"Thank you, Ferguson," Daphne said as Ferguson draped her coat over her shoulders.
"It was my privilege, Miss Moon," Ferguson responded.
Niles and Daphne left Frasier's apartment to take their walk, finally free from the spell Mel had cast upon them at the beginning of their relationship. Once in the hallway, Niles pushed the button for the elevator. He took Daphne's hand and placed a gentle kiss on it.
"Free at last, my love," he gushed.
"Finally, I can do this in public," Daphne replied. She inched closer to Niles and gracefully wrapped her arms around him. As her lips grazed across his, she felt an amazing warmth travel through her body. Her tongue danced with his as he ran his hands up and down her back.
"As long as you continue to do it in private too," Niles flirted.
The elevator dinged and the door opened. Hand in hand, they entered it, both with feelings of excitement that they were about to be together outside this building for the first time as a couple.
Those feelings came to a screeching halt when the elevator reached the lobby and they found Mel talking to Lois, Diane and Ted. Mel spun around when she saw her friends' reactions at the site of Niles and Daphne. A wave of anger spread across her face, with her eyes flaring like Niles had never seen before.
"I see you two couldn't even wait long enough for us to leave to show yourselves off, could you?" Mel barked at them.
Niles squeezed Daphne's hand. "We were just going out for a walk. We'll just continue on our way."
"No, you won't. Not until I give this British bitch a piece of my mind!" Mel hollered.
"Mel!" Niles exclaimed as he turned to see the look of shock forming in Daphne's eyes.
"Mel, don't worry about them. Let's just go," Diane said as she grabbed Mel's hand.
"No! She deserves to hear the truth!"
"I don't want any trouble," Daphne insisted. She pulled at Niles' hand and tried to pass Mel and her friends.
"The only reason he's with you is because he couldn't handle being with a woman of his own intelligence," Mel blurted out.
Stopping in their place, Niles and Daphne frowned. Mel's words stung through Daphne's heart.
"Mel, don't," her other friend Lois suggested. "It's not worth it."
"Yes, it is. Niles was married to a woman more powerful than him before and must of decided he couldn't deal with that again. He couldn't handle having a successful doctor be his wife."
"Mel, please don't," Niles begged.
"What will you ever gain from this relationship? A woman who can cook and clean for you? You think she will be welcome at your societal functions?"
Trying to force back the tears forming in her eyes, Daphne wiped them away and turned back towards the elevator.
"Can't handle the truth, Daphne?" Mel yapped.
"Mel, you are out of line!" Niles exclaimed.
"Come on, Mel, let's please go. You don't need to dwell on this loser," Diane said.
"Diane, I appreciate the gesture, but these are things that need to be said. I've kept these thoughts to myself for weeks now. It's time they come out."
"We're going to go," Niles said as he scooped Daphne's hand and tried to rush them past Mel.
"Such a coward. Can't face the truth either can you?"
"Why are you doing this?" Daphne said.
"Because you deserve to know what's really happening here. Niles doesn't love you. He wants the power and control in a relationship now. He simply decided that he couldn't have that with me."
"You're in denial," Niles said defensively as he grasped Daphne's hand even tighter.
"Come on, Niles, you know it's true. After two days of being married to me you saw an opportunity for the easy way out. This relationship won't last a month after you and I are divorced. You're just using Daphne as an excuse to get out of this with me."
"Mel, I'm sorry we hurt you. It was never my intention to take Niles away from you," Daphne pleaded, trying to end this horrible situation. "I simply fell in love with him."
"Don't get me started on what you did to Donny. You may have fallen in love with him, but I'm telling you, he doesn't love you. Dating the help is something Niles is only doing so he can be in control. He'll eventually realize he wants someone with actual potential."
"That's it, Mel. You can say whatever cruel things to me that you want. But don't you dare talk to her like that!" Niles shouted.
"Crane, don't raise your voice at her!" Ted hollered back. "I'll make sure she gets everything you're worth if you don't watch it!"
