Author's Note:I don't own these characters, so please don't sue. :) Many thanks to Leigh Ann (leighann415) and Sydney (Sydney3) for reading drafts of this. Also thanks to Andrea (iloveromance) for suggesting this idea to me, and for writing "Table for One," which kind of inspired this, too. Please don't forget to review! More chapters will be posted soon.
Niles and Daphne sat in their living room, admiring their newborn son as he slept in his crib. Though they had been parents for almost a month now, they still had trouble believing David was actually theirs. "I miss Frasier," Niles said, breaking the silence.
Daphne smiled at him sympathetically. "I know you do," she replied, kissing him. "But he said he'd fly back as often as he can to see the baby." She remembered how surprised she and the rest of the family had been when Frasier called from Chicago, rather than San Francisco. "Once he and Charlotte get settled in, I'm sure they'll come for a visit. You know Frasier can't wait to see how big his nephew has gotten!"
"He is remarkable, isn't he?" Niles asked. "Just like his mommy." He kissed Daphne on the cheek.
"Oh, Niles," Daphne replied, slightly embarrassed.
"It's true. I never thought I could love someone as much as I love you, but little David here has proven me wrong."
Daphne sighed contentedly. "I'll never know what I did to deserve you."
"Oh, my love, if anyone should be wondering about that, it's me." Niles put his arm around his wife.
After a few moments of blissful silence, Daphne asked, "Are you sure you don't mind me going out with Roz tonight?"
"Not at all," Niles replied. "I know you two haven't seen much of each other lately, with the baby, and her taking over KACL."
"That's true," Daphne admitted. "Thank goodness Alice has a slumber party tonight. Roz told me she's dying for a little 'girl time' after dealing with everything at the station these past few weeks."
Niles chuckled. Knowing Roz, the constant responsibility that came with being in charge must be a difficult adjustment for her. "I'm sure you two will have fun catching up," he said. "But David and I will be miserable here without you."
"Oh, Niles," Daphne said. "There you go again, being overly dramatic. I'm only going to be gone for a few hours." Niles looked at his wife in a way that reminded her of Eddie, whenever he was begging for a dog treat. Daphne smiled and kissed him. "Have I told you lately how adorable you are when you're like this?" she asked.
"Yes," Niles admitted. "But it's nice to be reminded." He kissed Daphne one more time. Just then, the doorbell rang.
Daphne opened the door to find Roz standing there, just as she'd expected. They immediately hugged. "So where is this baby of yours?" Roz exclaimed the moment she and Daphne had let go. She walked over to where his crib stood in front of the sofa. "Oh, he's adorable!"
"Thanks," Daphne replied proudly. "I think he looks just like Niles, but he says the same about me."
"Well, in my case, I was glad nobody ever said Alice looked like Rick's family!" Roz laughed, remembering the first time she met Rick's parents. She had been terrified her baby would inherit their abnormally large noses. Now, she could look back at the experience and laugh, but it hadn't seemed funny at the time.
"I think Alice has turned out quite well," Daphne replied. "Just think, in a few years, she'll be a teenager."
"Oh, please, don't remind me!" Roz said with a laugh. "She's already coming home from school and telling me which boys in her class are cute."
Daphne laughed, amazed that she and Roz had gone for so long without seeing each other. Well, this was their chance to make up for lost time. "Shall we go?" she asked.
Roz nodded, finally tearing her attention away from the crib. "Yeah, we should, if we want to get to the mall before it gets too crowded."
Daphne turned to her husband. "Are you sure you're OK with this? Because, if not, we could just stop off at your father's on the way..."
"Daphne, please, I'm a doctor. I'm sure I can handle taking care of my own son for a few hours," Niles said. "Dad and Ronee are newlyweds, they deserve a little time to themselves."
"All right," Daphne replied, kissing him once again. "I'll have me cellphone on if you need anything. Or else you can always call Ronee. She's the expert babysitter in the family!"
Niles chuckled. "I'll be fine. You two go and have fun."
After Roz and Daphne had said their goodbyes to Niles and David, they finally left for their girls' night out. Niles nervously watched his sleeping son, wondering if this would really be as easy as he'd said it would be.