Five years. Well, five years and a day. It had been five years since Daphne had told Niles that she loved him. Five years ago today that she had broke both of their hearts and fulfilled her promise to marry Donny. She had only seen him twice since that day. Immediately upon returning from her honeymoon, she cut herself out of the Cranes' lives as quickly as she could. Staying was just far too painful. Having to see the man she loved and couldn't be with was more than she could handle on a daily basis. She loved him enough to stay away. She knew that it would be just as hard for him to see her as it was for her to see him.
The day Daphne left him behind, Niles couldn't attend the wedding. He couldn't watch the woman that he had loved for so long marrying someone else. Therefore, as she walked down the aisle, he imagined what their life together would have been like. Their first dates. The first time they slept together. Moving in together. Proposing to the woman he loved. Marrying Daphne. The family they would have together. Growing old side by side.
When Mel finally found him after the end of the ceremony, she yelled at him and he took it. He knew that he deserved it. He loved Daphne and yet had married someone else. Then, when he had the chance to be with her, it was too late. If he had known, he never would have married Mel. He was certain that it was his marriage that had kept her from stopping the wedding, not her commitment to Donny. If he had been unattached, he knew that it would have had a different ending. She would have never walked down that aisle. He hated himself for ever agreeing to marry Mel. Finally, sick of the yelling, he walked away from her. When they arrived back home, he moved in with Frasier until she vacated his apartment, never taking her on the honeymoon he promised her. It would take four painful years to end the marriage. Every minute missing Daphne, wanting desperately to see her but knowing that it was not a good idea.
The next time they saw each other was the day that Fredrick graduated from high school. Freddie wanted Daphne and his uncle both there. Niles almost cancelled at the last minute, his divorce being almost final, he wasn't sure if he would be able to see her without wanting to do something about it. He also didn't think he could watch Daphne and Donny together, even after all the time that had passed. Daphne attended the graduation alone. It seemed that whenever Donny didn't want to do something he was always too busy with work to get away. The look on Niles' face told Daphne that she shouldn't be alone with him. She didn't think she could be strong enough to say no a second time. So much of her wanted to run to him and beg him to give her a second chance. Life with Donny was hard but she was determined to make it work. She had made her choice. She couldn't walk away now. Niles tried to get her alone despite himself and she fought it with every ounce of her being, unable to keep their eyes off each other. The moment she left, he broke down again, having to ride back with his father, unable to drive his own car home. She cried the whole drive home and was thankful that Donny wasn't home to see her tear-stained face.
Less than a year later, they had to meet again at Martin's funeral. A sudden heart attack had taken him from them and Daphne knew that she couldn't miss this. He had been her friend and they had been practically family to her. Niles was finally free, but his heart was completely broken. He had lost his father and his second marriage had failed. Again, they were both alone. Donny and his new secretary were out of town, working on a high profile divorce case – a real breakthrough for his career. Daphne suspected, but could not prove, that he was having an affair. Part of her felt ashamed that she hoped it was true because it would mean the marriage would end. She knew that she should leave him, but had yet to find the determination to do so. Niles was so depressed that he was barely keeping his practice going. After Mel, he completely gave up on the whole idea of falling in love again. He knew that there would be no one else for him because Daphne was all he could see. When Daphne ended up next to Niles, she didn't pull away when he grabbed her hand. She could see the pain in his eyes and the tears he desperately didn't want to shed. Niles had reached for her hand without thinking about it. Every ounce of him was fighting to maintain control. Daphne was the only thing keeping him from losing it completely. As the crowd moved from the funeral to the reception, Niles pulled her away from the prying eyes and held her. She stayed in his arms as long as he needed her. She couldn't bring herself to pull away from him. Holding her was like a dream and four words escaped that he never meant to loose again. When he whispered, "I love you, Daphne," every last ounce of her wanted to return his sentiment. He looked into her eyes as tears streamed down her face for a moment before he softly murmured, "I know you can't say it, but I hope that somehow you still feel the same, my love." Every piece of him wanted to hear her deny it and tell him that she loved him. Not able to help herself, she leaned in and pressed her lips gently to his, before turning out of his arms and almost running back to the crowd who had gathered to say goodbye. Niles was heartbroken in so many ways. Losing his father and then watching her run away from him – again. She wanted so badly to heal the hurt that she had caused but she knew that the only way to do that would be to sacrifice someone else's happiness. She left the funeral hours early, not able to stand and watch Niles any longer. Niles could hardly keep his eyes off her and when she was out of sight, he broke down completely, unable to even keep up appearances anymore. Just as Daphne reached her car, Frasier caught up with her and handed her a note from his father with a hug and without a word.
