When CC hastily left the bedroom and the house after her shocking discovery, Niles was still sitting, frozen, under Eleanor's naked body. Eleanor had tried to treat CC's sudden entrance and exit like a small interruption, but it was clear that there was no further collaboration from Niles on that front. Making a disappointed sound, she climbed off him and lied on the bed, while he stood up and started pacing around the room, naked, hands in his hair.

After a few minutes of blind panic, he focused on Eleanor again, looking at her like she was some strange object. An unidentified object that had chased away the most precious thing he ever had, his wife, his Ice Princess. He had been through so much for her, and he had just undone it like that, just because of lust? He had always accused CC of being a witch, but it seemed that the real witch was the one now naked in his bed, she had cast a spell on him that had caused him to lose everything.

Eleanor felt smug – she hadn't really planned to get caught, but seeing the pain in that old witch's eyes elicited some misplaced proud in her, something so inebriating that almost – almost! – made up for the missed orgasm.

She got up and tried to put her arms around Niles, but he pushed her away, firmly.

"Please, leave." Was all he could say. He didn't even look at her getting dressed, he didn't walk her to the door. He heard the door closing behind his mistress and he fell on his knees on the floor, sobbing.

The next two days were spent in a strange haze for Niles. Pain and guilt seemed words too weak to describe his feelings. He couldn't find any words at all. He spent the rest of Friday and the subsequent night wide-eyed in his bed, much like CC was also doing for part of that time in her hotel room across town, but, unlike her, he didn't sleep a blink. On the Saturday, he must have showered and taken himself to a shop, because he had found himself consuming an entire bottle of whiskey, which had allowed him to pass out and finally get some respite from the hell on earth he had created for himself.

On the Sunday, as soon as his hangover subsided enough to be able to interact with other humans, he dragged himself to the Sheffields'. Maxwell had gone out to meet an old friend who was passing by in town, but Fran and the children had stayed home, tired from a Saturday spent at the beach for some much-needed family time.

Fran herself opened the door and gasped seeing his friend with unkempt hair, a stubble and red eyes.

"Niles, sweetie, what happened!?" Fran screamed, alarmed.

He collapsed into her arms. "Fran, I ruined everything, Fran, help me, or I might die."

She returned the embrace. "What are you saying, Niles, who ruined what? Where is CC?"

He winced at the name of the wife she had just lost, which now sounded like a slap.

"I don't know where she is. Oh God, I hope she is okay, I hope she didn't do anything crazy… She saw me, Fran, I… oh God, I can't believe this happened, I can't believe I am about to say this…"

"Saying what? What did she see? Niles, calm down! Come here." Fran took his hand and guided him to the kitchen table, where she sat him down and poured him a large glass of water.

"Thanks." He took a deep breath and a large sip of water, while he looked up straight at Fran to fully face his damnation. "I cheated on CC. And she walked right into it." Saying it out loud made the enormity of it all even heavier on his crushed heart. And he knew he deserved each minute of that suffering, and yet it wouldn't be enough.

Fran almost dropped her own glass of water at the revelation. "You what? I would have never thought you capable of that! And why? Weren't you happy? After all you two had been through? …and with whom, who is she, are you in a relationship with her now?"

Niles shook his head, scoffing. "I don't know, I don't even know why I did it. I was kind of bored, CC was always busy and it still felt like she was out of my league, so beautiful and confident and professional, and she, Eleanor was… so enticing… so available and carefree… and God, no, it's not a relationship! It was just some…fun… It was this girl I met at that last party…"

"Oh! I think I remember you talking with a small blonde, she reminded me vaguely of CC in her appearance and some mannerisms… Was it her? Niles, she was so young!"

He shrugged and felt something like a shiver going down his spine.

"…and she has a bit of a reputation, in the TV environments of LA." Fran continued. "She sleeps around. Men are trophies in her circle of rich friends. Or did you think you were so special that she chose you among millions?"

Niles cringed. Getting sarcasm from Fran wasn't exactly something that would happen in one's finest moments.

"Niles, I'm your friend and I love you, but this is just so wrong. I will never understand how you could destroy your life – and CC's - and your future like that, and for what? For a couple of hours of fun? Was it worth it at least?"

Niles scoffed again, and just lowered his face on the table, hiding it in his arms. Fran asked for the whole story, every gory detail, then comforted him for a while, still firmly condemning his act, offered him cups of tea and to stay the night. But he decided to go back home.

