Spoilers: This takes place while Niles was separated from Maris, before divorce proceedings.

Summary: This was created out of my desire to write one of those long, heart wrenching, romance stories that I love to read so much. You can read that as a warning or a teaser. My thanks to Sydney for not seeing this as a warning.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They belong to the brilliant minds of Paramount and Grub St. This story is merely for the enjoyment of those who read it and nothing more. Enjoy!

Just A Stare

     By Laura Brown


**Daphne**

I, Daphne Moon, woke up in a wonderful mood, something that doesn't happen very often. I normally am woken up by my alarm, yelling at me to get up and make the breakfast to please Dr. and Mr. Crane. Today was different, however. Today my childhood friend was coming for a visit. Bryce has been my friend since grammar school. We even managed to keep our friendship alive after he moved to Wales. I have not seen him in ten years; it has been far too long. I took my shower and got dressed, going through five outfits before settling on one. I just wanted to look my best for my friend.

Although my alarm woke me up my clothes decision must have taken longer than expected for Dr. and Mr. Crane beat me to breakfast.

"Good morning Dr. Crane, Mr. Crane," I said happily.

"Good morning Daphne," Dr. Crane said as he sipped his coffee.

"Daph, why are you so happy?" Mr. Crane asked. I grabbed meself a muffin before I began to speak.

"Well, me old friend Bryce is coming in for a visit today. He has a business meeting here, in Seattle; he might even be relocated here. I'm so excited for I have not seen him for such a long time. You should have seen us when we were kids, practically in separable. In fact, he would stick up for me when any of me brothers would pick on me. Got quite a few shiners for that, he did."

"Sounds like he was a good friend." I turned around; I hadn't even seen Dr. Crane enter the apartment. I did, however, notice Dr. and Mr. Crane giving each other glares. Well, at least one Crane likes my stories.

"Oh, he was, it was such a shame that he moved away."

"When is he coming, Daphne?" the elder Dr. Crane asked.

"Oh, around 2, his flight arrives this morning."

"Well, we can't wait to meet him," the younger brother pronounced.

"Oh, you won't be, I'm meeting him at the Space Needle, he's never been, ya know? Well, he's never even been to America before so this whole visit should be an experience for him." I then went into the kitchen to get myself some coffee.


**Niles**

"Don't tell me your jealous of this guy?" Frasier asked me.

"Well, why aren't you? Some old friend that she hasn't seen in years just suddenly drops in to say 'hi', there is every reason to be suspicious."

"Niles, they went to elementary school together, he probably remembers Daphne at age ten."

"So, just because he's an old friend doesn't mean he's not a charlatan."

"You know, Niles, I think this is becoming a very revolting attribute of yours," Frasier declared. I ignored my brother and decided to get myself a muffin. I wanted to find out more information about this "Bryce."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Daphne~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The cold autumn wind was brisk against my cheeks as I waited for Bryce to arrive. Truth be told, I was a little nervous, it had been a long time since I'd seen him. My most vivid memory was that of an eleven-year-old Bryce, short freckled boy with bright red curls. That wasn't the image I was met with upon our last meeting. I remember being quite taken aback by my friend that day, ten years ago. He was a tall and muscular man, still with his freckles and those gorgeous red curls playfully dangling around his head. His green eyes had in captivated me that day which was an all too strange feeling coming from someone who was such a dear friend for so many years. In many ways he was like another brother, although I have never fully made that comparison for I have quite enough brothers as it is.

I soon noticed a figure coming my way. I knew it was Bryce right from the start. Though his hair was a little shorter it was still the same red curls, bouncing in the wind. I gave him a vivacious wave.

"Daphne!" He called in his English accent, a sound that I have greatly missed. He jogged over to me and gave me a hug. "How have you been?"

"Fine, how was your flight?"

"Oh bloody hell, would you believe they almost lost my luggage? The bags were almost taken away with the wrong tags on them!"

"Oh dear!"

"I'm just glad they were here waiting for me when I landed."

"I'll bet you were."

"How's mum and the gang back home?"

"Oh, same old same old. Mom's got some medical condition to complain about, and when she does Dad hangs out at the pub. Simon's off doing whatever it is he does –"

"Besides drink?"

"If he does anything else. Billy's got a new flavor of the month; hopefully he will last longer than the last one. Stephen has a baby girl, Audrey. And the rest are typical Moons."

"Typical Moons," Bryce said while sighing. "It always amazed me how a family so diverse and loony could be so typical."

"Your family wasn't all that normal either, if I remember correctly. How are they?"

"Mum and Dad are getting older but still doing good. Sara got married a few years back. Mum's hoping a baby's going to be on the way soon."