When she arrived at home, Donny's latest car was in the drive. Quietly, she crept in, not wanting to disturb him. Often when he returned from these trips lately, he would be asleep when she found him and very cross if she accidently woke him. It seemed though that he was always angry with her these days. No matter what she did, he was angry. Even the smallest thing could cause a huge fight. Now he was pressing for children but she couldn't bring herself to think about having children with a man who fought with her constantly. She felt bad but she found herself pushing him away as often as possible simply so she wouldn't have to attempt to act like she loved him. When she arrived back in their bedroom, she heard the shower running. She took a deep breath and opened the door. Through the glass doors, she saw Donny in the arms of his secretary. She looked behind her and wasn't quite sure how she had missed the clothes on his side of the bed. She grabbed a camera and snapped a few shots. She never wanted to look at them but she knew that her case for ending this sham of a marriage was going to be much stronger with them. Donny's career had made her wary of attempting a divorce without grounds for it. As she shut the door behind her, she heard a very feminine, "What was that?" Then Donny responded with, "No one, the little woman won't be back for hours yet. Don't worry your little head about it."
Daphne smiled and for a moment, she didn't understand why. Her marriage had just spectacularly fallen apart. She had no desire to mend it. She couldn't stop the grin that was spreading over her face and after a moment, she knew it was because she was going to be able to answer Niles today after all. She pulled out a pen and a piece of paper and wrote;
Donny,
I came home early from the funeral. I couldn't bear to be around such sadness, especially after I cut the Cranes from our lives. I was hoping to find you home, which I did, however I wasn't planning to find you in the shower with someone else.
I should be furious. I should be storming into that bathroom and making a scene but I'm not. You're not worth it. Besides, you just gave me the best anniversary gift ever. Did you even remember that was today? Your anniversary gift to me is my freedom. I'll get the divorce papers filed as soon as possible. I was never happy with you and I'm just relieved to get out. I hope you're happy. I'll send someone for my things soon. If you go looking for your camera, don't bother, I have it. I took some pictures my lawyer will find interesting. Don't call me. I'll call you or my lawyer will.
Daphne
She left the letter in the middle of the bed they had shared for five years. She threw together an overnight bag and almost ran for her car, hitting the end of the driveway just as Donny flung the front door open, his face masked in shock. She waved at him with a smile as she drove away, happy to be escaping a life she never should have had. She would figure out her divorce tomorrow. Today she was going to Niles – finally.
When she arrived at the Montana, she was surprised to find the same doorman occupying the desk. When she explained that she was here to see Dr. Crane, he smiled and said, "Miss Moon, I regret to inform you that Dr. Crane has yet to arrive at home. I can tell him you've been by."
She thought quickly and said, "I have a key. I'll head on up if you don't mind."
He nodded and gestured towards the elevator. She took it up to his apartment and sat by his front door. She felt something poking her from her jacket pocket and reached in to find the letter from Mr. Crane waiting for her. In her rush to get away from Niles and then back to him, she had yet to open it. She carefully pulled the envelope open and began to read.
Daphne,
I hope that you are somehow reading this in my son's arms. I hope that someday you realize how much Niles really loves you. I know that you love him. Life is too short to waste in a relationship that isn't centered around love. Divorce is a small price to pay when you could have real love. Do an old man a favor and tell my boy how much you love him.
Love,
Martin Crane
Daphne sobbed as she read the note again. How he knew was beside her, but he was right. She had been wasting her time with Donny. She had never been happy with him. Everyone had seen it, even her four-year-old niece who had commented on the fact that Daphne was the saddest bride she had ever seen. She had done her best to fake her way through it but it had only gotten worse from there. She wondered if she wasn't part of the reason her marriage had fallen apart. Her heart had never been in it. Her heart had always belonged to someone else. The stubborn old man was right. She needed to move on and be happy. Niles was the love of her life. It was time to move on.