The next day, after CC had come to announce to Maxwell her intention to move back to New York, Fran was left with a worried and confused husband.

"What was that all about? Why is she leaving? Alone?"

Fran took a deep breath, just like Niles had done before breaking the news to her.

"Darling… Niles cheated on her. And she walked in on him with the other woman. I don't even know how she is still standing, but she has always been strong - at least on the exterior. She might be hiding her pain or suppressing it, like she does…"

"What what what - let's go back a minute," a shocked Maxwell stopped Fran from her ramblings. "He did what? Niles did what? Niles, who was so in love with CC? Who proposed to her four, actually five, times? Did he fall in love with someone else?"

"It wasn't even love, apparently. Just lust for a twenty-five year old Californian Barbie doll. I think he was kind of lonely because you and CC were working all the time, and I guess moving to a new place can feel a bit disorientating... and he revealed that on some level he was still intimidated by CC. My theory is that she was spending so much time away from him that she returned to be somewhat unattainable to him, which awakened some of his insecurities about his status, and he caved in..."

"But that is crazy! We were out working all that time! And it was only for a few weeks? Was that enough to not be able to keep it in his pants?" Maxwell's shock made him speak more frankly than he usually would. "And you… You didn't go and sleep around just because I was busy…" he drew Fran to him and kissed her.

"Oy, with two babies to look after, where would I find the time and energy anyway?" She teased as she kissed him back, just as the sound of babies crying proved her point and she had to walk away.

And so, on the Tuesday morning, as she had promised to CC, Fran asked Niles to help her with some shopping. He protested that he thought it was her new butler's job to go to the big store for groceries, but Fran insisted that she wanted to go herself to look for some specific products, and that she needed someone to drive her to the big mall and help her carry stuff. She suggested it could be a bit of a day out to take his mind off recent events, and Niles admitted that some activity and some distraction might be helpful.

After the shopping trip, Niles returned home, his now empty, wifeless, soulless home. There was something odd that he couldn't quite place, like her absence had made the air thicker, the oxygen scarce. His brain had started to register missing items – her shoes by the door, her jackets on the hooks by the entrance – before he even caught on. It was in the bathroom that he noticed a lot less toiletries than usual. He gasped and opened one of the cupboards, where she kept her make-up items. Empty. He run to the wardrobe in the bedroom, and opened it to reveal only his clothes.

Gone. She had gone, without a word. Moved out, moved away from him. What did he think? That she would come back like nothing had ever happened? That she'd come and talk it out? That wasn't Babcock's style, but in a situation like that it probably wasn't most people's style. He deserved it.

Then it occurred to him: Fran knew! Fran had taken him out to allow CC time to move her stuff! There couldn't be any other time when she could have been there.

He picked up the phone and dialled the Sheffields' number. The desired nasal voice answered.

"Where is she?"

"Where is who," Fran uttered above the background of screaming babies.

"Oh come on, you know who. You took me out so she could come and get her stuff."

"Niles, she had asked me not to tell. You will realise that you are practically dead to her."

"I know. I understand. But…"

"But what, Niles? But you're her husband? I think you lost that title, don't you think?"

Niles sighed and put down the phone.

A few hours later, Fran rang back to invite him for dinner. At dinner, he was persuaded to go stay with the Sheffields for a while. He gave in, seeing that he was going to go home to an empty house anyway.

Niles had seen Eleanor once more, about two weeks after CC had discovered them in such a simple yet tragic way. She invited him to her oceanside mansion with the pretext of "having one last talk" and "checking he was alright."

Of course, she tried to seduce him. She welcomed him with puppy eyes and pulled him into an embrace. She could feel he was not relaxed, but she started to kiss him gently, until he pulled away, pain and disgust written all over his face.

"Eleanor, are you crazy? Do you realise what all this has caused?"

Eleanor shrugged. "Well, she is gone isn't she? You might as well have fun. You'll probably realise soon that it was good that she left. What did you find in her, I don't know."

Niles punched the wall next to him, causing Eleanor to jump.

"You remind me of her a lot, actually, in your pragmatism and elegant manners. Except that when she allows herself to love, she really does love. I don't know if you will ever be able to love, Eleanor. I'm not sure I even wish that you find out, because your life is a lot easier this way."

He left. Eleanor just felt that sweet sweet smugness again – she loved to have that much power to break off lovers, she didn't care if she ruined lives. She had never forced anyone to sleep with her, it wasn't her fault they all fell for it. God, men were so stupid.