Loving Each Other
Daphne was able to catch Niles before he left with Mel to the cabin. Mel was at the drugstore, picking up bug spray and ointment just in case any bugs decided to bother them during their trip.
Niles was busying himself with folding his silk pajamas when the doorbell rang. Thinking Mel forgot something-she had only left a few minutes ago-he smoothed out his pajamas before answering the door, surprised to see not Mel standing there, but Daphne.
"Daphne. What are you doing here?"
"Dr. Crane, I need to speak with you."
"Oh, now? I'm expecting Mel any minute. We're off to her friend's cabin for the weekend."
Daphne nodded. "I'm afraid it's urgent, and if I don't talk about this now, I might just throw up."
"Wait, what?"
"I feel sick to my stomach."
He looked sympathetic. Though he told Frasier he had gotten over Daphne, it didn't stop him from being worried if she was ill or hurt.
"Yes, come in, Daphne. I'm sure it won't matter if Mel and I are a bit late."
Daphne gave him a grateful smile as she shrugged past him into his apartment. She remembered being here only a week before, in her favorite dress (which was ruined by Simon, the big oaf), expecting Niles to tell her how he felt about her. The disappointment in realizing that he had only brought her over so they could celebrate her bridal shower made her realize that she had fallen in love with him. If there was to be a bridal shower, she wanted it with him. No, she couldn't think like that! She just had to tell Niles how she felt about him, and then stuff those feelings in the back of her mind. She couldn't just leave Donny, not now! Oh, why didn't she realize how she felt sooner? As soon as she came to terms with her feelings, there was a prickly sensation at the back of her head that told her she always had something for Niles. She just always brushed it off because she thought he couldn't be interested in a woman like her compared to Maris or Mel, who were both so refined and had exquisite taste in everything Niles was interested in.
"You alright?" His soft voice brought her out of her daze. She realized she was standing in front of the closed door like some sort of fool.
Blushing, Daphne nodded and made her way to sit on the fainting couch.
Again, another memory bubbled into her brain. It was two years ago, she thought, as she ran her hand over the cushion. She had just had a huge fight with Martin's current girlfriend, Sherry, and in the middle of the Great Seattle Heatwave, she came to the Montana. She remembered running ice over her steamed skin, and how close she had come to giving herself completely to Niles.
"Daphne?" He asked again, taking a seat next to her. "What do you need to talk to me about?"
Daphne bit down her lip, her heart racing like mad. Where was she to begin? "Well, it started out with..." At that moment the door opened, and it was Mel, carrying a plastic bag from the drugstore.
"Niles," she said. "Oh, hello, Daphne. What brings you here?"
"There was something she needed to talk to me about," Niles explained. "Go on, Daphne."
"You know what? Maybe it wasn't so important after all..." Daphne said with a smile. She couldn't possibly say anything with Mel standing right there. She got up from the couch, her legs shaky, and made her way into the kitchen. She opened up the trashcan, and the contents of her stomach poured out painfully.
"Daphne?" Niles's voice rang from the other side of the door. He opened the door to the kitchen, the sight of Daphne on her knees with her head in the trashcan causing him to race to her. "Daphne, are you alright?"
"Don't worry about me, really, Dr. Crane." She wiped her eyes. "You and Mel have a wonderful weekend. It's just wedding jitters."
Niles stroked Daphne's back gently, his fingers running over the fabric of her dress. "Daphne, you don't have to put on a brave face for me. We're friends, you know."
"Yes, friends." Because I was too stupid to notice how you felt before it was too late.
"Mel! It wouldn't hurt if we left in about fifteen minutes, would it? It only takes about two hours to get there."
"Niles, it's going to be very dark by the time we get there," Mel replied.
"I know, darling, but I think I should tend to Daphne right now." He smiled softly at Daphne.
"Alright," Mel said. "I'll be in the bedroom, repacking my suitcase. I'm sure I can do it better."
Niles helped Daphne to her feet. "She's an organized little one, isn't she?" He said fondly. He plucked a tissue from the counter and wiped Daphne's lips. "Better?" He asked.
