She just kept her eyes fixed on Niles's and a warm happiness spread through her body (and it was in that moment that CC made her decision). Whatever way this feeling had come into being, she didn't want it to stop. She wanted more of it.

For a while nothing happened, and then everything at once.

In an instant, CC ran up the stairs and stumbled into his arms. She grabbed his head with both her hands and kissed him full on the lips.

At first, Niles seemed slightly surprised, but he recovered quickly and kissed her back without a single notion of hesitation. Simultaneously, his arms slid around the small of her back, careful and cautious at first, then more vigorously, and brought her closer to his body, closing the last few inches left between them. CC felt the happy palpitations of her heart just as much as she felt Niles's heart beating under her palm which had come to rest on his chest. Everything around them turned into meaningless nothingness. They didn't feel the crisp breeze that surrounded them nor did they notice the few cars that passed them, their passengers curiously interested in the couple locked in an intimate embrace at the side of the road.

All CC could focus on was Niles, the trace of brandy on his warm, soft lips, the faint, familiar smell of lemon buried somewhere under his cologne. Likewise, Niles's attention was preoccupied with how much he had been craving the touch of her, how much he had been longing to feel her in his arms again ever since their kiss some odd years ago. Why was it that she got to him so much? She was his kryptonite, his nemesis, his enemy. And yet he could not get enough of her. His left hand traced her side as it travelled up to her shoulder blade while the other cupped her cheek. He couldn't help but feel drawn to this woman, and tonight he wanted to do nothing less than surrender to his nemesis completely. Their kisses grew more impetuous and hungry and they tumbled through the door and into the mansion, shutting the door behind them. Niles pinned her against the door while her arms roamed rambunctiously over his torso, finally settling on the buttons of his coat and taking it off after having unbuttoned them, before moving on to his shirt. Her body bumped into his carelessly in the process.

"Miss Babcock, -"

"Shhhh," she shushed clumsily against his mouth as she continued to kiss him with abandon.

"Miss Babcock," Niles tried again, pulling away from her, a silent question in his eyes to which her answer was a soft, lingering kiss.

She felt his lips stretch into a smile before they travelled to her neck and she arched her head in anticipation. He feathered kisses along her jaw line and she closed her eyes - half because she was tired and half due to that goddamn feeling that tingled all the way from where his lips touched her skin down her spine. He moved on to her neck again, exploring and occasionally biting in an effort to mark her as his. And she happily allowed it, grasping at him, pulling him firmly against her to urge him on further. He was panting and the barely stifled moans that kept washing over the shell of her ear nearly drove her out of her mind. She had to taste him again. Tilting her head briskly, she captured his lips with full force, hungrily tugging at them, trying to get enough of him without ever reaching her fill. They broke apart for only a second – both in desperate need for some air – before their lips found each other again. This time their rhythm was slower though it still carried the same intensity. They were exploring now, getting to know each other; delighted in discovering which touches caused the other one to moan and lose control. But before their passion threatened to ignite anew, they always found a way to settle back into that calmer pace. But even with the passion momentarily taking a backseat, their kisses felt special. Niles's body felt alive with an emotion that he hadn't encountered since his late teenage years. There was a giddiness bubbling in the pit of his stomach, an all-consuming happiness that he couldn't possibly allow to stop. And C.C. wanted nothing more than to remain in his arms like that, feeling him, being with him in a way that she finally didn't have to second-guess. For that brief moment there was a connection between them that communicated much more than they had ever been able to communicate since their very first encounter. The other one felt familiar and safe, comfortable and yet extremely exciting.

That's why when he stopped all of a sudden, she let out a soft sound that was somewhere between irritation and protest. She tried pulling him closer once more, refusing to open her eyes while the sensation still lingered so pleasantly. But when even that began to fade away and she realised how silly she must look, she reluctantly opened them.

"Do you need another hint?" she asked, perhaps a little sharper than she had intended. But suddenly with that new and warm feeling fading away fast, the possibility of having made the wrong decision back at the limousine occurred to her and she half-wished she would've asked the driver to take her home.

And when Niles only chuckled, she began to believe that her worst fears might have come true. Perhaps this had just been a set-up for another one of his hideous pranks. And as indifferent as she liked to think she felt towards him, somehow she knew that she couldn't bear to be rejected and humiliated like this.

"What's so funny?" she frowned, taking half an uncoordinated step away from him so her back collided with the door.

"I don't know," he smiled softly and reached forward to loosen a few strands of hair that had started to slip out of her bun, "I was just thinking back to that moment you prohibited me from talking about?"

She nodded, trying to figure out where he was headed.

"And I came to the conclusion that we shouldn't continue here if we don't want to be interrupted again."

Relief flooded through her and she exhaled.

"You're drunker than I thought," she commented with a chuckle, "the newlybrats are off on their honeymoon, remember?"

"Still, you never know," he replied and then added amused, "did you just call them newlybrats?"

"Should that really matter right now?" she challenged and he hurriedly nodded.

"Oh… right."

But before he could say anything else that might disrupt their moment further, C.C. slipped her hand back into his and led him up the stairs.

Once in his room she began to fumble with the remaining buttons on his shirt, a task which wasn't exactly made any easier by his constant movements. He seemed to somehow sway on his feet while his hands were caressing her sides and trying to peel off the wrap (bathrobe, whatever lol) she had chosen to wear over her gown.

