure, though...

Honestly, she had no idea what to do.

What if she was overthinking this? What if this just was her anxiety playing with her mind? He'd been anything but loving towards her, but at the same time his shying away whenever Amelia told him that she loved him and his reluctance to discuss moving forward as a couple were major alarms.

"So... you aren't feeling well, Mommy?" Amelia said, wandering over to where her mother was and climbing onto her lap. "Maybe a hug will help?"

C.C. nodded and allowed her child to wrap her little arms around her. She was such a nice girl… she truly was lucky to have her. Heck... anyone would be lucky to have her! She was sweet, well behaved and adorable! She didn't get why anyone would try to get away from her.

"Feeling better?" Amelia asked, hiding her face in the crook of C.C.'s neck.

"Mh-hm, but I think I'll go upstairs and rest for a little while," C.C. dropped a kiss on the top of her daughter's head. "You could do something with uncle Noel!"

"No..." the girl replied, her tone suddenly becoming sad. "I... well... Niles said we were going to bake cookies when he got back from work!"

And so, C.C.'s anger flared up, replacing the numbing sadness that had enveloped her up until moments ago. How could he do this to them?! How could Niles play with her little girl's feelings like this?! If he didn't love her, why did he allow her to get her hopes up about him being a sort of permanent father figure? If he was planning on going after doing this, he was truly heartless...

She could feel the anger burning, and she didn't want to take it out on her daughter by accident. She had to get upstairs as soon as possible, and either calm down or wait until Niles got back so...so what? So they could talk? It seemed – felt – like everything was past talking at this stage.

But she couldn't leave her little girl without an answer for much longer.

Luckily her brother seemed to know how to improvise in a situation like this.

"Well, if your Mommy isn't feeling well and Niles isn't here yet, how about we do something here until he gets back, hm?" he suggested as C.C. lowered Amelia back onto the floor, preparing to stand.

C.C. wasn't too sure about this – it might give the perfect opportunity for Noel to have his own talk with Niles. But what else could she do if she was pretending to have this headache? She couldn't leave her child alone, and she didn't want her to see her upset, either...

She had to take the risk; gamble that Noel would stay out of it.

Amelia seemed to think her uncle's words over for a moment, biting her lip before smiling, "Okay! I can show you my drawings!"

Noel beamed at the girl, "That sounds like a wonderful idea to me! Are they in the living room?"

"Yeah," Amelia grabbed for his hand to start leading him there.

"Alright, then," Noel rose from his seat, quickly patting C.C.'s shoulder as he went past.

C.C. observed them leave, keeping a smile on her face for her daughter's sake, but as soon as Amelia was out of sight, her content expression crumbled down. Anger and sadness had taken over her very soul, and the only thing she could do right then, was drag herself upstairs into her room, lie on her bed and wrap herself up in a warm blanket.

She didn't know how (or if) they were going to solve this – perhaps they'd truly reached an impasse... perhaps it was time for them to part their own separate ways...

She didn't want to, of course, but right then their future was hanging on a wire.

Niles didn't know what kind of mood he felt in as he made his way up the steps towards the front door. He knew he should feel happy, going home after a long day at work. But something felt off, like there was an atmosphere that seemed to come from the very building itself...

He wondered if it was to do with him and C.C., but there was no sense in just standing outside and hoping the feeling would go away. Amelia would be waiting. He'd promised they'd do some baking together that afternoon, and he wasn't about to let her down.

He could hear the TV on in the living room as he opened the door, and a familiar, happy cry of "Niles!" went up before two little feet pattered into the hallway. She was followed closely by her uncle, who, despite his smile, wasn't really happy. He had an almost unreadable expression on his face, really. The smile was all for show.

That didn't sit well with Niles one bit, but he knew they couldn't talk about it with Amelia right there.

"Hello there, Mia!" he hoisted the little girl into his arms and kissed her cheek. "Did you have a good day today?"

"Yeah," she answered, sort of mumbling. "I showed Uncle Noel my drawings."

Her voice sounded off, and the more he noticed, the more he realised she looked downcast. Like her showing off her artwork wasn't the only thing that had happened that day.

He bounced her up and down a little bit, hoping the fun action would help, "That does sound like fun, but why the long face, sweetheart?"

