A/N: I 'stole' this idea from an extremely adorable and hilarious scene between the characters of Jack and Jennifer on "Days of our Lives" that aired way back in 1990, but being that they were my all time favorite couple until I discovered Niles and Daphne over twenty years later, the scene transitioned itself quite nicely into this "Daphne Hates Sherry" story!
As he stared at the angel sitting beside him on the fainting couch, Niles' heart raced. Surely it wasn't because of the champagne or the unbearable heat. It had to be Daphne.
Of course it was.
She was the most beautiful goddess he'd ever seen and he could hardly believe that she was in his home, let alone that she'd come over on her own free will. If only she knew how much he loved her. And oh, how he wanted to tell her.
But now was not the time. She was still vulnerable, reeling from the horrible things that Sherry had said to her mere hours before at Frasier's during a heated argument.
Niles loved his father, but how a man of Martin Crane's intelligence could fall so hard for such an annoying, unbearable woman was beyond him. Sherry's persona was worlds away from his mother's, but perhaps that's what drew his father to her. He always said that he'd never find another woman like Hester Crane and he'd been proven right. So when he discovered Sherry at his favorite bar, Martin couldn't wait to show her off, much to Niles and Frasier's chagrin.
Still, Niles couldn't bear the thought of anyone hurting his angel, let alone Sherry. The way she'd made Daphne feel so cheap burned him to the core. Why, it was simply appalling!
Now as he looked at Daphne, his hormones raged. But he refused to take advantage of her. His body screamed out with need for her and Niles wondered-as he often did-what it would be like to kiss her deeply. To scoop her weightlessly into his arms and carry her upstairs to his bedroom where he would lay her gently on the bed. And then...
Dear God it was hot in here...
His throat went dry and he gulped down his champagne, immediately pouring another glass. The rush of alcohol made him dizzy, but again he blamed it on Daphne. She did things to him that no woman ever had; and all from afar.
Without warning she rose from the fainting couch and stood in front of his oscillating fan, which was blasting at full speed and yet provided little relief from the heat. Staring at her, he wondered how he'd managed to control himself. Any other man would have gone to her, wasting no time in having his way with her.
And perhaps he was a fool not to do so.
For there she stood, an angel in slim blue jeans and a small scoop neck white t-shirt. She was standing with her back to him, completely oblivious to the way he was looking at her with eyes as wide as saucers, drinking in her beauty and the curves of her body.
Her hand went to her neckline and she gently pulled the neckline of her shirt foreword, letting the cool breeze rush over her chest which was beaded with sweat. Shamefully he found himself wondering what her curvy body must look like underneath that t-shirt, all hot and...
His hand trembled as he poured yet another glass of champagne, downing it in one gulp before pouring another. The room began to spin and when she finally turned to him, he clutched the edge of the fainting couch in a lame attempt to refrain from fainting a second time.
Finally she turned to him and his heart leaped in his chest.
"Dr. Crane?"
He rose at once, still holding the empty champagne glass between his fingers.
"Yes, Daphne?"
"I don't want to impose, but... It's awfully hot and...well...would it be all right if I took a cool bath?"
"You could never be an imposition, Daphne" he replied. And without a moment's hesitation, he bounded up the stairs to prepare the bathroom for her.