"I hope she isn't nagging Sara."

"She is, but not more than she's nagging me: 'Bryce, get married, am I ever getting any grandchildren from my first born?'" The two of us had a good laugh.

"I get that times two 'Daphne, are you coming home for the holidays this year?' Daphne, you're not getting any younger, are you?"

"Parents can be pains." We walked around the Space Needle and I pointed out different spots of interest. Conversation then turned to Seattle and America, it wasn't until we were leaving that it took a personal spin again.

"So tell me about this family that you work for, you've always written wonderful stories about them."

"Well, the old man I work for is Martin Crane. He used to be a cop and has a real tough exterior but he's really just a softy on the inside. He's a real man's man, sport watching, beer drinking, the whole lot."

"Sounds a bit like your family"

"Yes, but a much more pleasant version! He lives with his son, Dr. Frasier Crane. The total opposite of his father, Opera going, Sherry drinking, clean, prissy. I tell you, he can be a real pain sometimes."

"Really?"

"Yes, try cleaning up daily for a person with impeccable standards. However he's a good bloke, so I've grown accustomed to rolling my eyes."

"Sounds like you have to."

"Then there's Mr. Crane's other son, Dr. Niles Crane. He's a good one, visits his father and brother quite a lot. He's just like his brother though; they are practically identical in behaviors, though this Dr. Crane has a softer edge. I feel bad for him, right now he's separated from his wife."

"Is he taking it hard?"

"I'll say, I don't rightly know why, she's awful for him. Controlling and manipulating, he could do so much better."

"Then hopefully this separation will help him find that."

"I sure hope so, how about you, any girlfriends?"

"Not for a while. I just can't seem to find someone who I really click with."

"Same here, its tough to find someone who is compatible, never mind the right one."

We continued talking for an hour more and then Bryce went back to his hotel room to prepare for his meeting. I went home feeling better than I have in a long time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Frasier~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Niles and I were sitting in the café talking. At least, I was trying to talk, Niles kept spacing off.

"Niles! Will you stop thinking about Daphne for two seconds and focus on what I'm trying to say!"

"Frasier, when I have I not been thinking about Daphne for more than two seconds?" Niles said as he sighed.

"You normally do better than this."

"I just don't trust this Bryce guy, something's going to happen, mark my words."

"Are you inheriting Daphne's psychic abilities?" I teased my younger brother.

"No, however, there is such a thing as a gut feeling Frasier, you know that."

I decided to let the conversation drop, something in Niles' voice told me that the assumption may in fact be correct. When I arrived home that evening I was anxious to see Daphne and make sure that she was, in fact, all right. I found her straightening up the apartment and Dad watching the television.

"Good evening. Dr. Crane how was work?"

"Fine, thank you Daphne. How was your visit with your friend?" I asked as I saw my father roll his eyes, apparently the meeting went well.

"Oh, it was absolutely wonderful! It has been such a long time since I really had a chance to just talk with Bryce. And that's all we did, just talk and talk and talk. We're going to go out for dinner tomorrow night, so you lot will get a chance to meet him." At that Daphne made her way into the kitchen.

"Has she been talking about this a lot?" I asked Dad.

"Constantly since she's arrived home. And then I got to hear her tell her mother." I sighed and went into his bedroom. It seemed to me that Niles was getting worried for no reason at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Daphne~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I got ready to meet Bryce the next night I could feel a few jitters floating around in my stomach. I knew that I was about to reach a turning point in my life; something big was going to happen. I didn't want to dwell on that thought because it led me straight to Bryce. I didn't want to imagine there was something between us before there had any right to be anything there at all.

The doorbell rang and my heart jumped a bit. I finished putting on my makeup and entered the living room.

"Niles" I heard Dr. Crane say sternly as the other Dr. Crane entered the apartment. He gave his brother's grave voice no heeding and instantly turned towards me.

"Daphne, you look wonderful," Dr. Crane said in a breathless voice. I seemed to always look good to him.

"Thank you Dr. Crane. Spending the evening with your brother?"

"No," the older Dr. Crane responded. I noticed both Dr. and Mr. Crane rolling their eyes. That's odd; they seem to do that a lot when the third Crane is around…

The doorbell rang again, knocking my back to my senses. I quickly turned towards Mr. Crane as Dr. Crane moved towards the door.

"Do I look alright?"

"You look fine, Daph, you always do," Mr. Crane said exasperatedly, he never deals well with questions like that; don't know why I can't seem to stop asking them.

Dr. Crane then let my date into the room. Oh dear, did I just call him my date? That can't do. Bryce did look good wearing a natty green suit that played up his eyes.

