I love the assumption that they were sleeping with each other for years and years as a result of some twisted war game. They last chapter was amazing. The fact that they tried to learn a new how to navigate with one another after admitting the "something". I need more of this. Great story!

This chapter in itself is a masterpiece and I wish you would come back and write more stories :(

I admit, I was expecting that C.C. would slaughter Niles. However, Niles manages to zeroise her fury and her hurt and take her by surprise and I love every moment of it. I was really looking forward to C.C. being furious, but this turned out to be much, much better. Oh, and the kiss!

I enjoyed their talk a lot! I imagine it was loooooooooong overdue.

"Taking yourself out before a night of battery-induced fun?" - "Watch it, Lysol. It could still be that for me." Hahahaha! Well said, well said!

And, of course, no proper fanfic about Niles and C.C. would be complete without Niles preparing food for C.C.. Everything about them eating together, taking care of Chester, and watching a movie and consequently taking care of half-asleep C.C. is just so very adorable. The next morning seems so peaceful and sweet (except for their morning breath, maybe), especially after everything that’s happened…
"Niles, that's disgusting. Is this who you are now? A lovesick puppy who teases me occasionally?" - "I'm afraid so." - "Ugh, me too.” Perfect.

Is it just me, or has C.C. become more vulnerable because of her feelings for Niles? If we look back at how sure she is of herself during their first encounter and what a bundle of nerves she is right now? I guess she has always had these feelings about herself, but now they’ve become more apparent?

Oh, Jilian, I am absolutely in love with how you describe C.C.’s dress.

“The image of her silhouetted in the moonlight, perched on the edge of his bed, would likely remain etched in his memory for the rest of his life—if he could paint, it would be his masterpiece; if he could write poetry, it would be his most celebrated ode; if he could compose music, it would be his magnum opus.” This is by far my favourite line in human history. I am going to frame it and hang it on my wall.

“She used the remaining time in the elevator to reorient her mindset from sly businesswoman to general in combat.” Go C.C.! I really like the metaphor here!

PS: You mentioned my vocab twice in this story. One time in chapter seven and one time in this chapter.

Niles actions in this chapter felt so so so wrong. (However, they were beautifully illustrated.) Even Niles was aware of that… I mean, he’s looking for Fran to get her “blessing”, her approval, he takes his time to consider starting something with Sophie and it seems more like he has to convince himself, drinking whiskey and everything. And then that he feels the need to justify his actions to himself. Oh boy, now he’s blaming the whole thing on C.C.?! And more red flags: he doesn’t want to “desecrate” any place in which he has been with C.C., and finally, after it has been done, he realizes what he’s done. Way to go, Niles.

“He wanted to cause her pain and that was unprecedented. That was the source of his shame. He was no Puritan; he was half French, for God's sake. Sex between two willing, unattached parties was not a thing of guilt or embarrassment. But sex with the intent to cause harm…Niles hung his head.” Shame on you, Niles.

“Niles only saw the back of her as she exited the house with an almighty slam of the front door behind her.” I’d say mission accomplished, dear Niles.

To me, this was even worse than this unspecified thing he has going on with Kathryn.

“It was the other games—the ones that only he and CC knew they were playing—that had, somewhere along the lines, ceased to be a game and had become a war.” Nice!

“’Kathryn, I'm sorry if I've misled you but…" Niles faltered and he mentally slapped himself. "But I'm not interested in you in that way anymore,’ he finished.” YES!

Uuuuh, I like that you pick up on the previous chapter’s ending. Of course Niles was never seriously interested in Fran! And I like your explanation for C.C.’s pursuit of Maxwell! (Good hijacking, indeed!) Everything makes just so much more sense this way.
“You ruined me long ago.” That was beautiful. Just like Niles has been ruined by C.C., your stories about them have ruined mine. Nothing I am ever going to write would come close to your genius, Jilian.

I enjoy stories like this one for the angst it gives me, but I also just want to smack these two over the head sometimes. However, at least they achieved some kind of “agreement over what they were”, as you put it.

“CC handled it like a true Babcock: she ignored it and internalized her frustration.” Hahaha, perfect!

I kinda like how their battle becomes more physical, it’s not just words anymore, but pranks with the intention to humiliate (and I dare say hurt) the other, but everything still very much in their usual rhythm, very much in character. Also, later, the brush-throwing and attempted perfume bottle-breaking.

“She'd unconsciously taken this path; it was more familiar to her than any other in his house.” Nice!

I hate the way they sort of break-up over Kathryn, but I love the way they reconcile. A firework of internalized, repressed feelings, I love it.

“Your girlfriend, moron.” – “She’s not my girlfriend, moron.” And C.C. and I stand united in wondering what the heck Kathryn is.

"’He never did,’ CC replied quickly, too quickly, and she mentally shook herself. What was it about that infuriating man that made her lose her cool?” It’s always the little things that give away a secret, the things you do unintentionally, just like the fact that C.C. immediately went to Niles’s bathroom. Well done!

Wow, this chapter was sad. I just felt like hugging C.C. and telling her that everybody grieves differently… and that it’s okay not to cry… I like how Niles and C.C. find comfort in each other. They don’t even need words for that. And the fact that they just fell asleep in each others arms – perfect!

Looking back in the story – or forward (in their lives), that is – how can these two idiots go from being the other one’s rock and comfort and everything to “oh, we might possibly under certain circumstances perhaps have feelings for each other”? But, the truth is: that’s exactly what these idiots would do.

