Author's Notes:Well,
y'all, here it is, the third and final part of the Niles and Daphne Trilogy. I
would like to thank all of you for the positive feedback about the first 2
episodes, and I hope you like this one too.
This one is going to be a bit shorter than the previous parts mainly
because parts 2 and 3 were written as one continuous story and I didn't split
it up exactly evenly. Also, this is a great deal more deamatic and emotionally
charged than any of the others as well, I like to think that each episode had
its own character. But anyways, I'll just shut up and let ya read it.
"Encore"
By
Tim Shaw (aka EvilTim)
Frasier went home furious that his
brother would do something so rash, so selfish, so unscrupulous, especially
behind his back. He had to make them come to their senses. When he arrived at
the apartment, Niles was nowhere around and Daphne was out walking Eddie, so he
settled for griping to Martin, who essentially gave him the same advice as Roz:
Don't interfere, stay out of it. But as usual, Frasier would not listen.
A little while later, Daphne
returned with Eddie, and Frasier wasted no time confronting her, catching her
as soon as she removed her coat.
"Daphne?"
"Yes, Dr. Crane?"
"May I have a word with
you?"
"I suppose" (suspicious).
"I was informed today by a
friend that you and Niles were at the Nervosa together, and from what she saw
you two were being VERY 'affectionate'. Now I want to know: what's going
on?"
Daphne became quite indignant.
"Well, maybe it's none of your bloody business!"
"She's right Frasier. And I
don't want to be involved in this," said Martin, and he left for his room.
"Daphne, when my brother and
my father's health care worker become romantically involved, it IS my
business."
Seeing no way to avoid having to
explain, Daphne told Frasier the whole story. She tried to make him promise not
to talk to Niles about it, but to no avail. Finally, furious, she left and
headed to Roz's apartment.
--------------------
Two hours later, Niles stopped by.
Frasier barely even greeted him. "Niles, a word with you?"
"What is it?" he asked,
innocently.
"WHAT is going on between you
and Daphne? Cassandra saw you two together at the Nervosa, and Daphne told me
the whole story earlier. How could you take advantage of her like that?"
Niles replied, annoyed:
"Frasier, she felt horrible that night, she needed someone to talk to, and
she turned to me. Due to the storm, she had to stay the night, and it just sort
of-happened-there was no planning involved, I was just trying to comfort
her."
"By SLEEPING with her?!?
Niles, don't you realize that by taking advantage of her in a vulnerable
position you could be endangering your relationship?"
"I did NOT take advantage of
her, Frasier! There were TWO people there that night! I'm not listening to any
more of this!" he said, furious, and rushed out the door.
When he went home that night,
however, Niles began to wonder if his brother was right. He decided to approach
Daphne and see if her feelings were genuine. He didn't want to mess this up by
rushing into it, as had done with Kit or Adele. No, he decided, best to talk to
her about it tomorrow.
--------------------
The next day, Daphne had stopped by
the Montana for the evening. Niles was nervous but resolute, he had decided
that it would indeed be necessary to bring it up.
"Daphne," he began,
"I need to talk to you about something."
"Well, what is it?"
"I've been thinking, Daphne,
that I may have taken advantage of your position that night, and maybe we
should let things cool off for awhile until we get emotionally sorted
out."
"Why's that? I feel perfectly
comfortable with our relationship....wait a minute...Did your brother have
anything to do with this?"
"Well...not exactly," he
said, but she could easily tell he was lying.
"Oh...I KNEW it! Don't lie to
me, Niles" (getting angry)
"Well it's just that he
thought perhaps my feelings for you have clouded my ability to think
rationally, and the more I thought about it, the more I agreed."
Daphne went on, still getting
angrier: "Why IS it that you psychiatrists have to analyze everything so
much? Either you're in love with me, or you're not. And I don't think I can be
in a relationship with a man who has so little confidence in himself that he
lets his brother make decisions for him. I want a man strong enough to stand up
and fight for our relationship. And I'm sorry, Niles, but until you decide to
run your own life, I don't think that I can be in a relationship with you. It's
either him or me, Niles, and it can't be both." And she left, shaken and,
by then, in tears.
Niles just stood in disbelief and
shock. Was this ALL? He never pictured his life with Daphne to end so soon, and
certailny not like THIS. Still standing there, he drifted deep into his
thoughts.
Perhaps she was right, he thought.
He preferred to avoid confrontations with Frasier (and most anyone else) by
being rather passive, and he had been conditioned also by years of Maris'
manipulative and controlling behavior. Not to mention that all his life he had
to live in the shadow of his egocentric celebrity brother. He shouldn't have
listened to Frasier, he should have gone on instinct. He knew he and daphne
were meant to be together, he knew what he did was not only right, but
necessary for himself.
And he had felt some of his
confidence return lately after Daphne had not rejected him, he felt valued by
her, felt important to someone for once, and now she didn't want to be with
him, and maybe he deserved it for being so weak and spineless.
He was unable to get to sleep that
night, becoming angry at himself and gradually, more and more, at Frasier. Who
did his brother think he was to interfere in his or Daphne's personal life?
At length, he finally decided he
had no other choice but to go over to Frasier's and tell him off, to stand up
to him for once in his life. He decided it would be the next evening.