"Mommy has a headache," Amelia explained. "She was really sad, and I didn't like it."

"I said I'd stay with Mia until you got home," Noel piped up, giving Niles a quick pat on the back before heading towards the door. "But now, I suppose I must be off. When C.C. feels better, tell her I said thanks for the coffee. I'm sure you can make her feel more alright than I can."

Niles wasn't entirely sure what he meant by that, but they bade Noel farewell nonetheless.

Allowing Mia to go back in and watch TV in the living room as long as she was quiet, Niles shuffled into the kitchen and started preparing a pot of tea. If she had a headache, she'd need some comforting, and to him nothing seemed better than a hot drink and a calm, collected talk.

He kept repeating that to himself as he carried the tray up the stairs.

"C.C.?" he knocked on their room's door before opening it, hoping that she would answer him.

He knew things weren't alright between them – they hadn't been alright since that incident at the anniversary party a few weeks ago. Why on Earth had Fran said that?! Why couldn't she, just for once, keep her comments to herself?! Why did she have to bring marriage into the conversation?!

Thanks to her big mouth, things had truly been… tense. They'd been dancing around the issue, but neither had truly and really been straightforward, so Niles wasn't exactly sure how – or even if she wanted – to talk about what had happened. Granted, the few times the topic of marriage had come up in their conversations he'd managed to avoid discussing it at length, and now there was a part of him that couldn't help but fear that maybe this had been a mistake.

But what would he say? Given the current state of their relationship he couldn't simply spring a proposal on her – he still didn't know how she felt about it, and he was at a crossroads. Should he speak with her? Or let everything continue its course? The latter didn't really seem like a good option…

Everything was slowly falling apart right before his very eyes.

He just didn't want to make her uncomfortable! Clearly the issue had done so, because ever since Fran had mentioned it she'd been distant – almost as if she was hurt.

Maybe he could try to talk with her about that? About what she was feeling?

Maybe clearing the air was all that they needed, even if it would mean opening a can of worms.

So Fran mentioning it had only made the matters – this strange feeling that something wasn't okay – worse.

The alarm signs were there – she surreptitiously avoided going to bed with him claiming she had a lot of work to do or that she wasn't tired; she'd stopped having breakfast with him and Amelia and she'd only grab a coffee before going to the office; she constantly locked herself in her study or in their room…

Well… very much like she was doing right then. This time she wasn't feeling well, so he hoped that a cup of warm tea and some talking could finally dissipate the dense feeling of dread that seemed to float around the house like a fog.

"Love?" he tried again as he pushed the door open. Through the crack of the door he managed to get a glimpse of C.C., wrapped in a warm blanket and watching TV. "I brought you some tea."

She glanced back at him out of the corner of her eye, before pulling the blankets further up around herself and turned moodily back to the television.

"No, thank you," she said.

Her voice was cold, and devoid of all the things he thought they had together, but that he now worried was slipping through his fingers, and there was nothing he could do about it. It was obvious she didn't want to talk, but he could at least try to make the tea a peace offering. He went in, making sure he didn't seem angry or threatening in any way by being quiet, and settled the tray with the tea on it on the bedside table.

"I'll leave it here, in case you change your mind," he announced, trying to smile but finding it very difficult when she wouldn't even so much as look at him.

"I'm not gonna change my mind," she replied, flicking through the channels irritably.

What was the matter with her? She hadn't been so annoyed at him in a long time, and then it was with good reason...well, it was a reason he was aware of.

He needed to get it out in the open – find out what was going on.

"Is everything alright?" his voice came out cautious, but it made her actually snap her head round to look at him.

"Everything's fine, Niles, I just don't want any tea!" she snapped.

This took him aback – so much so that he actually took a small step backwards. She hadn't been like this in so long, and he had no idea of how to fix it...

Did she want him to go?

He didn't want to, not in the slightest; he'd scream and plead and fight tooth and nail to stay by her side, and to stay in Amelia's life. But if it was what she wanted, then he'd have no other choice…

He steeled himself, and nodded, "Fine. I just thought I might make an offer, but if you don't want to take it up, then that's your choice."

He didn't know which part of what he'd just said was the straw that broke the camel's back, but C.C. practically jumped from the bed and turned to face him, staring daggers at him.

