A Crane Over A Waning Gibbous Moon

Niles held Daphne's hand as the plane touched down in Honolulu. "This is so exciting," Daphne told him. "I've never been to Hawaii before."

"I know my love." He kissed her hand. "You're going to love it."

"This is so romantic. How much time do we have before we catch our flight to Maui?"

"Just a few hours."

"I want to get some pictures to send back to mum."

"We don't have enough time to leave the airport, but we can island hop once we get settled in Maui.

It seemed forever for them to disembark , but Niles and Daphne made their way off the plane and through the airport to their next boarding gate. Daphne took a seat.

"Oh, how about a coffee, my love?" Niles asked before kissing the top of her head.

"Oh that sounds wonderful. Then I can curl up in your arms on the seats here and we can sip our coffee."

"You're usual?"

"Yes please." She tilted her head up for a kiss.

His lips met hers in the nicest of ways. Then off he went to find them coffees. When he returned, Daphne snuggled right into Niles just as she had fantasized about. His free hand slipped around her mid-section.

"When we arrive, what would you like to do first?" Niles asked.

"I'd like to take a nice long shower or perhaps a bubble bath… that is… if someone would be willing to wash me back."

Niles smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Of course."

"Then we need to make plans for dinner."

Two rows over from them, two couples sat together. The brunette glanced over. "Bryce, isn't that Niles… Niles Crane?"

"Where?" The tall man started looking over. "That is. That's Mel's ex, alright."

"He disgusts me. I can't believe he would do such a heinous thing to Mel."

"Yeah," Bryce said in a half-hearted tone as he stopped looking at Niles.

"That must be the hussy he left her for."

Bryce didn't even bother to look over or at Susan. "She looks like a nice girl. Susan, why don't you just let it go?"

"I will not. I can't."

He didn't even bat an eye. "I didn't think so."

Rebecca jumped in. "Bryce can you blame her. Mel was crushed. Poor thing."

"Something tells me Susan's wheels are turning a mile a minute," Stephen added.

"He needs to pay for what he did," Susan said with a sneer. "Didn't Mel say that that hussy is a health care worker?"

"Something like that," Bryce said without enthusiasm.

"A health care worker," Susan repeated. "The little hussy must be out-classed in every event Niles drags her to."

"They're going to Maui as well," Rebecca noted.

Bryce moaned. "Susan, what are we going to do, follow them to their hotel?"

"That's exactly what we're going to do," she demanded. "We'll get rooms in their hotel. Nobody messes with a friend of mine. He'll pay."

"Can't we just let this go for once?" Bryce pleaded.

She shot him a look that revealed she wasn't about to let it go.

Stephen sighed heavily. "There goes our vacation."