Daphne made her way toward the living room, wishing she could take a break from cleaning, cooking and laundry. Niles often reminded her that they could easily hire a housekeeper, but Daphne insisted that since her only "job" was looking in on Martin, there was no reason she couldn't do housework. But that didn't mean that it didn't get overwhelming now and then.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw that the TV was on. It was the nightly news. Footage of the latest foreign conflict played onscreen. She shook her head, amazed to think that such things were now considered the norm. Then she noticed that David sat on the fainting couch, remote in hand. "Turn that off. You know you aren't supposed to watch television until your homework's done."

"Mom, this is homework. We're supposed to watch the news so we can discuss it in Current Events."

Daphne did her best to ignore the slight eyeroll which had accompanied her son's answer. The idea that a school could consider the news a worthy assignment was unthinkable. Before she could come up with a response, the picture on the screen changed, to a shooting. The caption on the screen said it had happened in Tacoma. The thought that such a thing could happen so close to home made Daphne's heart stop.

Just then, Niles emerged from his study. He immediately noticed the way Daphne stood frozen, while David's attention was focused on the TV. "My love, what's going on? Are you all right?"

"David's watching the news…." That was as much as she was able to get out, since she still remained in shock.

"It's for a school assignment," David said, not understanding why it was such a big deal.

"OK, David. Finish watching your news program, and then go back upstairs," Niles said, hoping his tone made it clear he meant business. Then he turned to Daphne, quietly slipping his hand in hers. He gently led her to the kitchen. "What's the matter?" he asked, when he was sure David was out of earshot.

"The news was showing a war scene. Then a shooting in Tacoma. David's too young to be watching that! I don't care what the bloody school says!"

Niles put his arms around her. "Sh," he whispered. "The news is scary. If I don't watch it on TV, it's in the paper, or someone's talking about it at Nervosa. Violence is everywhere these days. And I know it's scary to think of our son being exposed to that, but we can't raise him in a bubble. It's better that he begins to understand the world now instead of later. And if he has questions about what's going on, we'll answer them."

"I knew you'd say that," Daphne said, pulling out of the embrace. "You're a psychiatrist, so of course you'd look at this rationally. But he's me little boy. It was only a few years ago that he believed in the tooth fairy. Now he's learning that people will kill each other for any bloody reason."

A tear escaped down Daphne's cheek. Niles quickly brushed it away with his thumb. "I want to protect David as much as you do. But we can't. Besides, this is for David's school. We can't tell him not to do his homework."

"You're right," Daphne said, sighing. "I want David to be smart, just like you. He already is like you, actually. I see it every day."

"Thank you," Niles said, feeling a rush of pride. Although he often said that he didn't care what David was interested in, as long as he was happy, Niles was glad that his influence had rubbed off. He looked into Daphne's eyes, falling in love all over again. "There's some of you in him, too, you know." Niles smiled, thinking of how David could always be counted on to make a joke. Daphne's sense of humor was one of the things Niles had always loved about his wife, even before he'd been able to tell her how he felt.

Daphne smiled, grateful that Niles always seemed to know what to say when she was upset. She hugged him tightly.

Niles sighed. Being in her arms could never get old. "You know, there's a chance David could end up being someone who works to end violence. I know when Frasier and I were growing up, Mom and Dad used to discuss cases over dinner. Homicide isn't usually a family's typical evening conversation, but it definitely led us to want to understand why things like that happen, so that maybe we could help someone before a life could be lost."

Daphne had never thought about that. Of course Martin and his wife must've brought their work home. It was inevitable that their two sons would hear about it. But she hadn't considered what kind of effect it had on Frasier and Niles. "I'm glad you and Frasier wanted to help people. If Martin and your mum hadn't talked about their work, maybe you and Frasier would've grown up to be something else."

"I am, too, my love," Niles said, pulling her close once more. He was beyond grateful that his life had led to this, the hapiness he shared with Daphne and David.

As Daphne felt Niles gently rubbing her back, she began to feel better. The world was still a scary place, and the idea of something happening to David frightened her more than she could say. But, no matter what happened, she and Niles would face it together. As long as she remembered that, everything was all right.

The End