"Why are you making such a fuss over a stupid cup of tea?!" she snarled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why do you have to be this way?!"

Behind the growing anger and the sadness, he detected what he had long suspected – there was something else that was bothering her. It was deep, and he couldn't understand where he'd gone wrong...

"What did I do?!" he snapped, too, not being able to tolerate the tension and the anguish anymore. And as it usually happened with them, sadness easily led to anger. "I was just worried about you feeling unwell and brought you so-"

"Oh, right," she cut him off, huffing a scornful laugh. "You are worried about me. Cut the crap already."

Niles had to make a gargantuan effort not to let his jaw hang wide open. Things had been worse than he'd originally thought, and now the fear of this being the end started to feel a lot more real. It felt as though the temperature in the room had dropped, and he didn't know which wish was stronger – the wish to cry, the wish to scream or the wish to hug her and tell her just how much he loved her.

But maybe...

Maybe it was her who didn't love him anymore.

"Cut the crap?!" he practically cried out. "What the bloody hell is wrong with you?! Why are you treating me this way?!"

"Don't you dare play the victim!" she stalked towards him and pointing a warning (or maybe accusatory) finger at him.

"I am not playing the victim!" he said, keeping his voice level for Amelia's sake. "I am sick and tired of your silence, of your awful moods and of you making me feel like I've done something wrong! What on Earth did I do?! Please, just talk to me!"

"Why does it always have to be about you?!" the woman threw her hands in the air, probably to release some of her frustration. "And, of course, now everything is my fault! Come on, why don't you just say what a bitch and what a terrible woman I am? Uh?"

Silence. Silence for far too long.

How could she possibly think that he thought anything of the sort about her? Was that what she wanted? For him to scream about how their entire relationship had been a mistake because of how awful she was? For him to pack up his things and walk out of her and her daughter's life entirely? For him to say that she was a bitch, whom he could never really have loved or seen a future with?

He couldn't comply with her wish, if so, because none of it was true and he refused to say it even as a lie.

He shook his head at her again, this time more forcefully, "I have no idea what's wrong, honest to God I don't, but I'm not going to say anything like that to you!"

"What are you going to do, then, hm?" she seemed to be challenging him for some reason.

He knew what he was going to do. He was going to give her some space, and hope she calmed down enough to talk to him like a reasonable human being. He didn't know how long that would take, though, and he began to entertain (not that they were in the least bit amusing) thoughts of begging for a night or several back in his room at the Sheffield mansion...

"I'm going to give you some space," he said calmly.

For some reason, this seemed to hurt C.C. all the more.

She huffed out a breath, "Fine. Go ahead. Leave."

That last word felt like a knife in his chest, but before he could recover to say something back – explain that he didn't want to go – she marched past him, apparently heading for the bathroom.

"Leave me, like I knew you would …" she seemed to be half-sobbing, through her anger, as she slammed the door behind her.

If the shock of her sudden outburst hadn't rooted him to the spot, he would have followed her. He would have followed her into the bathroom, grabbed her in his arms and he would have held her until she'd told him what on Earth was going on between them... But the utter blow her stinging words had delivered simply allowed him to stare at the closed door, mouth agape and arms hanging uselessly against his sides.

Moments later she locked the door and opened the taps – she was going to take a bath...

She always did that when she was upset.

The hollowness in his chest was almost tangible; he truly believed he'd find an empty hole where his heart should have been if he touched his chest.

Was this it for them?

She had said leave, and he would be lying if there was a part of him that didn't crave for a night of peace at the Sheffield's, but there was something in her tone and in her words that suggested him that him leaving was not what she wanted. He sighed and rubbed his hands against his face. He was anguished, but knowing C.C., he had to be the one to keep a level head and get to the bottom of the matter.

That didn't mean it was easy for him – far from it, actually.

He was broken. The woman he loved the most clearly was bothered by him or something that he'd done, and he had no clue how to fix it.

He barely knew what she wanted him to do!

Should he leave? Should he stay?

Maybe they could reach a compromise...

Maybe it would be the best…

Slowly, almost as though his body was tied to invisible weighs, he walked out of the room and towards the study, where he plopped himself down on the sofa, trying to ignore the many pictures of happier times hanging on the walls.

Pictures of them on Christmas, on their first vacation together, on their anniversary, on Amelia's birthday...

