Niles watched in amusement as CC struggled to pull out her luggage from the conveyor belt. One of the things he liked about her was her independence. Knowing she cannot force him to take care of her luggage, and refusing to beg him to do so, she took care of it on her own even if he knew she was used to having assistants do things for her.

His lips turned to a wry smile as several guys standing beside her, waiting for their own respective luggage in the conveyor, all reached out to carry her enormous Louis Vuitton out of the conveyor. Of course, who could resist helping a pretty girl. CC flashed a big smile of appreciation before heading towards Niles, pulling her luggage behind.

He could have helped her, but he did not. Somehow, he found entertainment in watching her struggle with mundane little things such as operating the dishwasher or peeling some fruit with a peeler. He found her so cute he wanted to rush over and give her a peck on the cheek before taking over the task.

"So, where's the car?" asked CC as she glanced about looking for their names on the papers and placards held by some drivers on the arrival area.

Niles did not answer her question but continued to walk till they were out of the airport.

"Where are we going?" asked CC as he hurriedly walked to catch up with Niles.

It was a good thing she was used to walking in high heeled shoes to keep up with Niles' quick pace.

"Hey, Niles, wait up. Why are we almost running?" she asked.

"We will miss the train," yelled Niles.

"What!? Why didn't you rent out a car. I could have paid for it," she complained in irritation.

Niles did not argue but continued half walking, half running like he was in a marathon.

She wanted to yell and hurl her big luggage to his broad back, but she couldn't pause as there were quite a number of people and she might lose him if she stopped.

Albeit walking in a fast pace, Niles never lost sight of CC. He was fully aware just where she was and if she was keeping up where he turned, and which stairway he took. Just like in the airport conveyor, CC never had a problem with her extra-large luggage, there was always someone who was willing to carry it for her whenever she reached a flight of stairs.

"The train station is here," she called out to Niles, wondering why he was not stopping.

"Not that station. Turn left here. We're going out of London," he called out.

She looked around and realized Niles was leading her to the station that travelled outside London.

Trying to catch her breath, she stopped for a bit and watched Niles pay for their fare.

She must have been out of shape as she was panting, and her throat was starting to feel dry. She slowly walked to the benches to rest while waiting for Niles.

"Are you alright?" asked a British man, handing her a bottle of water he got from one of the vending machines.

"Thank you. I'm fine," she replied, taking the bottled water.

The man sat beside her. "Are you an American?" he asked, noting her accent.

She couldn't answer him right away because she was drinking her water voraciously. No sooner had she finished her water than Niles appeared beside her.

"Hello! Thank you for your hospitality," said Niles to his fellow British, draping his arm around CC, silently staking a claim to her.

The British man immediately stood up. "Pardon me. I'm afraid I had the impression she was alone."

"Well, she's not," replied Niles.

The man tipped his hat in apology and left.

"Niles, you're acting like an asshole. He was just being nice. You didn't have to sound so ungrateful."

"I thanked him. What ungrateful are you talking about?" protested Niles.

She snarled at him. "Your tone was anything but grateful. We still owe him a bottled water."

"Well, I'll pay for it!" retorted Niles.

"He didn't ask you to!" snarled CC as Niles pulled her luggage with his right hand, and carried his own with his left, making his way to the entrance of the arriving train, leaving CC to trail behind him.

"Get in, woman!" he told CC.

CC rolled her eye but acquiesced.

"Why are we going out of London?" she asked as they were both comfortably seated in one compartment.

It was CC's first time on a train. She watched mesmerized by the amazing view. It was relaxing looking out and watching the trees and the mountains as the train sped off. She felt like she was in an Alfred Hitchcock movie. They were each seated across from each other in their compartment but there was still room for two, one on each of their side. She hoped it would remain empty till they arrive their destination.

"Everything looks so marvelous!" cried CC, enjoying the breath-taking scenery.

She flashed him a beautiful smile.

He was glad she was enjoying herself. He neglected to tell her they were staying with his parents in Oxford. It's not that he kept the fact from her. It's just that she never bothered to ask where they were staying.

He did not offer the information for fear she would back out. He scolded himself for being bothered if Ms. Babcock backed out of their holiday. So, what if she did? He didn't care, he only invited her out of pity being home alone with only her dog during the holidays. Who was he kidding? Deep down he wanted to spend time with her away from the prying eyes of the Sheffields and the Fines.

"My house is in Oxford," Niles simply explained.

"We're staying at your house. Aren't we staying in a hotel?" asked CC.

"We're staying in my childhood home. I'd like to spend the holiday with my parents," he said in a low voice.

CC's stomach did a double somersault. She suddenly wanted to pull the cord to stop the train, get off and take the first plane back to the US. Meet Niles' parents? She was worried… and afraid. What if they don't like her? She was so unlikable. People don't usually like her, and this never bothered her. So why did Niles' parents' opinion matter to her? She wasn't Niles' girlfriend anyhow.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she whined.

Maybe she should have bought a different wardrobe to get their approval.

"You didn't ask," said Niles.

Why didn't she ask? She was just excited at the prospect of spending the holiday with Niles. Yes, he got into her nerves all the time, but he was the closest that she could get to having a boyfriend. He digs her quirks. He amused her, and he challenged her. He may only be a butler, but he was witty and intellectual. Frankly, she didn't like stupid men. She found them uninteresting no matter how good-looking they may be. They settled into a comfortable silence all the way to Oxford. They each scrutinized the other covertly. CC kept stealing glances at him, taking her eyes away from the widow every now and then, wondering what was going through his mind and why did he take her with him back home to Oxford while Niles pretended to read the newspaper without really understanding the headline, glancing up to watch CC occasionally, wondering what prompted her to come with him.