"Yes."
"Come on."
He led Daphne back into the living room and onto the fainting couch.
"Now, tell me what you need to say."
Daphne was still hesitant. Mel was upstairs right now, and there was every chance she could hear them. Still... she came here to talk to Niles, and that was what she was going to do.
"Do you remember when your brother was having back problems?" She started.
"Yeah, that was a few months ago, wasn't it?"
"Right. Well, I overheard him talking about me, and saying how he loved me."
Niles was a bit confused, but he assumed Frasier meant he loved Daphne in a purely platonic way. He hoped.
"Anyway," she went on. "I went to give him a massage to help his back. And he was hopped on painkillers, and..." She didn't want to tell him every little thing that happened in that moment. She had to get to the point. "And when I asked your brother about his loving me, he told me that it was platonic, but you..." This was what Daphne feared. Seeing Niles's pupils dilate as he put two and two together. "...you were the one who had feelings for me in a different sense."
"Oh, my god," was all Niles could say. "He told you that? I'm going to kill him. Daphne, I am so sorry."
"It's true, then?"
He stared at her for a moment before saying, "Yes. It's true. I had feelings for you. Very strong feelings. I didn't want you to find out."
Daphne felt her heart break. "Had" as in past tense? She shouldn't have come over here. She felt absolutely foolish. Despite her efforts, the tears would not hold.
"Daphne, why are you crying?" Niles raised his hand to wipe tears from her eyes. She closed her eyes at the sensation of his touch. "It's Frasier's fault, you know."
"It's not that."
"What is it?"
"Dr. Crane..." She pushed his hand away. "You don't feel that way about me anymore?"
"Well, no. Daphne, I couldn't let my feelings drive my life. I'm with Mel now, and I'm very happy. And you're going to be happy with Donny. It's all fine."
"No, it isn't. Dr. Crane, I feel that way about you."
Niles was stunned, to say the least. After staring at her in disbelief with what seemed like a lifetime, he let out the breath he didn't known he had been holding. "W-what?" He asked weakly.
"I said I'm in love with you."
"You can't be... why now?"
"It took me until Dr. Crane's telling me to realize I had feelings for you. And it wasn't until the day of the bridal shower, I came to terms that I was in love with you. Then, they got even worse with the therapist." She let out a soft sob.
"Y-you can't just come in here and tell me you love me, Daphne." Niles was confused and angry, but most of all, hurt. "Not when I've been with Mel for six months. If you had told me this months ago, when I just started seeing her, things might have been different. I love her, Daphne, and you have no right to believe I will throw that away for you. You couldn't expect me to stay so hopelessly in love with like I was." He sighed. "I think it's best if you go. I will see you at the rehearsal dinner."
It took Daphne a moment to take in what he was saying. With a small nod, she took her purse and left the Montana.
Mel came down the stairs, holding her suitcase in her hands. "Ready to go, Niles?"
Mel's voice brought him out of his stupor, and he turned to face her. "Yes, let's go."
The entire drive to the Mel's friend's cabin was a silent one. Mel tried several times to engage Niles in conversation, but each time she was met with one-line, ungenuine responses. She spent her time with her head pressed against the window, watching the scenery as it blurred by.
Niles's mind, however, was occupied by Daphne, her words, and his guilt. How could he say such awful things to her? This woman was his savior, whether he cared to admit it to her or not. She was the reason for the increase of smiles upon his face. And though she had broken his heart on more than occasion-unknowingly-he could never separate himself from her. Now that he went and acted like a complete ass, he wouldn't be surprised if she never wanted to see him again.
Two hours later, Niles and Mel arrived at the cabin.
"Oh, smell that lovely woodsy air!" Mel exclaimed.
"I can't. I'm allergic to almost half of the things in the woods," Niles replied. "Though, I must admit, the air here is rather crisp."
Mel opened the door to the cabin. It was a lovely place that had a small kitchen, bedroom, living room, and bathroom. She put her suitcase on next to the couch, and Niles followed her actions.
"So, what did Daphne want to talk about?" She asked, sitting on the couch with her legs crossed.