Daphne was lost in her own thoughts when the elevator doors opened and someone emerged from the lift. The shadows kept her from understanding who it was until he grabbed her roughly and yanked her to her feet. He laughed and slurred out, "You're leaving me for the pathetic and spineless Niles Crane? You've got to be joking!"
Daphne shot back, "It doesn't matter to you what I do now. I caught you red handed, you cheating little bastard. Literally red handed since your first was full of your secretary's red hair. Thanks to that decision, I am no longer your concern. Now let me go!"
Donny sneered at her and barked, "You're coming with me. I'll not be left simply for having a bit of fun."
"I believe the lady told you to let her go. Do it. Now!" a voice commanded from the opening elevator.
Daphne turned her head to see an irate inebriated Niles glaring at Donny. Donny simply laughed and said, "What can you possibly do about it? My wife and I are leaving. Now."
He pulled her towards the elevator and Niles said, "Daphne, do you want to go with him?"
She shook her head and Niles pulled back and hit Donny with every ounce of force he had. He released his hold on Daphne and stumbled back into the open elevator. Quickly Niles threw Daphne his keys and turned to face Donny while Daphne let herself into the apartment, locking the door behind her.
Niles was left to face Donny on his own. He was thankful that Daphne was safe and he could now focus on dealing with the angry man in front of him. He wasn't quite sure what had happened and why he had acted so far outside of his area of comfort but in the moment, he had simply known that he couldn't allow this man to take Daphne away from him – again.
Danny struggled to his feet and roared, "You're going to regret hitting me, Niles."
He moved quickly towards Niles who quickly stammered out, "Donny, I would do anything for Daphne, even engaging in a violent exchange of blows if necessary. It would be better if you bowed out now. At this point, I can claim that you grabbed her from emotional distress. If you start something now, I can guarantee that this will hurt your divorce case, something you full well know. You will let her go because it is the right thing to do. Now go!"
Donny glared at him, the hatred evident in his eyes for a moment before the doors began to close and he squeezed through them, anger seeping through every pore until the doors shielded him from sight. Niles fell against the wall, completely spent with the effort of doing something so vastly against his character. He stayed there for a moment, until he heard shuffling on the other side of the door. Instantly he was up again, energy and adrenaline coursing through his body. Daphne was waiting for him on the other side of the door and he was going to waste no more time getting to her.
Daphne looked through the peephole in the door unable to see anything that was going on outside the apartment. She wanted desperately to go back out there but she knew that it would only exacerbate the problem. Donny would be even more volatile if he could see what he was losing. She began pacing the floor restlessly, praying for the first time since her childhood, hoping that Niles was all right. When she heard someone jiggle the handle, she began to panic until she heard a voice calling her name. Daphne practically flew to the door and fumbled with the locks, finally yanking the door open to find Niles swaying slightly on his feet.
Frantically she looked him over as she hurried out, "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"
Niles looked at her and shook his head, moving unsteadily through the door, turning to shut and lock it behind him. Slowly he turned to face her, not quite sure exactly what her appearance meant.
"Daphne, I'm not quite sure why you are here, not that I mind – I –" he began and then faltered as he quickly realized that he did not want to risk losing her simply by something he might say that could be just the wrong thing.
He looked at her and she tried to start a few times. He deserved some kind of explanation for what had just happened. Finally, she whispered, "How much did you hear?"
Niles moved towards her, gently putting an arm around her and guiding her to the fainting couch before saying, "All I heard was something about leaving him over a bit of fun."
Daphne looked at him again and in that moment, every emotion of the day finally caught up with her and the tears began flowing down her face. Wordlessly he pulled her in closing the small gap between them, rubbing her back as she cried. After a moment, he reached into his pocket, handed her his handkerchief, and adjusted their position so that they were both more comfortable.
Finally, he said, "When you are ready, you can tell me what is going on. Until then, I'm not going anywhere."
It took a few tries before Daphne was able to dry up far enough to speak. She whispered, "After all you've been through, how can you still manage to put me first?"
Niles gave a harsh, dry chuckle and said, "That's simple. I love you, Daphne. You are everything to me. Your happiness comes before everything, even my own happiness."
A smile broke through the tears like a sunrise chasing away the night sky as she said, "Can you believe after everything I've put you through Niles that I love you too?"
His breath caught for a moment before he shakily said, "You do? You love me?"
