A/N: A tribute to my favorite actor and the inspiration for this story, David Hyde Pierce in honor of his birthday on 4/3/15. An expansion expansion of "100 Moments" Ch. 63.
In the kitchen, Daphne threw down the wooden spoon in frustration, her eyes filling with tears. Around her, clouds of flour drifted toward the ceiling, upsetting her even more. The entire morning had been a complete disaster. What had she been thinking, pretending to be a baker? She was no culinary expert. That fact had been proven time and again. Certainly she could cook (although the Crane men often told her otherwise) but baking was an entirely different scenario.
She'd followed the directions on the box of cake mix to the letter, which resulted in something that wasn't even remotely close to the picture on the box. Luckily she'd bought several boxes of cake mix (thank God for sales), but by the third time she'd had enough. There was cake mix everywhere and what was left in the bowl was barely enough for a proper cake. Dr. Crane would be arriving soon and she wanted so much to surprise him. But now it was ruined.
She sighed deeply and brushed away tears, wishing that she'd taken the easy way out and simply purchased a cake. That's what they always did when celebrating in the Crane family. But this year she wanted things to be different. Because things were different. She felt differently-a feeling that she'd never felt before. And what better way to tell him than to bake a cake from scratch? Or at least as close to homemade as possible.
Finally in desperation she tried one last thing in the hopes that it would be even the least bit suitable. She worked quickly but carefully, letting her work of art (to use the term very lightly) cool on the cooling rack after removing it from the oven. Fortunately there were no signs of fire hazard, no smell of burning food. Perhaps things were looking up after all.
When it was ready, she mixed food coloring into the butter cream frosting, creating perfectly swirled shades of his favorite colors; blue and yellow. He was likely to think her daft, for it certainly was the silliest thing she'd ever done, but it was the best she could do. And she just hoped he'd understand.
She was just putting the finishing touch on her creation when the doorbell rang. She wiped her flour covered hands on her apron and brushed away her tears. She couldn't let him see her crying like this. It was completely daft and there was no reason-
The doorbell rang again and she rushed to answer it. Her heart fluttered at the sight of him, standing in the doorway. He looked so handsome in his grey suit and his tie; her favorite one (although she'd never told him), the light blue one with tiny yellow polka dots.
"H-hello, Dr. Crane."
"Hello Daphne. You look-." He paused and looked her up and down, and then she realized what she'd been wearing. "Oh God…."
Daphne glanced at her awful appearance; the apron covered in flour. "Don't be silly, Dr. Crane. I look horrible. But there's a reason for that."
"Daphne you could never look horrible."
She smiled and kissed his cheek. Despite his annoying quirks (and there were plenty), there was no denying how she felt. "Thank you Dr. Crane. Why don't you have a seat and I'll get you some tea?"
He sat down on his brother's sofa, but then looked around uneasily. "Thank you Daphne. Where's Dad? And Frasier?"
"Oh… they went out to dinner."
He was visibly hurt by this news and she suddenly wished she hadn't told him. The poor man, he just wanted to spend time with them.
"I'll be right back, okay? Just make yourself comfortable."
She retreated into the kitchen and removed her apron doing her best to clean herself up.
Minutes later, the creation placed carefully on a plate, adorned with a blue and yellow candle, she carried the glowing gift into the living room.
His face lit up in surprise. "Daphne, what's this?"
She couldn't hide her embarrassment as she walked toward him, handing him the silly blue and yellow cupcake.
"What's this?"
"I made this for you. Happy birthday."
At that moment, he looked as though he might cry. "Dr. Crane, are you all right?"
"Yes, I…. I can't believe this!"
"I know it's not a real birthday cake, and I'm sorry, but-."
He stood and gathered her into his arms for a hug that she would never forget.
"I can't thank you enough for this Daphne. It's the most wonderful thing you could have done."
"That's absurd. It's just a silly cupcake."
"You're the only one who remembered my birthday. That means the world to me."
She felt her cheeks flush as she glanced at the flickering candle. "Dr. Crane, there's something I need to say."
"Of course, Daphne. What's on your mind?"
"You."
His eyebrows rose. "Well that's flattering, Daphne, but I meant-."
"It's you, Dr. Crane. You're on my mind. You've always been on my mind. Seems I can't stop thinking about you, no matter how hard I try. And I don't really want to try."
"Daphne, are you saying-."
"I'm in love with you… Niles. I know it's wrong, but I can't help how I feel. I love you so much."
He engulfed her into his arms and kissed her passionately. And when he drew back, she was sure that he could hear the beating of her heart.
"I love you too, Daphne."
She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Y-you do?"
"Yes. I always have, and I always will."
They kissed again but she drew back suddenly, remembering. "Dr. Crane... Niles... Your cupcake! Don't forget to blow out the candle and make a wish!"
He blew out the candle and smiled as the thin stream of smoke drifted upward.
Daphne grinned. "May I ask what you wished for?"
"You."
His lips pressed gently against her nose, making her heart flutter. No man had ever done anything so sweet before. But Niles Crane wasn't like any other man she'd ever known.
The flattery was overwhelming and she could hardly believe it. "Dr. Crane... I mean, Niles... that's silly. Who wishes for a person, when they could have anything they wanted? Anything at all?"
He drew her toward him and kissed her again, a passionate kiss that she'd waited for her entire life. "I don't want anything more. My wish already came true."
THE END