A/N: Thanks for your reviews, guys. This is gonna be a longer chapter but I hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless. Let me know what you think! :)
Day 2:
C.C. awoke the next morning from the bright sunlight that flooded her room from both the window to her left and the one facing her. She sighed and stretched out, perfectly content for a moment until she remembered her whereabouts. She opened her eyes slowly, hesitantly, not wanting to realise that the previous day hadn't been a dream. While the view of the trees and the sunshine was beautiful, even the birds singing outside her window couldn't make up for the fact that she had been put in a rundown hut, betrayed by her best friend who obviously thought she didn't deserve more than a servant. If her mother had been around to witness her daughter's dramatic display, she probably would've been proud.
Across the thin wall from her Niles had already been awake for quite some time. Despite his fatigue of a day spent travelling, his internal clock had awoken him promptly at 5.30. At first he had struggled falling back asleep, had even contemplated switching on the TV for some distraction but in the end he hadn't been prepared to face a cranky Babcock. That encounter would come sooner or later on its own. Luckily, the perfect peace and quiet of his surroundings had enabled him to succumb to a light slumber from which he had only awoken around 8. Glancing at the clock he had pondered that the children would be awake and would probably demand breakfast but a moment later he had brushed this thought away. He was on vacation as well and he had known from the beginning that this trip would entitle more chores than first mentioned, but he had at least hoped to be provided with accommodation that matched the standard of his employers. It had been quite some time since he had felt like such a servant. Of course, a part of him knew that Sara had been in a hurry and quite desperate to get out of New York, which was why he was prepared not to go quite as hard on her as C.C. would, but on the other hand he couldn't help but feel disappointed. And that was why breakfast could wait.
Half an hour had passed since he had last glanced at the clock and he figured that his reluctant housemate would wake up any second now as well. He stretched for a moment to chase any lingering sleepiness away and then swung his legs over the side of the bed to get up. On his way to the bathroom he pulled his grey T-shirt over his head and discarded it on a nearby chair and then fished for the bag with his toiletries.
When C.C. heard the water running she sighed and decided to turn around once more and snooze for another couple of minutes. But it was no use; her body had already woken up and now it was up to the rest of her to get the memo.
"Coffee," she mumbled and climbed out of bed and then stepped outside into the larger space of the hut and towards the coffee machine.
She examined it from all angles, barely noticing that the sound of rushing water in the bathroom had stopped, and finally surmised that she would have to live with mere instant coffee. Though annoyed she knew she could count herself lucky that they had a coffee machine at all. Retrieving a cup from the counter she set it down under the machine, pressed a few buttons and then waited while the dark brown liquid came drizzling out.
A moment later the door to the bathroom opened and Niles emerged, wearing a towel wrapped around his waist, his hair still moist and dishevelled.
"Am I not spared anything?" C.C. grimaced, hurriedly shifting her glance back to her coffee cup.
"I do apologise if the sight of bare skin upsets you, Miss Babcock." He drawled sarcastically "But this is not your hut, it's ours and I needed a shower so I'm afraid you'll have to deal with it."
"Next time you could get dressed in the bathroom instead of parading nakedly through the house."
"I am hardly naked," he replied, emphasising his point by lifting his towel ever so slightly.
C.C. groaned and rolled her eyes.
"How would you like it if I walked around here like that?" she challenged but Niles only grinned and waggled his eyebrows.
"By all means, Miss Babcock, don't let me stop you."
For a brief moment she contemplated throwing hot coffee at him but then she came to the conclusion that the drink was much too important to be wasted like that. Muttering and cursing incoherently she picked up the cup and withdrew back to the safety of her separate room.
When she had emptied the cup, there was a knock on the door. Not waiting for her response, Niles opened the door, fully dressed this time, and peeked his head in.
"I am going to get breakfast preparations on the way now." He announced and she nodded, turning her attention back to the book that lay propped up against her knees.
Rolling his eyes at her dismissive attitude he added dryly: "I just thought I'd let you know so you can make your way over to the other cabin. Wouldn't want you to get cranky because you haven't had anything to eat."
She nodded again and waved him away. Under no circumstances would she be joining the family for breakfast. No, Sara needed to feel that she wasn't happy with her.
"Alright, suit yourself." Niles shrugged and disappeared again.