So, I congratulate you on yet another perfect chapter to this beautiful story.

“What had surprised him, perhaps, was how quickly he became accustomed to all facets of her. He had become addicted to the sounds she made, softly and then with increasing volume; he had begun to crave the feel of her soft skin; the little smile she gave when she realized what his intentions were, or when she sometimes initiated contact, had aroused him more thoroughly than anything ever had.” Gosh, I love this. I also very much like the following passage about Niles wanting her to stay and him suspecting that she has feelings for him as well. Everything just makes sense and feels right in this story, because you capture their feelings and everything so, so, so well. I like that Niles has qualms about having started this kind of relationship with her, and then the realisation that he has been making the same mistake over and over again.

And I love everything about Niles taking care of his debts. (Can I just say that I love all your stories, even the ones I hate?)

"’I doubt we'll ever be even, butler,’ CC said softly, her voice a little raspy.” Perfect.

Yes, I agree, Maxwell is one dull man. I liked how you describe how she’s testing the waters before she actually has the courage to do anything.
“She forced herself to focus on her boss (the lingering aftertaste of that word made CC want to swirl Listerine) as he enumerated the various things he'd accomplished that day. CC refrained from asking if he wanted a cookie in celebration.” Same.
“’Fixing Mr. Sheffield's mistakes?’ Niles asked casually as he rounded up the empty tea mugs and a small plate with crumbs.” Even Niles notices that.

Moving on to the tension between Niles and C.C.. I must say, I like it a lot. The dialogue is very on point and leads exactly where it is supposed to. I love how C.C. consciously drives the conversation in that specific direction, but Niles is the one who takes it there in the end. Right from the beginning they seem to have this deeper understanding of the other and (as C.C. thinks of it) a “synchronicity of their movements”, well done! I also like how she doesn’t know her middle name anymore. Ugh, and I love how Niles, allows for C.C. to exit the situation one last time before he/they take the final step, love his gentlemanliness there.

Again, a very well written chapter in a very good story. (But then again I wouldn’t expect any less from you.)

Okay, first of all: Gotta love the Author’s Note!

I read this story like a week ago, initially to review it, but for some reason I got caught up in it and totally forgot to give you feedback along the way.

So, here we go!

I love the idea of them being together before they were together. You make clear that they both have started feeling different about each other. I really like how you show how both of them – willingly or not – pick up on little things in each others behaviour, like the way C.C. can distinguish between the different ways Niles breathes and all the other details, and I think it is very fitting for them to recognise these details. Especially, I love that this information is “useless but guarded possessively by her heart”. Beautiful! And then, when we get to Niles’s point of view and how he admires her beauty it basically proves the same point: that they’re individually closer than to the other one than they would admit.

Hey there!
Just wanted to tell you that this fanfic is flawless. it is one of the best Nanny fic i've read, congratulations are in order ;)
You're very talented

Oh, Jilian. I am not being dramatic when I say that I think this is the most beautiful chapter of anything you've ever written. I loved it so, so much. ("Kate, you say that about everything I write," you protest, and to this I say "Shut up." Because everything you write is beautiful and I love it all so much.)

Okay so right at the beginning, when Niles grabs her and they dance and they're just so in tune with one another and they dance like they've been partners for years? Swoon. I don't know why, but I really loved this: A short moment of silence lasted an eternity as Niles watched CC benignly and CC eyed Niles warily. - because I can just picture their faces and you're so good at this. Screw you.

You're so good at getting small little habits of theirs into the story that I would never think to put in. Again, another small thing but: "All right," CC said, tossing her head back to move stray hairs that weren't even out of place. "Why are you here?" - Fantastic.

And then they're whole non-talk where Niles is like "you win" and CC is like "what are you even saying" and how they manage to make progress and figure things out without even really saying anything AND HE KISSES HER IN FRONT OF EVERYONE? Beautiful. I hate you.

I laughed out loud when CC was laughing because Niles left Kathryn at the party. I feel like you and I would also do the same thing in that situation. And I love how even after Niles explains that Kathryn didn't come with him, CC is still laughing because screw Kathryn, that's why. I also laughed at the whole garage discussion. AND THE CHESTER PART how CC acts annoyed and then Niles turns his back and when he looks again she's petting him. I feel like I need a new word for "love" because I keep using it.

Okay and the way you actually get them together is so great. It's so simple. I feel like if Niles and CC hadn't been destroyed by Season 5 and the writers had actually let their relationship progress instead of the rushed drama that was the end of Season 6, it could have been that simple for the two of them. It's brilliant.

I feel like I'm gonna run out of room soon but the dinner and movie and sleeping together without sex and the teeth brushing was all wonderful and it made my chest tighten at how beautiful you made their love story and I love you so much. I'm just gonna text you at a reasonable hour about all the other moments I loved if that's cool. Yes, it's 5AM. My sleep schedule is whack. I hope you see this when you wake up and it's a nice start to your morning!

Luh you, boo.

That was a great story! The way you ended it, showing how they adjust to being a real couple - and without sex, after it had been so important to the rest of the story - was pure genius!
The small details, like Chester's presence, the morning breath, Niles cooking for them, were very good to create the situation. We even got to see Niles almost saying the words to CC; however, it was very in-character that he didn't.
I'm really looking forward those ideas and free time you mentioned!

Well worth the wait. Loved it!