"Ted, please. I don't need his money. I've made my own way. Something Daphne will never do. From lawyer to doctor, she's a gold-digger and a half." Mel said vindictively.
This time Daphne couldn't hold the back drops engulfing her eyes. Her lip trembled as the tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Aww, you're going to cry now? Do you know how many hours I spent crying over Niles the first few days after he told me he was leaving me for you? What a waste of time."
"You can stand here and keep spewing out all this nonsense if you want, Mel. Daphne and I are leaving."
Niles shoved past Mel, pulling Daphne quickly behind him.
"Just like you, Niles. You just run away from everything. And now you're bringing your sorry little damsel with you too."
Niles had enough. He turned around with a fit of anger cascading across his face. Daphne wiped her eyes again as she watched Niles hash it out with his soon to be ex-wife.
"Mel, I will forever regret what I did to you. I feel the guilt everyday and will live with it forever. Marrying you was wrong, and I admit that. I knew that I was in love with someone else and I married you anyway. I am so sorry. But you will not say these things about her!"
With that, Niles and Daphne turned around and left Mel and her friends. But before they could leave the Elliott Bay Towers, Mel had one final comment for Daphne. "He will realize what he's missing and come back to me! A year from now, when you're broke and alone, you will wish you had married Donny!"
When they were finally on the sidewalk, Daphne broke down in Niles' arms. He hugged her as tightly as he knew how, but the tears wouldn't stop.
"Hey, hey, hey. It's alright," he said tenderly as he comforted her and rubbed his hand over her hair.
She didn't want anything Mel had said to be true, but how could she really know for sure? What if Niles only wanted someone who could be his submissive?
They sat down on a bench along the sidewalk. Niles carefully wiped the beads dripping from Daphne's eyes.
"Honey, I'm so sorry she said those things to you. You have to know what she said isn't true," Niles pleaded.
"I know, I know. But you do realize I will never be what she is, right? I'll never be a doctor or someone powerful like she is."
"Daphne, I don't care about any of that. I love you for who you are. I love you so much it hurts."
"You don't think I'm a gold digger do you?"
"Of course not. How could you even think that?"
"I don't know. What she said about you being with Maris first, and then her. I'm not like them."
Niles handed her his handkerchief. "I don't want you to be like them. I want you to be you," he defended.
"But then do you just want someone that can play the more traditional womanly role in the relationship?"
"Daph, please don't believe anything she said. I can't even put into words how I feel about you. The right words don't exist. I mean, you're the love of my life and I want you because you're the most beautiful, kindest woman I have ever known. This whole idea that I need to be with someone who is below me in status is ridiculous. None of that matters to me."
"It doesn't?"
"No, of course not. The only thing that matters to me is that I'm with Daphne Moon. The woman who makes me feel things I never knew I was capable of feeling. But you know what? You should be proud of what you do. I am. I have been as long as I've known you. What you do for my Dad makes such a difference in all of our lives. I can't even begin to thank you enough for how you've helped him over the last seven years."
He softly kissed her as she released a sigh of relief.
"And I also admire you for how brave you've been the last two months. You put everything on the line to be with me, and then waited patiently as I had to play along with Mel's games."
Daphne slowly blinked as new tears emerged from her eyes, but this time they were tears of happiness.
"It's been hard," she admitted. "But worth it."
"I'm so thankful that you waited for me. I just wanted to do the right thing and give Mel what she asked for. But tonight I realized that I couldn't let her drag this on anymore. I had to put your needs first."
"Niles, I love you so much."
"I love you too. You have to know that."
"I do. I know she's just mad at us. What we did to her and Donny was awful. But what were we supposed to do? Go on with other people when we were in love with each other?"
"No, we did what he had to do for us. If I could go back and change things, I never would have married her. But this is how it happened, and we have to live with it."
"I'm sorry I go upset and even questioned what she said about you," Daphne apologized.
"It's alright. This whole experience has been an emotional roller coaster. I'm just so happy we can start from here and be together now."
Daphne collected herself and rose from the bench. "Can we take that walk now?"
"Yes, my love. Let's walk."