A moment later she heard the front door fall shut. Sighing, she set the book aside and scrambled out of bed again. Her stomach was already constricting painfully in hunger, with lack of food the previous day and no breakfast as of yet. But C.C. figured that it couldn't be too difficult finding something edible. After all, there were various people around who all needed to eat something at some point. And so, encouraged by that thought she quickly went to shower, then dressed and left the hut as well.
The sun was shining through the trees as she was making her way down the moss covered path and to the main reception building of the ranch. A light breeze was caressing her hair and for the first time, C.C. would've felt some sense of appreciation if her stomach hadn't rumbled with hunger again right that second. Placing a hand on her belly she continued walking until she reached the large cedar cabin. It looked strangely unoccupied but she rapped her knuckles against the wood impatiently nonetheless. After waiting for several minutes and repeating the process several times someone finally emerged and answered the door.
"Yes, Ma'am, how may I help you?"
It was the same old man she had encountered the previous day.
"I was hoping to find some breakfast," she explained.
"Yes, of course," he smiled and leaned his arms on the counter of the reception area "if you follow the highway down the way you came from yesterday, you'll find a lodge on the right hand side that provides breakfast, lunch and dinner."
"At the highway?" C.C. frowned "So I'll need a car?"
"Yes, Ma'am," he confirmed, smiling his lazy smile once more "it's about half an hour away and unless you fancy a hike…"
The urge to tell him to take a hike was strong, but she managed to resist somehow.
"You don't offer breakfast here?" she asked instead, forcing a friendly and polite smile.
"I'm afraid not. All of our cabins are fitted with kitchens so we rely on our guests to provide for themselves."
Her thoughts instantly wandered to the small cabin she was sharing with Niles and their luxurious kitchen counter that consisted of a coffee machine and a water cooker. But then their hut wasn't one of the proper cabins either.
"Great, thank you." She pressed out through gritted teeth and walked back outside.
Whether or not she liked it, she'd have to spend mealtimes with the Sheffields unless she fancied a walk down to the lodge the old man had mentioned. Sighing and with growing hunger she started walking towards the Sheffields' cabin. When she had almost reached it a car suddenly appeared behind her, honking noisily and enveloping her in a cloud of dust from the road. C.C. coughed and cursed and grew even more annoyed when she saw that it was Niles who emerged from the car.
"You couldn't have slowed down?" she asked, stepping closer.
"I was going as fast as the limit suggested." He replied, giving her an innocent smile.
When he saw that she wasn't going to do more than glare at him and growl he clicked the trunk open and lifted several shopping bags out.
"What are you making?" she asked casually, glancing repeatedly at the groceries, however.
"I thought you weren't all that interested?" he asked, a slow smirk stealing onto his face.
"I wasn't," she said and then hurriedly amended "I'm still not. But there's nowhere else I could get food from, it turns out. So don't flatter yourself, your meals aren't that great. Right now I'm so hungry I'd even steal food from the dumpster."
"Aww don't worry," he grinned at her in passing "you can taste that home cooking of yours again soon."
C.C. produced another growl and momentarily contemplated slamming the trunk door down on his hand but in the end waited until he had moved away and closed it and then followed him up the path to the Sheffields' luxurious cabin. The closer they got the louder the screams and whoops of the children inside became and C.C. wondered if she wouldn't have been better off hiking down to the lodge. Before they had even managed to knock, the front door was ripped open and the two children greeted them with shouts of "Niles!Niles!"
"There you are, old man." Max appeared in the corridor, cradling baby Grace against his chest "The children have been asking for breakfast for a while now."
"Excuse the delay, Sir, but I was under the impression that this was supposed to be a vacation for me as well." Niles replied smoothly and dryly "Have you forgotten to inform me of any changes?"
"No, old man, of course not. I was simply…" Maxwell mumbled in return, his words becoming less and less comprehensible until he finally cleared his throat. "The kitchen's that way."
Gracie squealed loudly at this announcement as if she'd understood what the adults were talking about. Niles smiled at her and then lifted the bags off the floor again and continued towards the kitchen. C.C. only nodded at Max in the meantime and squeezed herself past the children, her hands lifted up in the air as if she could catch a deadly virus if she touched one of them. Once she had located the living room she sank down on the couch with a deep sigh until her butt came in contact with something pointy which turned out to be the heeled foot of a Barbie doll. Wearing a piqued look she removed it from under her and tossed it over to the big pile of toys on the carpet.
