Author's Note: Many thanks to Kalinerfor writing "A Dance With My Daddy" and giving me permission to do a sequel. I just can never resist bringing the "Moon Dance" events into a story, and so this resulted. Thanks also to Leigh Ann (leighann415) for reading some of this and helping with some writer's block.
"Nooo, Daddy, we have to start from the beginning!" Katherine said as Niles pushed play on the VCR. Just yesterday, Katherine had gotten through about half of Beauty and the Beast before she gave in and took a nap. Now she wanted to watch the rest, but apparently, starting from where she'd left off wasn't good enough.
"Niles, if she wants to watch the whole thing again, what's the big deal?" Daphne asked when she saw her husband eyeing his daughter skeptically.
"I suppose you're right. Whatever my little princess wants," Niles said as he rewound the tape. He kissed Katherine's forehead.
"Yay," Katherine said when they reached the beginning.
Niles and Daphne sat next to each other on the couch. Their daughter was on the floor, so the two of them had a little privacy as Katherine was engrossed in the movie. "I've always liked this story meself," Daphne said to Niles.
"You're just a sucker for any kind of love story, aren't you?" Niles teased.
Daphne blushed a bit. "Perhaps. But maybe it's only because I'm living one." She kissed her husband. As the movie went on, Niles and Daphne found themselves not paying very much attention. Simply being near each other was enough to make them feel as if there was no one else in the world.
"Daddy, it's time for the dancing part," Katherine announced, suddenly standing in front of them.
Niles looked at her, a bit embarrassed that he hadn't been following the movie. Daphne saw his expression, and she decided to help him. "I think it's wonderful that you want to dance with your father. He's a very good dancer." She turned to her husband and grinned.
"Your mom taught me everything I know," Niles told Katherine.
"Really?" the little girl asked, now having lost interest in the Disney fairytale.
"Oh, yes," Niles said. "I was scared out of my mind the first time I tried to dance, but your mother was very patient. I'll never forget that night we shared."
"It was rather memorable for me as well." Daphne smiled. It was funny how one simple memory could transport her back in time. She'd awkwardly helped Niles learn a few dance steps, unaware that he could barely concentrate as he held her in his arms.
Katherine looked at her parents in confusion. Suddenly, their minds seemed to be elsewhere. "Daddy?"
Once again, Niles' mind returned to the present. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. We were just remembering a very special night. The first time I ever danced with your mom."
Between raising two kids and looking after Martin, Daphne didn't really have much time for dancing these days. But, looking into Niles' eyes, she knew he wouldn't mind if she missed a step or two. "Instead of telling Katherine about that night, what do you say we show her?"
"I thought you'd never ask," Niles replied, offering her his hand.
They both got up. Even though their only audience was a four-year-old girl, Daphne suddenly found herself feeling a bit nervous. But Niles was far too excited to be worried about his performance.
Somehow, Daphne put her fears aside, and though neither was perfect, the moment was nearly as beautiful as the Snow Ball. Katherine could only watch, slightly confused. How come her mommy and daddy didn't want to watch the movie anymore?
David came down the stairs then, surprised at the scene he saw in the living room. It was easy to guess that his sister had been watching Beauty and the Beast. He remembered watching it when he'd been her age. But what was more unexpected was his parents. He could tell they weren't aware Katherine was in the room. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked, bending down to his sister's height in front of where she sat on the couch.
"Daddy was telling me how Mommy taught him to dance, and then they decided they wanted to dance just like Belle and the beast. But how come they're not watching the movie?"
"I see," David said. He'd heard the story many times over the years, how his parents had caused a stir at the Snow Ball. But of course Katherine didn't understand yet. "Dad fell in love with Mom the second he saw her. And even though she only thought of him as a friend, Dad couldn't get over her. It wasn't till years later that Mom realized she loved him, too. So they kind of have a fairytale, too, just like in the movie." David turned and looked at his parents. They'd stopped dancing, but they were still lost in each other.
"But Daddy said he would watch this movie with me. He said I was his little princess." Katherine was near tears.
Normally, David was too busy with his friends and his own interests to spend much time with his little sister. But he hated to see her so disappointed. "Well, how about if I watch with you instead?"
Katherine didn't answer right away. She wasn't used to her brother being nice to her, so she figured this must be a trick.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to bug you or anything," David said. "I used to like this movie when I was your age, too. Mom let me sleep over at Aunt Roz's once, and Alice and I stayed up and watched it. It's not too bad, for a girl's movie."
"Thank you, David," Katherine said, kissing her brother on the cheek.
Despite his usual tendency to be annoyed by her, David decided that she could be rather cute, when she wanted to be. "You're welcome. Should we start over from the beginning?"
Katherine nodded enthusiastically. David laughed and reached for the remote to rewind the tape.
Just then, Niles and Daphne returned to reality. "David, what brings you down here?" Daphne asked. Normally, her son was holed up in his room, studying.
"Well, I decided to take a break from homework. And now it looks like I'm about to watch Beauty and the Beast."
Niles sighed, realizing he'd ruined his chance to spend time with his little girl. She would only be this age for so long. He felt like a terrible father. "Katherine, I'm so sorry, I know you wanted me to watch this with you."
David grinned. "It's OK, Dad. I'm sure you can watch it with her some other time. She'll probably want to see it another ninety-nine times, anyway."
"David's right," Daphne agreed. "You're a wonderful father. I've always known you would be." She smiled at her husband, and it was clear she wasn't done enjoying being alone with him yet.
Niles swallowed hard, a bit embarrassed to be thinking about his wife this way in front of their children. "Um, your mother and I don't want to be in your way while you're enjoying your movie. We'll be upstairs. You two don't mind, right?"
David chuckled, since he understood exactly what was on his parents' minds. "We'll be fine, Dad. I'll keep the little rugrat entertained."
Ordinarily, Daphne scolded her son for teasing Katherine, but at the moment, she had other priorities. "Thanks," she said. "We'll see you later." Then she turned back to Niles and led him by the hand toward the stairs.
As he re-started the video tape, David couldn't resist laughing to himself. He was glad Katherine obviously hadn't understood any of the conversation he'd just had with his parents. But he put aside thoughts of their love story as he returned his attention to the Disney movie. Tale as old as time, true as it can be... David knew those words didn't just apply to Belle and her beast. Sometimes, fairytales can happen in real life, too.
The End