--------------------
He headed over to Frasier's
apartment still fuming, ready to denounce his brother once and for all. He rang
the doorbell to see his brother with an apologetic look on his face, but Niles
ignored it.
"Hello, Niles," Frasier
said in a sympathetic voice. Daphne had told him they broke up, but not the
real reason for it. But he knew it was hard for Niles.
"Frasier," he said with
deliberation, "May I speak with you in the kitchen?"
"Umm...sure, Niles."
Frasier and Niles went into the
kitchen, when unknown to them, Daphne had just opened the door to go out into
the hall to get Eddie for his walk, but she stopped in the hallway as soon as
she heard the Crane brothers talking in the kitchen.
"Really, Niles, I'm sorry, but
you did the right thing"
"Oh DID I, Frasier? Look what
you made me DO!" By this point he was angrier than he had ever been in his
life, his heart raced, he began to sweat profusely as adrenaline went surging
through his body, and he seemed to literally see red, and he started to shout
at his brother at the top of his lungs and once he started he could no longer
control himself.
"You've ruined the happiest
moments of my life!"
"Well, Niles, I
understand..."
"Oh you DO, do you? Have you,
Frasier, ever loved a woman 6 YEARS, waiting, hoping, clinging to the thinnest
shred of hope that someday, she might be yours, all the while having to see her
with a parade of other men, and NEVER able to tell her how you felt? And what a
relationship expert YOU are, Frasier, with 2 failed marriages and your endless
string of casual 'relationships' and weekend flings and one-night stands, what
do YOU know? You're lucky to stay in a relationship for 6 WEEKS. I loved Daphne
for 6 YEARS, Frasier."
"Well," said Frasier,
getting angry since Niles had hit close to home, "I didn't want you to do
something you might regret."
Niles paused a moment, seeming to
cool down, and replied softly but dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, how
'thoughtful' of you. Yes, I might someday regret FINDING A SHRED OF HAPPINESS!!
Frankly, I'm sick and tired of you seeing me as your little brother who needs
help running his life. I'm sick to your quick fix, 5 minute approach,
radio-show style of 'advice.' Who do you think you are to judge me? And let me
tell you 1 more thing. If it comes down between my brother and the woman I am
in love with, well, Frasier, for once in your life you're coming in second
place. Daphne doesen't want me anymore and the sight of you makes me sick...I'm
moving away, Frasier, leaving Seattle, to get away from Daphne and to escape
your selfishness and jealousy for good?"
Niles thundered out, actually
slamming the door hard enough to shake the walls.
"Oh my God, what have I
done?" Frasier asked himself, stunned.
Daphne, too, stood in disbelief.
--------------------
The next day, Niles was packing his
belongings to move to LA to join a group of psyciatrists headed by an old
friend from grad school who had offered him a job. Hopefully, Niles could start
a new life. He felt completely humiliated, realizing that Daphne was right, he
WAS spineless after all. Just like him now, running away from his problems. How
fitting. He was still recovering from his outburst at Frasier's the other
night, still horribly angry at his brother, and angry at himself as well. He
had never been so angry at anyone in his whole life. He was still packing,
feeling angry and depressed, when Daphne entered, using the key he had given
her.
"Niles..." she began,
"Frasier sent me here to talk to you...he says he is deeply sorry about
yesterday."
"Oh he's 'sorry' is he?"
"Yes. He's been horribly
depressed ever since, and he wishes you'd reconsider and come talk to
him."
"He's wasting his breath,
Daphne. I don't want any more of his 'advice.' And I'm sorry, Daphne, that I
listened to him the first time. I had NOTHING to regret with you. But you're
right, you deserve a better man than me, someone who is willing to go out on a
limb for you, and I guess I'm not that man."
"Actually, Niles, there's
another reason I came here. I don't want you to go, either."
"Oh, Daphne, I couldn't bear
to see you every day and be reminded of my failure every day. It will be just
like old times, but without hope. I had a wonderful time with you, Daphne, but
I blew it. But I do want you to know it was my one moment of true happiness.
And I'm sorry I let you down."
"Really, I WAS listening in on
what you said to Dr. Crane the other night, and I realized that I might have
been wrong."
"Oh, how so?"
"Well, you said you loved me
so much that you would choose me over your brother's goodwill, well, I thought
about it more and more and I guess it changed my mind. I guess you're a
stronger person than I thought."
"Really?....So does this
mean..."
"Yes, I think it does, Niles.
You're worth a second chance. I don't want to lose you. I'll move to LA with
you if I have to."
"Well, I don't think I want to
go there anymore."
"Really, Niles!"
"Yes, Daphne. You're great
with Dad and we have so many good friends here like Roz and Donny."
"Well then, Dr. Niles Crane,
if I were you I wouldn't unpack all of those things just yet...after all,
where's all my things supposed to go?"
"You mean you want to move
in...here...with me??"
"Oh, some intellectual you
are," she said teasingly. "I talked to Dr. Crane and your father
about it. I'll be close by, I can still come over to help Mr. Crane with his
exercises and if anything happens, I'll be close by so I can run over quickly."
"And Frasier agreed?"
"It was partially his
idea...and he hopes you can forgive him."
"Well...in that case, maybe I
will."
Then he took her in his arms once
again and they kissed.
THE END
OF THE
NILES AND
DAPHNE
TRILOGY