In the meantime Niles was unloading the groceries on the kitchen counter much to Sara's delight.
"Did you have to drive far?" she asked, opening the fridge and helping him shift the items into it.
"About half an hour," he shrugged "I still bought more than necessary to keep the trips to the store to a minimum."
"Good thinking," Sara nodded with a smile.
"But it does mean," Niles continued "that the children will have to eat what I serve them. No extra trips for ice cream or candy, alright?"
Sara sighed a bit, knowing that this would be causing issues sooner or later and that she'd have to handle the whining but she also knew that Niles was right. So she nodded in agreement and then quickly changed the topic. "How was Chas this morning?"
"A perfect delight after a good night's sleep in our luxury cabin." He replied dryly and rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, I thought so." Sara sighed "But there's nothing I could do and I really didn't expect the hut to be so little and I couldn't have known that you two would have to share."
Niles lifted his hand to interrupt her. "It's not me you'll have to convince."
"I know but what's the likelihood of Chas coming to talk to me?" Sara asked.
"Well, the beast needs feeding." Niles pointed out with a grin.
"She came with you?" Sara asked surprised.
"Yes," he shrugged, bending down to search the drawers for cooking utensils "she's somewhere around the house."
"Would you mind if I went looking for her?"
"No, go ahead." He replied, looking up at her from his crouching position "The quieter it is in the kitchen, the better."
"Okay okay, I get the hint." Sara said and lifted her hands while laughing "Call us when breakfast is ready."
Turning around she then walked back out into the corridor and pondered which direction to go. The most likely option was the living room and so she steered her steps towards it. And sure enough, she found her friend sitting there on the couch wearing a sour expression.
"Good morning," she greeted her happily but the smile vanished from her face when C.C.'s expression only darkened upon hearing her voice. "Are you really still mad at me?" she then asked, sinking down next to her on the couch.
"I am sleeping in a hut." C.C. reminded her pointedly.
"And you have to share it with a servant, yes yes." Sara added in the same tone "You make it sound as if I had shoved you into the darkest pit of hell. When in truth you're still living comfortably. You have electricity, warm water."
"Am I supposed to be thankful for that?" C.C. questioned dryly, arching an eyebrow.
"No but…stop being so huffy. The situation is not going to improve so enjoy your vacation and join us later, alright? We're going to take a guided hike in the mountains."
"Sara?" C.C. sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose "I'd sooner deal with the smelly diapers of your baby than join you and the other two brats on some nature walk."
Sara stood up again, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Suit yourself," she said icily "and if you ever talk about my children like that again I'll be sure to have your accommodation downgraded even further."
After this exchange breakfast was a relatively frosty affair. The children didn't seem to notice and continued chattering undeterred but Maxwell and Niles certainly learned quickly that the mood between the two blondes seemed to have deteriorated further. The minute C.C.'s appetite had been satisfied she excused herself and left the table. She didn't know if Niles would join the Sheffields on their hike but he'd have his hands full with serving the family and doing the washing up so she'd definitely have some time to get some work done.
Unearthing her laptop from a pile of documents and other items, she settled down on her bed surrounded by the three scripts she had chosen so far. While her laptop gently rumbled to life, C.C. rifled through her notes to remind herself how far she had gotten. Finding the relevant place, she placed a pen between the pages as a bookmark and then slid the mouse over to the right icon to open her document.
The silence in the hut only broken occasionally by the sound of birds chirping and the wind brushing through the trees proved to be the perfect working atmosphere. Never before had she been able to concentrate quite as well as she did in that moment. That was until the opening and closing of the front door signalled the arrival of her unwanted roommate.
"Honey I'm home!" he called and she rolled her eyes, refusing to answer.
But of course that didn't stop him from pestering her further.
"The Sheffields just left with their guide so I'm all yours." He grinned.
C.C. sighed deeply and slowly turned her head to look at him.
"I am working." Every word was uttered slowly and precisely, letting him feel just how little patience she had left.
But Niles easily shrugged it off. "I'll go for a walk as well…you know, seeing as it's our holiday."
He emphasised the last word so much that C.C. gave him a challenging look that seemed to ask "Really?". Niles flashed a smile in return and then stepped back out into his room to fill a backpack with a couple of refreshments for his walk.
When he returned, however, the relative calm in the house was broken. What little furniture had been in his room was moved all around, cushions strewn across the floor. Dropping his backpack by the door Niles frowned and followed the trail of destruction to C.C.'s room where the nightstand had been moved as well and the bed was now placed right in the middle of the room rather than pushed against the wall.
