Author's Note: Thanks to Andrea (iloveromance), whose story, "Supermarket Confessions" sort of planted the seed for this! It constantly amazes me how one little idea can snowball into such a long story!

Sometimes Daphne wondered why she even bothered reading her mother's letters. They were usually filled with depressing news about her brothers' lives. Most of the time Simon was the main focus, what with his constant brushes with the law. But there were comments about how Billy and Stephen were far too busy to think of their old mum. It was the same every time. But, with a sigh, Daphne reminded herself that it was at least preferable to a letter reminding Daphne about her non-existent love-life.

She let out a frustrated sigh, just as there was a knock at the front door. She didn't particularly want to see anyone, but answering the door was one of her duties as healthcare worker/housekeeper. It was yet another sign that her life was going nowhere.

But she forced herself to get up and open the door. The younger Dr. Crane stood in front of her. "Hello, Daphne."

"Dr. Crane." Usually Daphne was glad for his daily visits. He always knew what to say to make her laugh if she was upset. But right now, she just wanted to be alone, and possibly drown her sorrows in ice cream.

"Is something wrong?" Niles could see she was hurting. He longed to comfort her, but he knew that wouldn't be appropriate.

Once again, a sigh escaped. "I just got a letter from me mum. But I won't bore you with the details."

"You could never bore me. What did your mother say?"

"Oh, the usual. Simon got himself into trouble again. Billy's dance company is about to go on tour, and Stephen..." She trailed off, realizing how trivial it all was.

"Why did you stop?"

Daphne smiled, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Oh, well, people usually get tired of the way I go on about me brothers."

"I always enjoy hearing about your family. Please go on."

"All right." She squeezed his hand gratefully. "Well, Stephen's got himself a girlfriend. Mum thinks it might be serious, but I doubt it. He's nearly as bad as Simon when it comes to women! But Mum can't seem to understand that. She keeps saying that Simon is just 'misunderstood.' She's always making excuses for them. It drives me bloody crazy!"

"Come here." Niles held his arms out. Daphne hesitated a moment before accepting the embrace. "Family always has a way of causing stress, no matter how near or far away they happen to be." He rubbed her back soothingly.

"Thank you, Dr. Crane. Whenever I talk about this sort of thing with your father or brother, they try to change the subject. Even Roz rolls her eyes at me."

"You have every right to talk about your feelings. Otherwise you end up keeping everything in, and that's not very healthy. Dad may not understand that, but Frasier certainly should!"

Daphne smiled, touched by how caring he was. "Thank you. I do feel a bit better now." She kissed his cheek.

Niles felt himself blush instantly at her kiss. He barely resisted the urge to touch her cheek. Instead he merely looked at her in silence, amazed by how beautiful she was.

The awkward silence made Daphne a bit uncomfortable. "Can I get you anything? I'm sorry your brother's at a meeting down at the station. And your father decided Eddie needed to go to the park."

"No, thank you. And I did come here to see Frasier, but I'm not disappointed that I missed him."

Daphne blushed at his comment. "Oh, well, thank you. I'm glad you came. You always manage to make me smile whenever I'm blue."

"Well, we are friends, aren't we? Helping you is the least I can do for all that you've done for me."

"That's very sweet of you to say, but I can't imagine what I've done to make you say that."

Niles moved closer to her. How could she not see how she had changed his life? She had given him hope on his darkest days, when Maris gave him a hundred reasons to feel worthless. "Daphne, I couldn't begin to tell you all you've done. I'm forever grateful that you've come into all of our lives. I know that Dad and Frasier are thankful for you, too."

Daphne felt herself smiling again. She hugged him tightly, once again kissing his cheek. "I love you." The words came out automatically, as if someone else spoke them. But Daphne knew they'd come from her own mouth. She pulled out of the embrace, waiting with baited breath for his reaction.

For a moment, Niles could not believe his ears. The words he'd longed to hear sounded like music. This time, he did not hesitate to touch her cheek. She felt so soft and delicate, like some rare object that needed a great deal of care.

Suddenly Daphne couldn't breathe. She was feeling things she'd never experienced before. It was scary and exciting at the same time. Her heart pounded, and she wanted so much to tell him how much she loved him, even more than she had moments ago. But the words just wouldn't come out.

Niles began to realize that she was stunned. Why hadn't he been content to simply accept her friendship, rather than ruining everything by making her uncomfortable? He pulled his hand away from her cheek, though he missed the feel of it at once. "Daphne, if I've hurt you in any way, please forgive me. I love you very much. But if you don't feel the same, I-I can accept that." His heart ached at the idea of being rejected by her. The pain nearly took his breath away.

Daphne smiled then. Niles felt a rush of relief immediately.

"I do feel the same. Or at least I think so. You've made me feel better about meself so many times. Now that I think about it, you've done so much for me. I just could never see it until now." She hugged him once again, desperately this time. She held on as if she were afraid she might die if she let go.

Niles allowed himself to enjoy the scent of her for a long moment before letting her go. "I know that I'm probably being much too forward, especially after I've given you so much to think about. But I would be deeply honored if you would allow me to take you to dinner tonight. I know of several five-star restaurants. I want to give you the most unforgettable night of your life. Will you allow me to do that?"

Daphne had never been asked out like this before. It was thrilling and romantic, like something from a movie. But she did not need to go to some fancy restaurant to know that he loved her. All she really wanted right now was to be alone with him. "I've got a better idea. Why don't we go over to your apartment, and I'll make you dinner? I know you don't get many home-cooked meals these days. We could enjoy our meal in privacy."

Niles reached for her hand, sighing at her touch. "That sounds wonderful."

"All right. Just let me go and change me clothes."

He looked her over. "You couldn't possibly look more beautiful."

Daphne blushed. Suddenly she thought of her mother, and the constant comments she was used to getting about her weight, or her sense of style. They had left scars which she knew might never heal completely. But she looked into Niles' eyes, and it didn't matter any more. For now she had found someone who loved her exactly the way she was.

The End