"Daphne that's a wonderful dress," he said to me.

"Thank you, that suit isn't bad either." Isn't bad? It was practically making me swoon.

"Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Niles Crane," Dr. Crane said, breaking a small silent stare between Bryce and me. Oh dear, something was definitely about to happen.

"Hello, Bryce McGee," Bryce responded while shaking Dr. Crane's hand.

"This is my brother Frasier and my father Martin."

"Hello."

"Hi," Dr. Crane and Mr. Crane said simultaneously.

"Well, we better be off, don't want to be late for those reservations," I said while getting my coat and moving towards the door. "Good night all."

"Night Daph," Mr. Crane said. I didn't wait for any of the other Crane's to respond. I grabbed Bryce's arm and dragged him out of the apartment.


**Niles**

"Oh my god I want to die!" I said while slumping into the couch.

"Niles would you get a grip! He's her childhood friend!" Frasier exclaimed.

"Did you see that stare, they undressed each other and reached for a cigarette."

"Niles, that was not a lust a stare," Dad said.

"Then what was it?"

"Honestly?"

"Yes, honestly."

"It was a stare between two people who had have never thought of each other in a romantic sense before until that look."

"Oh my god."

"Niles, relax, take it easy."

"Take it easy? Take it easy! The woman I love is about to fall for that, that mongrel!"

"So do something about it." Dad had me there.

"I can't."

"Then shut your trap." He turned back to the game.

"Niles, why can't you do anything?" Frasier said, obviously being the one less peeved by my behavior.

"I just can't Frasier. After everything that I've gone through with Maris, with past girlfriends, I can't risk her rejection."

"You don't know what you don't try."

"If I don't try at least I can't blame myself. It's a far better thing to blame myself then to know I was not worthy or her love."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Daphne~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I had a wonderful dinner with Bryce. We chatted about old times and about times since then. There was never a dull moment. Before I knew it we were standing at the door saying goodnight.

"Daphne, it's really been great to see you again," Bryce spoke slightly softer than usual.

"Indeed it has, our time together has always been so precious."

"That is certainly true." An uncomfortable silence filled the air as we both shifted uncomfortably.

"We're not little kids anymore," I said to break the tension.

"That is true, though I still remember you as a slinky little girl."

"And I remember you as a pudgy little boy."

"We're not so young anymore," Bryce said while inching closer to me.

"Or little," I replied back as our faces became inches apart. We looked deeply into each other's eyes and then slowly, timidly, pulled together for a kiss. It was short and sweet, just enough to break childhood impressions and replace them with adult ones. Bryce pulled away and spoke.

"Good night Daphne."

"Good night, Bryce." With that he turned and pressed for the elevator and I made my way into the apartment, my head in the clouds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Niles~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I, Niles Crane, have been living in hell for the past two months. Daphne's Bryce was supposed to fly home to England, not land a job in Seattle. I still remember the day I heard he was staying. I was over at Frasier's when the doorbell rang and Daphne answered it…

"Bryce!" Daphne exclaimed, giving him a quick kiss.

"Hello Daph, Hi all!" Bryce entered the apartment.

"I thought we were meeting later for dinner?" Daphne asked.

"Oh, we are, I just got some good news and I couldn't wait to tell you!"

"What type of news?" Dad asked.

"Well I've been here on business for my firm. Seattle's branch hasn't been doing too good and they are looking to bring in some new blood. Today they asked me to stay!" My heart fell to floor and shattered as if it was the most delicate of glasses.

"What did you say?" Daphne asked. She was nervous, uncommonly nervous and I had no idea how to interpret that.

"I said," Bryce turned his whole attention to Daphne and took her hands into his, I wanted to scream, "I'm staying in Seattle, that is, if you want me to stay."

Daphne looked up him with a speechless expression. In my head and my heart I screamed "no!" but that, of course, made no affect on Daphne's response.

"Oh Bryce, this is wonderful!" And as the world began to spin beneath my feet I saw her give him an enormous hug out of the corner of my eye.

I excused myself shortly thereafter and went home with every intension of finding biggest bottle of wine that I could. Before I had left Dad had taken me aside:

"Niles, I'm really sorry. But this is just a friend that she will be seeing for a while. Who knows where they will end up? Just go home, drink some scotch or whisky, not wine. And relax." He then gave me a hug and sent me on my way. I don't have the best relationship with my father but I do know how much he cares for me. Just for that I decided to take his advice and searched for the scotch when I got home. It was, as I suspected, full.