"Oh, she just wanted to ask if we wanted chicken or salmon for the wedding." He took out a handkerchief and clamped it to his nose. "Sorry, allergies," he told Mel, which only caused the blood to flow a bit faster.
"Chicken or salmon? That's what was so urgent?"
"Well, she's a bride-to-be. Wedding planning is always so nerve racking."
"Was it like that for you and Maris?"
Niles sat down next to her, wiping his nose free of blood before pocketing the handkerchief before Mel could see it. "No. We just hired everyone who worked for her. They knew about all her allergies and her likes and dislikes. They just went from there." He sighed. It was a grand wedding, yes, but Niles wanted something more from it.
"If you were to get married again, what would you want in a wedding?" He noticed the hint of hope in mel's voice, and his fear was bubbling again. He he told Frasier his hesitation didn't have anything to do with Daphne; now, he wasn't so sure.
"Oh... let's see. I would want a small ceremony, with friends and family. Frasier, Dad, Roz,.
"Daphne And Donny."
"Right, Daphne and Donny. A lovely aria playing. Flowers, ones I'm not allergic to, of course." He chuckled. "A selection of food to die for... and of course, my bride, with a dress like a cascade of snow falling down her legs and flowing around her." He sighed wistfully. "And she would meet me at the altar, her eyes staring right into my very soul..."
Mel chuckled softly, pressing her head against his shoulder. "Sounds lovely."
"Yes." He put his arm around her small frame. The bride in his head wasn't Mel, though. It was Daphne, just as it had been in the numerous times he had imagined this scenario. "Let's get some dinner."
"Sounds good." Mel kissed his cheek.
The two of them left the cabin in search of a nearby restaurant, and Daphne was on his mind the rest of the night.
Niles wondered how Daphne was doing. He had broken her heart intentionally, and all he wanted to do was back to her and engulf in his arms and apologize for everything.
It was the second of night of his getaway with Mel, and they were going to head back to the city tomorrow morning. He really couldn't wait that long to make sure everything was alright with Daphne, but his phone didn't get service up here, so fat chance of that. Not to mention, Mel had turned off both of their phones so they could have a weekend of relaxation.
Niles was in the living room, fiddling with his cufflinks, waiting for Mel to get ready.
"Let's go," she announced. she was wearing a long black dress that showed off her curves. Despite the fact that he was thinking of daphne, he couldn't help but admire Mel at this moment.
"You look lovely," he told her, giving her a small peck.
"Thank you, and you're looking very handsome yourself."
"Shall we?" He offered her his arm, and she took it without a second thought.
At the restaurant, Mel took no time at all in delving into the topic she had been wanting to talk to him about: Taking things to the next level.
"Niles, really, we've been together for six months," she urged. "We're clearly not splitting up anytime soon, so why not?"
"Mel, it's just..."
"Darling, I love you. In fact, I love you so much, that I am willing to skip that step and move straight to the next one."
"The next one?"
"Marriage."
Niles nearly choked on his wine. "M-Marriage? Isn't that a bit soon?"
"Some people have known each other for a lot less time before getting married. I think we're perfect for each other."
But, how would that make Daphne feel? Niles thought.
"I thought about it all last night," Mel went on. "When you were talking about your dream wedding. Now, I know it's not going to be how you planned, but I think we can make this work." She took his hand from over the table and smiled. "I want to be that bride, whose eyes stare into your very soul. Tonight."
Niles glanced up from their join hands to her eyes. Why did he ever think he was over Daphne? Would marrying Mel change that, or would his heart always belong to that charming Englishwoman?
Roz had just been arguing with Simon, and as she opened the door, Niles was standing there.
"Oh, hey, Niles," Roz said. "Simon, I mean it, get away from me!"
"Stop playing hard to get," Simon chortled.
Roz expected Niles to come up with some backhanded remark about her own sex life, but he didn't say anything about it. "Excuse me!" Niles yelled over them. "Would anyone of you know where I could find Daphne?"