A ripping noise made both of them stop in their tracks.

"Oops," C.C. commented in a less than genuine tone while her hand went to cover her mouth so she wouldn't burst out laughing again.

"That was one of my good shirts as well!" Niles complained, grinning himself.

"I'll drop the 50 cents onto your nightstand in the morning. Now keep touching me." She instructed, placing his hands back on her hips. He chuckled softly, moved his hand to her chin instead and brought her closer for another kiss.

He had hoped to slow them down somewhat, but after their lips met for the first time after what seemed like hours, he realised what a big mistake he had made. Their spark was instantaneous, just as it had been at the front door of the mansion and before he knew it, she had woven her fingers through his hair once more and was tugging at them in such a way that made him moan in anticipation.

"Miss Babcock… C.C.," he panted after a while when her fingers that were trying to unclasp his belt jarred him out of the delirious state he was in, "just let me change first… before you ruin any more of my clothes. And let me freshen up as well, alright?"

He wasn't entirely sure what had possessed him to ask her that, but it had suddenly occurred to him that he might very well be having sex with the woman he had fantasised about for years now and it made him feel surprisingly unprepared and nervous. He hadn't pictured himself with a ripped up shirt or so intoxicated that his movements could be described as clumsy at best. He'd envisioned passion, of course, but not in this all-consuming, never-mind-the-consequences kind of way. He had wanted it to mean something; he had wanted to be sure that she wouldn't regret it. And so, perhaps, if he gave them a moment apart, slowed down their pace, they would still stand a chance.

"Ugh…buzzkill…" she groaned, pushing him playfully away. He managed to produce a nervous chuckle and captured her hands.

"It'll only take a moment." He kissed her knuckles and slipped out of the door again.

For a minute or two, C.C. remained in the middle of the room, feeling at a loss of what to do and more than slightly frustrated at the interruptions they had encountered since that heated kiss by the front door. It had been longer than she cared to admit since she had last been intimate with a man and the want and desire she felt for Niles – built up over years and years – was threatening to consume her. Not that she minded it one bit; if anything the liquor enabled her to feel more carefree about it. But she needed Niles to cooperate before – God forbid – the buzz would wear off and she'd start questioning things again.

Looking aimlessly around the room, C.C. began humming a tune to herself that she'd last heard at the wedding reception, swivelled around inelegantly on her heels and spotted another door that was leading to his walk-in closet. Bored as she was, she decided to explore a little, chuckling when she saw the contents.
"Slightly creepy," she muttered at the neatness of it but the novelty quickly wore off. There was nothing special in the room, no dirty magazines and no toys; nothing she could tease him about. Heaving a disappointed sigh she turned back to face the door and noticed an item that couldn't have stood in a bigger contrast to the rest of the clothes he owned. A bright red robe with a white collar and white lapels. Irrationally amused she slipped out of her gown and into the robe that came to rest heavily on her shoulders.

"Babcock?" his voice interrupted the fun she was having and she hurriedly closed the robe and peeked her head out of (through?) the door.

"Hello, lover."

His face was priceless. For a second it looked as if he wasn't sure whether to frown or to laugh.

"What are you wearing?"

"Don't you recognise it? It's from the butler's haute couture line," she replied, twirling around on the spot, "I didn't know you liked such risqué things. Has Nanny Fine rubbed off on you?"

"In a manner of speaking," Niles said, tugging her closer, "someone from Mrs Sheffield's family must've left it here. Sylvia sent someone to pack her honeymoon suitcase while we were at the reception…apparently that robe didn't make the cut and -"

"I'm really not that interested," C.C. interrupted and moved her hands back to his belt, "I'd rather know why you've returned still wearing your pants!"

"Impatient, aren't you?" he quipped, slipping his hands under her robe and parting it to reveal her body to him, "And gorgeous…" He couldn't stop the words from spilling out.

Under normal circumstances C.C. might have blushed and turned a little shyer like she usually did when somebody was paying her a compliment, but in her current state she only tipped her head back and let out a sultry laugh.

"Now you're getting the hang of this."

She crushed her lips to his and tried navigating him towards the bed at the same time which only resulted in them tumbling onto the sheets. They laughed loudly and with far more gusto than the situation called for before their hands started their frantic search anew. Skin brushed against skin, coaxing out sighs and moans alike. But the passion that had carried them so far slowly dissipated when the alcohol and activity-filled day took its toll and caused exhaustion to overwhelm them so that they fell asleep with their bodies still intertwined.

The first thing that awoke Niles the following morning was a heavy throbbing behind his closed lids.

He groaned quietly and opened his eyes a tiny fraction. Fresh pain flared up and so he hurriedly closed them again. He needed and aspirin and he needed it fast. And preferably some ice. That would help, too.

It was when he tried pushing himself up to a sitting position that he noticed the other body next to him. She was still covered by the sheets and her blonde hair was dishevelled, but there was no mistaking it, it was C.C. Babcock. Images flashed like snapshots through his mind as he tried stringing together what had happened the previous night. But before he could get anywhere, the nausea that often went hand in hand with a hangover bubbled up and he realised that getting some pain relief needed to be his priority.

And C.C. was likely to regret the events in anyway, whether was he there when she woke up or not.