The next morning was a different story. I woke up to find my head pounding. I got out of bed and stepped on the empty bottle of scotch. I nearly collapsed to the floor as the bottle rolled to the other end of the room. The alcohol did quite a number on my ability to stay steady though it failed to control my brain and my thoughts about Daphne. Something really bugged me about Bryce, more than that fact that he's dating my love. I just had to hope that Daphne finds out what this is before she gets in too deep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Daphne~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I, Daphne Moon, have fallen in love. At least I think I have, it has all happened so fast. Bryce's firm transferred him to Seattle just two months ago. For two months I have been seeing Bryce at least twice a week. It really is wonderful to date a friend. I always knew I'd end up with one. You need to really know a person first so that you know what you're getting into. Of course, there is also a lot about Bryce I don't know, which just means that there is so much more to learn.

Putting my own relationship aside for a moment my emotions turned to Dr. Crane, the younger one. I am getting really worried about him. He's been so depressed as of late. I wonder if something else happened between him and the Mrs. It just breaks me heart to see him so sad. To see a friend look so lost. Hopefully things will pick up for him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Niles~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was Saturday night and I was alone, again. I have not talked to my estranged wife in well over a month. I suppose I should give her a call, she is my wife after all. It was nights like this that really made me feel useless. To top it all off Frasier had a date tonight so I couldn't do anything with him.

I sat down on my couch and looked around my apartment. I was bored and I was lonely. Oh, there were a lot of different things I could do; my heart was just not into any of it. I also knew that I didn't want to be alone, again. I called my Dad.

"Hello?" Good, he's home.

"Hi Dad."

"Hey Niles! What's up?" In such a casual phrase I could hear his concern.

"Oh, not much. Listen, Dad, do you have plans for tonight?"

"No, not really. Why?"

"Well, I just don't really feel like being at the Montana all alone, again." I heard a soft chuckle from the other end of the phone.

"I know that feeling all too well. Come on over, son."



I arrived just a little while later. Unfortunately it was Daphne who answered the door.

"Oh, hello Dr. Crane. I thought you would be Bryce." I should have asked Dad if Daphne was still there. Though judging by his face he didn't expect her to still be home.

"Big plans tonight?" I asked, wanting to kick myself.

"Well, sort of. See, tonight's our four month anniversary and I have no idea where Bryce is, he said he'd be here an hour ago!" Daphne began to pace.

"That is just awful, no one should treat you that way, no one." I walked over to Daphne and gave her a hug, ignoring all evil stares from my father.

"Dr. Crane, you are such a dear. I'm sure he's just been held up with work, his load has been increasing tremendously over the past few weeks. Perhaps I should just try his office again -" And that is when the doorbell rang. Daphne practically flew to the door.

"Bryce! Where have you been?"

"Oh Daph, I am so sorry. I was at a meeting with a client and we ran into a few troubles. I tried to wrap things up quickly but it didn't work." The slime then moved in to hug my Daphne. I sat down and faced Dad; it was a much better sight.

"Well, we can try to still make our reservations, goodnight all!" Daphne said, as she and Bryce existed through the door. I felt a sigh of relief but Dad didn't seem relieved.

"That the fourth time he's done that. I don't like it." I was shocked to hear that come from my father's mouth. But that is all he meant to say. We then watched the movie that Dad was watching and he never spoke another word about Daphne.


**Martin**

I made the mistake of letting my son pick a movie after the first one we watched bombed. Well, it didn't bomb for me, I quite liked the Exorcist, Niles didn't. And it didn't help that he was coming up with psychological explanations for every single one of Reagan's possessed actions. I just wanted to scream at him "It's a movie!" and let that be it. Of course, he's my son who is going through a difficult time so I just sat there and bared it.

As if letting him put down my movie wasn't good enough he needed something good to watch to "lighten the mood." He spent the next twenty minutes in Frasier's room looking for a good movie. He finally came out and threw his hands up in the air.

"It's no use, they either remind me of Maris, make me think of Daphne, or miss Mom." Frasier's got to have a movie that excludes all three women, can't he?

"I'm sorry son. I know how difficult this must be for you." Well, that's not entirely true, I have no idea how much he is in love with Daphne. I always assumed it was partly lust, I mean; she is a good-looking woman.

"I just don't know why I do this to myself. Even when I was little I would always pick prizes that were completely out of my reach."

"No, that's not true. You would always pick prizes you thought were out of your reach and then never try." He looked up at me with sad eyes then.

"But in this case I cannot try, not now, not while she's with Bryce."

"Niles, don't beat yourself up over this. Even if she wasn't with Bryce both you and I know that you wouldn't do anything." For a minute I thought he was going to be upset with me, instead he hung his head low.