She looked up into his blue, confused eyes and softly said, "Niles, I've loved you for so long, even before I married Donny. I was just too stubborn and felt so guilty for falling in love with someone else right before I got married. I couldn't bring myself to love anyone else and yet I tried so hard. I think it is the reason my marriage failed, long before Donny cheated on me."
Niles looked at her, anger seeping through every pore. "He what? He cheated on you? That scoundrel cheated?" he barked out.
Mutely Daphne nodded, not quite sure what to do with this new version of Niles. Anger wasn't usually his strong suit. "I'm only sorry now that I only hit him once," Niles stated blackly.
Softly Daphne said, "Niles, do you know what I thought in that moment? I was angry and hurt but it wasn't the primary emotion coursing through me. My first instinct was to feel relieved and happy because I no longer had any reason to stay. I could leave him and come tell you how much I love you. That's why I'm here."
Niles gasped and without giving her a chance to breath, he pulled her face to his and suddenly the man she loved was kissing her for the second time that day. This time though, there was no fighting it, she sank into his arms and returned every emotion and word that had so long been stifled by her marriage.
Suddenly a loud knock hit the door. They separated, startled by the sound coming from the hall. Daphne's eyes went wide as she whispered her husband's name. Niles shook his head and whispered, "Frasier was going to come by to spend the night when everything was over. He couldn't bear the idea of staying in his apartment since dad is gone now. He was planning to spend the night over here. I can get rid of him though."
Instantly Daphne felt guilty. Of all the days for this to happen. She knew that she should go. Niles needed to spend the time with his brother and mourn the loss of his father. He wasn't dealing with the death because she had effectively distracted him. Carefully she pulled herself from his lap and said, "Niles, your brother needs you. I'll go. Don't worry."
Panic covered his face, as he said, "No, you can't – not now- please Don't – " His voice choked off, unable to say more. Daphne threw her arms around him again and said, "I'll be back tomorrow."
"Please Daphne, I know I seem silly but, please – "he persisted.
Quietly she nodded and said, "I'll just head to bed. Which guest room should I – "
Quickly he said, "No guest room. My room please. I promise to be the perfect gentleman you would expect but – "
She smiled at him and nodded towards the door. Swiftly he moved towards it to open it, revealing a very frustrated Frasier behind it.
When he scanned the room his expression went from shock to wonder and finally to acceptance. Gruffly he said, "I see you have company Niles. I'll just get a hotel room or something."
Quickly Daphne was in front of him, saying, "Don't you dare! You've had a horrible day and you aren't going anywhere. Niles is all yours – at least until he heads upstairs. You need to come in, get comfortable and get some sleep, Dr. Crane."
Stiffly Frasier said, "I would ask what is going on here but since the two of you couldn't seem to stay away from each other today, I don't think I need to."
Daphne loftily said, "Actually, I went home to find my husband in the shower with someone else. I left him. I'm filing for divorce in the morning. I just wasn't going to waste another second away from your brother."
Daphne smiled at Niles, who was frozen in place. She swept across the room and kissed him soundly before moving up the staircase.
Niles watched her the whole way up, until he couldn't see her any longer. Part of him wanted nothing more than to follow her up those stairs. Instead, he took a deep breath and faced his brother.
Gruffly Frasier said, "Well, dad would be happy to know about this. He always wanted to see you two together I think. In fact, he had three letters ready for today. One for each of his sons and one for the woman he hoped would someday be his daughter."
"There's a letter – from dad? Why didn't I know about this? Where is it?" Niles asked in a rush.
Frasier solemnly handed it to him and Niles eagerly ripped it open to read.
Niles,
I know that things seem bad right now. I hope that Daphne is sitting next to, comforting you while you read this. If she isn't, I know that someday she will be. I've never seen her look at Donny the way that she looks at you. I only hope, my son, that you find real happiness and I hope you know that even though I never said it often enough that I love you and how proud I am of you.
Love,
Dad
Niles sank back into the couch and smiled slightly before he broke down in tears. Frasier awkwardly draped an arm over his crying brother, knowing that nothing he could say would fix the hurt in his heart. Losing their father was different than losing their mother but no less painful. In the years since he had moved in with Frasier, the relationship between the Crane men finally had become what it should have been. Fighting back his own tears, he attempted to comfort his little brother, feeling the responsibility of the older sibling. However, as the thought back to his own letter from their father, he was unable to contain his own tears.