"She went into the elevator with Frasier after trying to kill her brother. Simon says she's pregnant or something."
"What?!"
"I'm sure it's not true," Roz said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get away." She let out a disgusted groan. The things she did to keep her pride.
"I'll walk you to the garage," Simon offered.
"You don't need to do that."
"It's no trouble; I live down there."
Roz rolled her eyes as Simon locked arms with her and took her out of the apartment.
Niles sat down on the sofa, twiddling with his fingers as he waited for Frasier and Daphne to return.
"Oh, my god," Daphne whispered when she opened the door and saw Niles. She tried to turn around to run, but Frasier blocked her.
"You need to talk to him," he told her.
"But..."
"I know, but you can't keep this between the two of you. I'll go get Dad so you can privacy," he told Niles.
Daphne stood awkwardly by the door, shifting from foot to foot. She hoped she didn't see him until the rehearsal dinner, but he was here half the time anyway, it was impossible not to run into him before then.
"Come on, Dad. I need to get something from the drugstore," Frasier said, taking Martin by the arm and leading him toward the door.
"Go yourself. I'm watching a program!" Martin protested.
"Can't you see they want to talk?" He whispered, gesturing to Niles and Daphne, and Martin got the picture.
"Oh. Well, let's go to the drugstore then. Come on, Eddie!" Eddie tore out of the kitchen and skidded to the half before Martin's feet. He fastened the leash to his collar. "See you two later." Frasier and Martin edged around Daphne to get out.
"Sit with me?" Niles offered, patting the spot next to him.
"Thank you, but I prefer to stand."
"Okay." He grabbed the water bottle that stood on the coffee table and started tearing the label off of it. "Daphne, I must apologize for my brutish behavior the other day. There was no excuse for it..."
"No!" She yelled. "You had every right to be angry with me! You were with Mel, and I shouldn't have come to tell you how I felt." She took a few steps toward him. "I'm the one who's sorry, Dr. Crane. I nearly destroyed your relationship."
Niles stopped tearing the table and got up from the sofa. He was mere inches from Daphne, his blue eyes staring right into her brown ones.
"You did, you know," he told her.
"What?"
"Destroy my relationship."
"Dr. Crane, I..."
Her words were cut short when Niles dropped the bottle of water on the floor and pressed his lips against his. Her eyes fluttered shut, and her arms wound around his neck, pulling him closer to her.
When he broke the kiss, he pressed his forehead to hers with a smile. "I ended it with her, Daphne. I told you I loved you, but I can't lie to you... I'm still in love with you. Always have been, always will be..."
"Dr. Crane," Daphne started.
"Shh... you know, you can call me "Niles.'"
A smile broke across her features. "Niles."
Upon hearing his name on her lips, he captured them again with his own.
"What about Donny?" He couldn't help asking.
"I'll talk to him... I'll take any consequences," she told him.
"And I'll help you with anything you need," he said softly.
The door opened seconds later, and Eddie tore into the living room to jump on Daphne's leg happily.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Frasier asked with a smile. "Everything work out, then?"
"Oh, yes," Niles replied.
"Finally!" Martin cheered. "Of course, there's the matter of Donny and Mel."
"Mel is taken care of her. I ended it because there was someone else too much on my mind." He kissed Daphne's cheek. "Someone who has been on my mind for six long years."
Daphne giggled. "And Niles and I agreed we'd both settle things with Donny, and take any consequences."
Frasier poured four glasses of wine, ignoring Martin's pleas for a beer. He lifted his glass. "Let me the first to toast the two of you. To Niles and Daphne."
"Hear, hear!" A voice said from the doorway. Roz grinned. "Left my purse, and I couldn't help but overhear." She rushed into the apartment, and took the glass of wine Martin offered her.
"I wanted beer," he told Frasier with a huff when his son gave him a glare. He limped into the kitchen and returned with an ice cold Ballantine. "I'm good."
Frasier, Niles, Daphne, Martin, and Roz clinked their drinks together.
Despite all the setbacks, Niles and Daphne knew they made the right decisions, and that they couldn't truly be happy without the other by their side.
The End