by
Christina
(christinae@rocketmail.com)
"Niles, where is Miss Fine?"
"She hasn't left her room all day. The poor thing has been going out of her mind trying to find out who blabbed and sabotaged her dream. What's that?"
"Soup."
"For whom?"
"Miss Fine."
"Where did you get it?"
"I made it."
"You blabbed, didn't you?"
"Oh Niles, I was at the Friar's Club with Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner, and they are so bloody funny! I was desperate for an amusing anecdote!"
"So you were sitting with the men who wrote the classic TwoThousand Year Old Man routine and you tried to wow them with the mole story?"
"Just stop it will you, Niles. What am I going to do about it? This was her dream, Niles. She was so excited about this cosmetics business and I went and ruined the whole thing for her by opening my big mouth. There's just no way I can make this up to her."
"Well, you could propose."
Oh would you get serious Niles. Just get off that track would you and for once in your life come up with something I can actually use!"
At that moment Fran came down the stairs in a bewitching black-and-white outfit. She immediately adressed Maxwell with:
"Oh Mr. Sheffield, I'm so miserable. I keep trying to think, who? Who would do this to me?
"Marry me?"
"It was you?!? You blabbed and you think that by proposing it's going to make up for it? Well, you thought right baby!"
She quickly kissed him on his lips and sped off in the direction of the kitchen, eager to share the good news with her partner-in-crime.
Maxwell remained alone in the living room with his thoughts. He couldn't believe what had just happened, for his proposal had just been the work of the moment, the response of his heart to what he was feeling. He placed the plate with soup on the table and plopped on the couch. He needed a moment to sort out his feelings.
"So now it finally happened, I proposed to her. Well, actually, I have already done it a few times before, but this is serious. I suppose I could have done it in a more romantic way. Oh God, how insensitive of me! I, Maxwell Sheffield, proposed to a woman in such a sleazy way. Well, it's not too late, go on then, into the kitchen, tell her to put on something smashing, and take her out to the Rainbow Room."
He was actually looking forward to it, the excitement of a new love, taking her out to a romantic dinner, calling her Fran, which was really the first wish of his heart. A happy smile appeared on his face. Maybe this really was the right way to do it. Who could tell how long it would have taken him to propose to her if he had been left to himself?
He walked into the kitchen, where she was standing with Niles.
"There you are. Come on Niles, why don't you crack open a bottle of champagne? Let's celebrate!"
Fran waited a while to respond, and when she did, her voice sounded different, almost sad.
"Huh? Oh you mean that proposal out there? I didn't take that seriously. I just wanted to see you sweat."
"W..what?" Maxwell was extremely surprised, but the feeling that prevailed was pain.
"Ya know, you should have seen the look on your face when I said 'yes'! It was just about as good as the look on Ma's face when I tell her I said 'no'. Why don't we just forget the whole thing ever happened?"
They made eye contact, and both vainly tried to smile. She was not a very good actress, because Maxwell instantly saw what she was trying to prove, and admired her even more for it. Fran had changed a lot during the five years that she had lived with him, but for the first time he felt that he realized what a person of worth and integrity she was. And she was absolutely right, they had to forget the whole thing ever happened. But still he felt that it was only a matter of time before they found each other. And he wasn't going to do anything to stop it.
"Well, once again you managed to get yourself out of it." Niles quietly remarked, with a subtle undertone of reproach. He didn't approve of the way his boss treated his best friend.
"Yes, only this time I'm not quite sure I really wanted to."
And he meant it.
The End
Back to Fan FictionBack to The Really Unofficial Nanny Home Page