"Niles?" a sudden, small, frightened voice said, making Niles' head (which he'd hidden in his hands) jolt in the direction of the door.

It was Amelia. She'd come up from the living room and was now hugging Bananas to her, almost as if the toy was some kind of shiled. She had appeared almost as if on cue, and he noticed she seemed worried.

No… scratch that! She seemed positively distraught!

He sighed a little. She must have heard the yelling, no matter how much he had wanted to keep his voice down for her. She seemed almost too afraid to enter the room, but when she eventually did, she ran to him and hugged him around his legs as best she could.

"Please don't go, Niles!" she sobbed. "I'll be good, I promise, please don't go!"

What was she talking about? Well, he knew what "please don't go" meant, but what did she mean, she'd "be good"?

Did she think it was her fault? Did she think he was going to leave, because of her?

His shock over the whole affair was proving too much for her, too. She was in floods of tears, probably imagining that the only father figure she'd actually ever had was about to leave and she'd never see him again.

"I love you, Niles, please don't go!" he'd never heard a child beg before, and the sound shattered his heart.

As did her saying she loved him. He felt no other need right then but to pick her up and hold her close – to make her feel better, and to reassure her. So he lifted her onto his lap and she clung to him, and he wrapped his arms around her protectively.

He didn't want to lose this.

He wasn't going to lose it.

Whatever was wrong, he was going to make it better!

"I love you too, sweetheart," he finally said and he rested his cheek against her head. "And I promise you, I am not going anywhere."

That seemed to partially stop her crying. She tightened her grip on him, clearly still afraid he'd leave. "You... you mean it?"

"I swear it," he reassured her, brushing her hair with his hand. "I am not going anywhere."

And he wasn't. He loved C.C. and he loved Amelia – they were his family. He'd be damned if a stupid fight robbed him of everything that was good in his life.

But speaking of good...

Why on Earth had Amelia said that "she was going to be good"? Where had that come from?

Except an occasional tantrum every once in a while, Amelia was a really well behaved child, and she had never caused them trouble. At school she was a good student, had many friends and was always in a good mood!

Why would she say she'd be good?

He allowed her some peace as her sobs quietened down and turned into whimpers, but eventually he spoke.

"Little One," he said softly and began to rock his body in a soothing back-and-forth motion. "Why did you say you'll be good? You are a really good little girl already!"

Amelia hesitated, and he could actually feel her gripping at his shirt.

"It doesn't matter," she replied quickly.

She was avoiding the subject...

Just like her mother.

"It does matter, sweetheart," he insisted. "Do you... do you think what happened was your fault? Because it is not!"

The girl whimpered – he had hit the nail right on its head, it seemed.

"I... well... It's just that this afternoon I heard Mommy crying when she was talking to uncle Noel," she mumbled, her face hidden in the crook of his neck. "And she... and she was very sad and scared, too."

So something had happened when C.C. had been talking to Noel...but what could it have been? It wasn't really fair to ask, but he had to know if Amelia knew any more.

"Sad and scared?" he questioned, and the little girl nodded. "Did you hear why she was sad and scared?"

Amelia sniffed, and wiped her face against his shirt collar, "She said...she said that she was scared of you not asking her to marry you because of me...!"

She pulled away and looked at him again, "Is that true? Am I why you won't marry my Mommy?"

Her own question made her burst into tears again, and Niles couldn't do anything but pull her back into his arms.

C.C. did want to be married! She wanted him to be her husband, and to form a family in that way...but she'd been afraid because of Amelia? Afraid that he wouldn't want to be her husband, because she already had a daughter?

That wasn't true at all!

And he was going to prove it.

After he had taken care of the little girl he so very much wanted to call his own first, of course.

He supposed there was a lot more to C.C.'s fears than what Amelia could have possibly understood by eavesdropping on her mother's and her uncle's conversation, but he now had a vague idea of what was going on inside C.C.'s head.

She had been hurt and afraid... and sometimes, when C.C. was afraid or hurt, she resorted to pushing people away, like she had done with him. It wasn't one of her best traits, but he loved her just the same.

They had to discuss where and why those fears had started, but for now, what mattered the most was Amelia's wellbeing.