"Decided to do a little remodelling?" he asked dryly.
"No," C.C. growled, shifting her laptop off her lap and onto the bed "the stupid thing ran out of battery before I had saved the document and this ridiculous socket," she glared at it as if she could actually cause it to flinch in fear "would not work. So I tried that one," she paused again to point to the socket behind her nightstand "but nothing. So finally I had to move to your room until I eventually discovered one that would work. I've been trying to recover some of the information since then."
To her annoyance the serious look slipped off Niles' face in an instant as he heartily began to laugh.
"It's not funny!" she muttered.
"Actually, it is." He replied, still laughing amused "You're clearly being punished for working when you should be enjoying some time off."
"Well, someone has to work. You don't see Maxwell doing anything, do you?"
"No, he finally seems to have grasped the concept of a vacation." Niles said and C.C. opened her mouth to tell him about her observation in the office but then decided to keep the information to herself for now.
"We're changing rooms by the way," was what she said instead.
"No, we're not." Niles grinned.
"Oh why not? You know I need that damn socket to do my work."
"Exactly," he nodded "besides, yesterday you were so eager to have this room for yourself. I'd never let you sleep on a bed that's only fit for a servant, Miss Babcock."
"Oh you…" she growled, balling her hands.
"There's also a football game on tonight that I wouldn't wanna miss." He added cheekily and flashing another grin he ducked out of the room just before her book hit the door.
Settling down on his bed and sorting out the mess she'd made he was surprised that she hadn't emerged yet in his room to force him to give up his bed after all. As a matter of fact it took her at least half an hour before she appeared, wrapped in a big, bulky sweater with her short hair tied back in a little ponytail.
"Don't tell me you're venturing out into the wild." He commented, feigning a gasp.
"Well, you leave me no other choice." She replied grumpily "I've maxed out the battery again and there's nothing else for me to do."
"Oh poor you," he stuck out his bottom lip in a mock-pout "having to relax in your vacation."
"Just shut up," she muttered and trudged to the door.
"The Sheffields are having a campfire with some dinner I've prepared for them if you're hungry." He called after her and then relaxed against the pillows with a satisfied smile when she slammed the door shut.
C.C. didn't want to spend any time with Sara and her noisy family. But unfortunately, she was rather hungry and bored so reluctantly she steered her steps towards the cabin the Sheffields occupied. She could already hear their voices drifting to her from behind the hut, singing and laughing and for a moment she stopped in her tracks.
She suddenly remembered the one time her family had gone on a similar trip, rather than flying out to their various beach houses. Her father had insisted that his three children needed to experience something basic, something that didn't include any luxury. But the peace hadn't lasted long. Bored and unhappy with her surroundings B.B. Babcock had taken one too many drinks and started a noisy row with her husband while the only guy who had shown any interest in C.C. had ended up with her younger sister D.D.
C.C. opened her eyes again and shook her head as if to chase the thoughts away. No wonder such display of happy family life was making her a little queasy. Nonetheless she forced herself to walk around the house and approach the Sheffields.
"Niles told me he'd left some food here," she voiced, remaining stiffly in the background while all 4 pairs of eyes shifted towards her.
"He did," Sara nodded and pointed to a log "have a seat."
C.C. did so and was quickly provided with a basket full of food.
"Would you like wine or whiskey?" Maxwell asked, while she was fishing for her preferred meal.
"Wine," she replied "keep the Whiskey for later."
He chuckled and stood up and walked into the house to get her a glass, followed by his two oldest children who were begging for some chocolate. Aware that she was alone with Sara for the first time since their argument this morning C.C. took a bite from her tuna sandwich and pondered how to fill the awkward silence.
"How was your hike?" she eventually asked.
The tension gradually eased from Sara's body as she launched into a big speech about the events of the day and the wildlife sightings they had encountered. Somewhat glad that their friendship seemed to have been restored she was glad when Maxwell returned and supplied her with a glass of wine. She downed it easily and swiftly, licking her lips and struggling not to ask for another one. Perhaps once the children had been put to sleep she'd be able to have a refill. If she wanted to survive this vacation, it seemed, she'd definitely need more alcohol. For the time being, however, she busied herself developing schemes to get Maxwell to work on that stash of papers he had taken along as well.