Finally, he choked out, "I think Niles, that dad would be sitting her wondering what in the world was wrong with the two of us. The love of your life is waiting for you upstairs and here we are bawling like babies. I think that he would smack you upside the head right now and tell you to get your stupid butt upstairs to Daphne. We'll be dealing with this for a long time. Grief is a process that doesn't need to be handled all at once after all."
Niles smiled at his brother, grateful for his words. Every ounce of him wanted to run upstairs to Daphne but he loved his brother and knew that Frasier was suffering just as much as he was. He didn't want to abandon him in the middle of this mess.
Frasier saw the hesitation in his brother's eyes, rolled his and said, "Seriously, I'm going to bed. Go upstairs you idiot!"
Niles smiled gratefully at his brother and said, "If you need me, use the intercom."
Frasier mumbled, "Right, as if I'm going to interrupt a night over ten years in the making."
Frasier left the room first for the guest room. Niles sat on the couch for another minute before pulling himself up and moving up the stairs. The higher he climbed, the quicker his movements became. Daphne was in his room, waiting for him.
Daphne closed the door behind her, relieved to have a few minutes to herself. So much had happened in such a short amount of time. If she had woken up this morning and had a vision of what was going to happen today, she never would have believed it. To go from being married to Donny, even if it wasn't happily, to sleeping in the bed of the one man she wished she could have been with for so long. It was all just too much and as she felt the tears begin to fall, she was glad that Niles wasn't there to see her fall apart. She loved Niles and was thrilled to be with him but she also mourned the loss of the relationship she had put so much time into. She was relieved to be out, yes, but she was also disappointed in herself. While she had never been unfaithful to Donny in action, her heart had never been his. She mourned for the lost time. She had missed so much with Niles. Five years of missed moments. At this point in her life, if she had left, she might have been a mother. She mourned the loss of her dear friend. With the whirlwind day she had had, she did not forget what in the middle of all of this, she had lost someone dear to her. Martin had been difficult yes, but he had also been the truest friend to her. She knew that he would be thrilled to see her with his son - finally. Daphne smiled at the idea of how happy Martin would have been with the fact that Daphne was waiting for his son as he dealt with the loss of his father. She knew that she was the one person Martin would want to comfort his sensitive, sweet boy.
Daphne settled in the middle of the bed, resting her head on her knees and only moments later, the door creaked open quietly. She smiled at his consideration and the way he whispered her name. She reached out towards him and he moved quickly to her side, somewhat out of breath. Daphne scooted over to him, settling in his arms. He smiled at her and gently kissed her.
As they parted, he said, "If someone had told me this morning that such a horrible day could come with such an amazing ending, I would have never believed them. I still can't quite believe you're here, in my arms."
Daphne snuggled in against him and said, "Niles, I'm not going anywhere, ever again. I'm yours for as long as you want me."
He smiled at her, something he had done so much of on a day that should have been so painful and said, "Always Daphne. I'll never stop wanting you."
Suddenly Daphne's phone began to ring. She looked at it with annoyance and then picked it up and said, "Hello?"
"Daphne? What is this I hear about you leaving that wonderful husband of yours?" Daphne's mother quickly shrieked into the phone.
Daphne sighed and said, "Donny called you."
"I should say that he did. What are you doing with Niles Crane of all people? You cut the Cranes out of your life years ago – one of the best decisions you ever made in my opinion," her mother said self-righteously, as if she was the only person who knew what was best for her daughter.
"Mum? Did Donny tell you why I left exactly?" Daphne asked, a bit of hope in her voice.
"I should say that he did. Daphne, in marriage, you can't expect a man to be faithful – honestly. Your father certainly wasn't," her mother chided.
"I can't believe you would expect me to go back to someone who would hurt me in such a way. Donny made a promise of fidelity. He didn't honor it. I will not go back to him. I never should have married him in the first place," Daphne threw out hotly, admitting much more than she had planned to tell her mother.
She felt Niles hand soothingly rubbing her back as she talked to her mother. She turned and smiled at him gratefully while her mother said, "Shouldn't have married him? Why ever not? Someone with money who wanted to marry you? Why shouldn't you have married him?"