"Oh, sweetheart..." he kissed the top of her head, "I would love to marry your Mommy! And never, ever," he looked down at her and into her eyes to emphasise his point, "and I really mean ever, doubt just how much I love you both," he allowed her to hide her face in the crook of his neck once again. "You and your mother are the best thing I have, so how could I not want to marry your Mommy because of you?"

The girl kept crying and holding onto him for dear life, but his words seemed to lift an unfairly titanic burden from her small shoulders.

"Really?" she asked, sounding a bit more hopeful. "Then why did Mommy say that?"

He sighed. He didn't really know the reason himself, but he had to give Amelia an answer least she went back to thinking this mess was her fault.

"Well... I guess your Mommy is just a bit worried and scared, like you said! Sometimes, when we are scared, we say or do things that we do not necessarily mean! And what your Mommy said is not true – I want to marry her and I love you very, very much. As a matter of fact, you are one of the best things that has ever happened to me!" Niles smiled down at her, using one of his fingers to brush Amelia's cheek. "Even better than an online issue of "Better Butler" magazine, as your Mommy likes to joke about."

And that finally made her laugh...

It made her laugh!

The small and somewhat muffled chuckle was like glorious music to his ears, and he hoped to never have to go a day without seeing her smile or without hearing her laugh. Amelia was precious to him, and he only wanted to protect her, love her and make her happy. He smiled at her – it was watery; he hadn't noticed when the tears had started to make an appearance in his own eyes. He'd been too caught up in making sure Amelia was alright.

And now she was, and he hugged her again, the tightest he possibly could.

"Better?" his question was almost hesitant as he gently stroked her back, but he felt relieved when he felt the little girl nod against him.

"Mm-hm," then she seemed to consider something, and she sighed. "But Mommy isn't..."

That was a point. He'd managed to make Amelia feel better, but C.C. was still upset...

And all of a sudden, an idea clicked in his head. Probably the best idea he'd had in a while. He didn't even know if it would work, but he had to try.

He was going to turn things around, if it killed him.

"She will be, sweetheart," his words were confident, but he was more hopeful than anything. "We'll make sure she is. But first, how would you like it if I made you something to eat, hm? I have to go out for a little while, and you're going to have to do a very important job and help cheer your Mommy up while I'm gone."

The mention of food and "important job" caused Amelia to practically jump in excitement. Just like her mother, Amelia adored to have important (and complicated) things to do. And if those things included making her Mommy happy, then she would be extra delighted to help.

But first, food sounded great.

"Can you make me some of your hotcakes?" the girl asked, smiling up at him.

He glanced at his wristwatch before answering. It read 16:00 p.m. – only two hours left until dinner and three hours left until Tiffany Co. closed. Normally, he would have been against giving Amelia something as hotcakes so close to dinner, but considering it had been a rather stressful day, he supposed he could be lenient just this one time.

He pretended to ponder, putting on a comical thoughtful expression, eliciting another giggle form Amelia. "Hm... alright," he eventually said, "But tomorrow you'll make up by eating extra veggies, okay?"

"I Pinky-promise!" she offered him her pinky, which he readily entwined with his own before they made their way downstairs. He actually carried Amelia downstairs – the latter simply didn't want to let go of him – only putting her down so he could prepare her meal.

A few minutes later, the child was enjoying a soft hot cake, which he had greased with butter before drizzling some maple syrup on it. When they'd finished their meal, Amelia helped him clean up as they discussed their plan of action, and once everything was in its rightful place, Niles allowed himself to get his coat and move towards the door that gave to the garage.

He already knew which ring he wanted – although he hadn't planned on asking her yet, that hadn't meant that he hadn't looked for the perfect ring in the meantime! It was incredibly beautiful and it oozed elegance, grace, class and style. It was also outrageously expensive, but he'd rather be indebted than not give C.C. the ring she deserved.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Niles asked as he opened the car's door.

"Look for Mommy and cheer her up!" Amelia replied cheerfully.

"And what else?"

"Keep her entertained while you are out!" the girl squeaked.

"Excellent! I'll be back very soon, okay?" he gave her a kiss on the top of her head and ushered back inside before he finally got into the driver's seat and sped off towards the jewellery store.

AN: We decided to give you one more chapter! Enjoy! And as usual, we would love your reviews. Thanks for reading.

HL