AN: Just a little New Year's oneshot. Hope you guys enjoy it!

An Unexpected Beginning

C.C. sighed in exasperation and took a swig of whiskey. "This is officially the worst New Year's Eve of my life."

"Ditto," Niles replied, reaching out for the flask she was now offering him.

They'd never expected this – truth to be told, they had never expected many things in the last two weeks to happen.

After Maxwell had decided to spend the holiday season with his nanny in Israel, both Niles and C.C. had made travel plans to spend their holidays in a tropical paradise; they needed a bit of relaxation after a long and hard year. Imagine their chagrin when they bumped into each other in the middle of the dance floor at their hotel in Hawaii.

How could it be that they had chosen to visit the exact same island, were staying in the same hotel and had gone dancing at the same time?!

It all seemed like a really bad joke from the universe.

And the situation they currently found themselves in only further proved that this was, by far, the worst trip of their lives.

C.C. had attended the hotel's New Year's party with her date, but the bastard had dumped her for a petite brunette only an hour before the New Year began. To say she was angry was an understatement – she was livid. So much so that she had decided to go up to her room and get drunk out of her mind instead of pretending to be happy for the start of another shitty year.

Guess who was in the elevator she took to go back to her room?

A six foot pest in the shape of a British butler.

Being the perceptive man he was, Niles had realised exactly what was going on, but before he could deliver even one zinger, the elevator had made a horrible grinding sound, shook a few times and had come to a halt.

They were trapped.

Trapped in an elevator, alone and mere minutes away from the arrival of a new year.

What a joke.

It was good that she was prepared for this kind of scenario – after being trapped in a wine cellar with Nanny Fine she always carried a flask of whiskey in her purse.

"Of all the people I could've gotten stuck in an elevator with, it just had to be you!" the producer groaned, snatching the almost empty flask from Niles' hand and taking a swig.

"Trust me, this ain't no picnic for me either, Babcock. Now give me that – with the amount of drinks you must have had tonight I'd say that you have too much blood in your alcohol system."

C.C. swatted his hand away when he tried to take the flask again. "Believe me, Butler Boy, I wish I was drunker than I already am," she gave him a dirty look and gulped down the last of her whiskey. "I mean, it would make having to welcome the new year trapped in an elevator with you a lot easier."

Niles frowned, too. He tried to move away from the blonde – they had sat down once it had become obvious that they were going to be there for a while – but considering the elevator wasn't too big to start with it was rather fruitless.

Silence swelled inside the elevator. The tension was almost palpable, too, making the atmosphere extremely unpleasant. C.C. tried to focus on something else, anything… but her intoxicated mind wasn't making it easy for her – the scent of his cologne was rather distracting, too.

She chanced a glance at him; he wasn't exactly a hunk – okay, he was not even close to being a hunk – but now that he didn't wear those bulky sweaters and suits she was able to appreciate his body. It wasn't conventionally attractive, but for some reason it appealed her.

The days spent at the beach had given his skin a nice tone, and he also looked far more relaxed than she had seen him in years.

"What are you looking at?" he said, bringing her out of her musings. The butler had a rather smug smile on his face – damn… he had busted her.

"Just wondering how you manage to carry that old carcass of yours around," it was a lame retort, she knew it, but she couldn't think of anything else.

He moved closer to her. Actually, he was so close she could suddenly feel his breath tickling the side of her neck. The rational part of her mind was screaming to push him away, but there was another one that simply didn't want to.

"I am not that drunk, Babcock, I know when I am being checked out."

She snorted a laugh. "Oh, please! Have you gone senile already? I wasn't checking you out I was-"

"Tsk Tsk," he tutted, getting impossibly closer to her and wrapping an arm around her waist. "The rich heiress lusts after the servant! My, I wonder what your mother has to say about this..."

C.C. made a low irritated sound at the back of her throat. She wasn't exactly mad at him right then, she was mad at herself for being so obvious. Yes, she lusted after him, but she'd be damned before admitting so to the poor excuse of a maid.

She struggled to free herself from his grip.

"Swine," C.C. hissed.

In the distance, they could hear the final countdown to the new year begin. 15, 14, 13…

He leaned in and whispered into her ear, "Chicken."

10, 9…

It was immediate. She turned to him, her eyes ablaze with fury, and finally blue met blue.

"You are a disgusting excuse for a servant!"

8,7…

"And you are a cantankerous, old crone."

"I loathe you!"

They were going down a very familiar road… and they knew it.

6, 5…

"I despise you," he said, tightening his grip on her waist. He soon felt her arms snaking around his back.

"Servant."

Their faces were inches away…

"Trollop."

4,3…

"Bell Boy," the tips of their noses were almost touching.

2, 1…

"Brune-"

Happy New Year!

"Shut up and give me my New Year's kiss," she demanded, pulling him in and stamping her lips on his.

As they kissed, there was only one word that came to their minds – fireworks.

It felt like there were fireworks exploding inside of them.

Perhaps, just perhaps, this new year might not be so bad after all.