As Niles walked in the apartment, he didn't even notice that all of Dad's decorations were back. All he cared about was the angel behind him, who was softly crying.

He took her hand and led her inside. "Come on, Daphne. Sometimes it helps to talk about your feelings."

Daphne shook her head, not ready to say anything. But when another sob escaped her she wailed, "It was a disaster!" She hung her head in shame. The pageant that she had worked on so hard all these nights had been a complete disgrace. People started booing and demanding their money back. Some even walked out the door.

"Why did I even volunteer to help with that thing in the first place?" She looked at him, and it warmed Niles' heart.

He gently took her hand. "Because you wanted to help out. Which makes you an angel. Seriously. I love your caring heart."

"Thank you, Dr. Crane. But they'll probably ban me from the apartment! And then I'll have nowhere to go."

Niles wanted to say that she'd always be welcome at his place, but he held back. "They're not going to ban you. I'll personally see to it that they don't. They'll have to get through me first."

Daphne looked at him, suddenly feeling a little better. "Thank you, Dr. Crane. You are the one who should be thanked, volunteering at the last minute to take on a role. And you were possibly one of the best Jesus's I've ever seen! You even looked the part."

"Thanks for saying so, but I don't know if I'll act again. My allergies were really on fire. I even had to interrupt Frasier's party with Faye and her mother to come get some spray. And that ended badly."

Daphne's heart went out to him. "What happened?"

Now Niles was the one who wanted to hide. "Well, it started with Frasier and I pretending that we were Jewish for Faye's sake."

Daphne's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? I didn't know about that. I was so busy with that bloody pageant."

"Yes, well, I happened to burst in on them in my full costume, which ultimately made Frasier reveal that we weren't Jewish. But all is still good with Faye and Frasier. I think that night actually helped sort things out with her mother that had been bottled up for years."

Daphne was impressed with the story. "And it was all because of you."

Niles shook his head. "You, actually. If I hadn't been in costume, things wouldn't have taken a turn the way they did. But I ducked out of there fast and came back to the show."

The mention of the show again made Daphne remember her earlier disgrace. And tears threatened to fall once more. But this time, Niles reached over, and stopped one with his thumb. Taken aback, Daphne startled, only for a minute.

"I'm sorry, Daphne. I didn't mean to be so forward. I just hate to see you so down. Especially around Christmas."

"Yes, well, the holidays can get rather depressing. But I can't thank you enough. Really."

"I wouldn't be surprised if they asked you back for next year."

"Oh, I doubt that. But thanks. You always know what to say." She got up then to turn on the lights on the tree. The whole room illuminated in the glow.

"Wow...This is one thing I love about Christmas."

"So do I. But Maris and I never really had a tree. She claimed she was allergic."

Daphne's heart went out to him. She reached her hand over and touched his arm. "You know, you shouldn't really be alone at Christmas. You are more than welcome to come here."

"Thank you, Daphne." He felt braver than before, so he knew he had to try. He leaned in for a quick kiss. Suddenly, Daphne embraced it and kissed him passionately back. He didn't know what hit them. Until, he looked up. There was a sprig of mistletoe just above where they were standing. Niles was suddenly very grateful for his father's persistence in the decorations. He would never again complain at them.

The End