Daphne softly said, "Because mum, I was in love with someone else, even then. I never should have walked down that aisle. I did it for all the wrong reasons."
"Oh don't tell me that you think you're in love with Niles Crane! I've seen the way he looks at you of course but that's no reason to walk away from a sure thing Daphne," her mother reasoned harshly.
"I would walk away again in a heartbeat, even if Niles didn't want me," Daphne said, as sure as she could be, though the tears were threatening to return.
Wordlessly Niles held out his hand for the phone. Daphne looked at him for a moment before he shook it at her once, an obvious gesture that demanded it from her. She handed it over warily, not quite sure what he was going to do.
The moment Niles had the phone he said authoritatively, "Mrs. Moon, this is Dr. Niles Crane. I need to set the record straight here. Daphne has a sure thing. The second her divorce is final I plan to marry her if she'll have me. She's the love of my life. Has been since the moment I met her. It is her choice of course, but I don't think she'll be going back to Donny. Now if you will excuse us, my father was buried today and I just got the love of my life back after years of separation. Neither one of us in a good place to talk any further. We will talk to you, but not anymore this evening. Good night Mrs. Moon."
Niles hung up the phone with a definitive snap and handed it back to Daphne before slumping down against the pillows, completely spent. Daphne looked at him and softly said, "Niles, I – I can't believe you just – I mean – I- I –"
Niles smiled at her wearily and said, "Daphne, for you, I would do anything, even act completely outside of my comfort zone and tell your mother off or punch someone in the face." He winced at the memory and suddenly remembered his hand, which was rather sore for the first time that evening.
Suddenly Daphne realized that his hand must have been killing him. She jumped from the bed and spat out, "Your hand! It needs ice or you're going to be miserable tomorrow! I'll be right back."
Niles grabbed her wrist and pulled her back towards him. Daphne turned and looked at him with confusion. He pulled her close and looked into her eyes meaningfully as he murmured, "Not right now my love."
Then he pulled her against him and pulled her lips to his. The feeling of his lips against hers made her melt into him. He slowly caressed her arms as he deepened the kiss. Daphne shuddered at the pleasure of it. Being in his arms was exactly where she belonged.
They woke late, still in each other's arms. Daphne loved how he looked at her, as if she was the most important thing in his world. Possibly even the only thing. She knew that he would do anything for her. She had missed him so much. She never wanted to leave this room but she knew that somewhere downstairs, Dr. Crane was hurting. Niles had forgotten what he had lost so recently, at least for the moment, but she knew it was all going to come flooding back the moment he saw his brother. She wanted to give him something meaningful after he was so willing to do whatever made her happy.
Niles couldn't believe that she was really there in his arms, holding him as he held her. He never thought there would be chance for them again – at least not really – after her wedding to Donny had happened. He comforting himself in the fact that he had done everything he could to stop it but that she just hadn't loved him enough. To have her here was a miracle. One he would never take for granted. He knew that he should be sad in this moment. His father had only been gone a few days but he knew that Martin had loved Daphne like a daughter and nothing would make him happier than knowing that they were finally together. His letter from his father had told him as much.
Daphne smiled at him and softly said, "You know, even if I hadn't walked in on Donny cheating on me, I don't think I would have stayed with him. Your father's letter was enough to guarantee that. If I had read it, even if Donny and I were still together, I would have left him. Your father was very convincing about the fact that love is worth fighting for. He knew, even when I didn't, how much I love you. He saw it, even before I did and he saw it continuing the last time he saw me."
Niles looked at her, amazed as he stuttered out, "What did dad say to you?"
Daphne reached over and grabbed the letter from the table next to the bed where she had set it the night before. She handed it to Niles and watched his face as he read the short letter. The tears that fell from his eyes made her tear up as well.
She took the letter from him when she was sure he was finished with it, he pulled her into his arms again, and cried. She held him and cried with him. Martin had cared about them both so much. The fact that he never got to see his son happy would be a regret Daphne carried with her the rest of her life.
When the tears stopped, Niles said, "Dad was right. It just took us a few hours longer than he thought. Read it again Daphne, the way my dad wanted you to the first time – in my arms."
Daphne smiled at him and read it again. She knew that they had a long road ahead of them. A messy divorce was coming. They would have conflict and would fight but she knew this was the first full day of the rest of her life and that she would spend all of her days with him.