"You're right, I'm a coward." I was about to respond, to try to make him feel better, when Daphne came home. This was not good timing. Luckily she was alone.

"Hello Mr. Crane, Hi Dr. Crane."

"Hey Daph, where's Bryce?"

"Oh, he has an early morning tomorrow so I didn't want him to walk me up."

"Did your evening go well?" I was surprised that Niles had the strength to ask such a question. Daphne sure does have a spell on him; she can lighten up his mood, even when he's down in the dumps.

"It went alright. Bryce seemed… distracted. It must be his work." Niles shot me a glance, I wish we knew for sure it really was just work. Niles doesn't trust the guy though and I can't say I blame him. Daphne then sat down next to Niles and put a hand on his shoulder.

"How are you doing, Dr. Crane?" She asked sincerely, Niles looked like he would melt from her touch.

"Not so good." He was enjoying her contact, her friendship. Usually it takes hours of prying to get him to answer honestly and instantly he seemed like he was willing to talk about his problems to her. This is definitely more than lust.

"I don't know why you let that Mrs. Crane get to you, you deserve so much better." Daphne normally doesn't make comments about the family; she's usually polite until it hurts, at least with sensitive issues. I soon forgot what I was watching on the television.

"Sometimes love is blind." Niles, answer her question, don't talk about her!

"I guess it is. Just promise me you will always look out for your interests?" Her eyebrows arched as she asked her question.

"I will try."

"Well, that's all I can ask," Daphne then rose. "Goodnight all." And she left to her bedroom. Niles gave a satisfactory sigh.

"You ok?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I'm ok." He then rose and left me alone to wonder where all that had come from.


**Daphne**

It was good to see Dr. Crane again. I know how hard these past few years have been. Our little chat seemed to help him out which made me feel really good.

My evening with Bryce, truth be told, had not gone well at all. His mind was somewhere else and our conversation was stagnant. It looked like we were not only loosing our relationship but also our friendship. In our long silences I started to think about Dr. Crane and his wife, was this what things were like for him? Of course they have been together for a longer period of time with more commitment but it was still something I could compare my problems with.

I wanted to talk to him about my situation when I saw he was still here tonight but I couldn't bring myself to. Something was holding me back. I probably just wasn't ready to talk, or simply jumping to conclusions. It was just nice to talk to someone else going through relationship problems.

I thought I would feel better in the morning, I felt worse. I looked out my window and expected to find rain and a gray sky, not a sun shining brightly over blue clouds. I thought about Dr. Crane again and realized I needed to talk to someone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Niles~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daphne was sure able to make me feel better. Just talking to her brightened my day. I went to work the next morning feeling like I could start taking control over my life again. Of course my conversation with Dad probably was part of the help.

I finished with my last client of the day and was doing paper work. Frasier and I were going to go out for dinner that night, something that I was very thankful for. It had been a while since we had had a good "boy's night out." That's when there was a knock on my door.

"Come in!" I called, thinking it might be Frasier.

"Hello Dr. Crane," Daphne called as she timidly opened the door.

"Daphne," I was completely surprised to see her here. I waved her in and that's when I noticed tear marks on her face. "Have you been crying?" That was all I needed to say, she burst into tears then and there.

"Oh, Dr. Crane!" She said I reached out for her. She came into my arms and I held her close. She cried onto my shoulder as I rubbed her back. I could feel her body shivering in my arms. I wanted to make it all right but I didn't even know what was wrong.

"Daphne, what's wrong?" I asked when she had started to calm down.

"I'm sorry to barge in like this, I just thought that you would be able to help me out." I nodded and motioned for her to sit down, she did and I sat next to her. "You see, I'm having some problems with Bryce." Is it wrong that my heart skipped a beat?

"What sort of problems?" I asked trying hard to keep my excitement out of my vocal cords.

"Oh, things were going great but these last few weeks he's become distant, even cold," My fist clenched, how dare he treat her like that! I have no idea why my fist clenched; I may have only used my fist to punch something once, maybe twice in my entire life. "We had plans for tonight but he called and cancelled. He claims its work; I know there is something else going on here. For god sakes I've been friends with him for such a long time! How could he possibly think I wouldn't know that something's going on?"

Daphne appeared to be finished speaking, though I wasn't quite sure how I was supposed to help her. "Daphne, why have you come to me with this?"

"Oh," she chuckled, "I should make that clear now, shouldn't I?" I nodded my head and she continued. "You see, ever since things started to go bad, it's – it's reminded me of you, and Mrs. Crane." She spoke softly; obviously afraid she was bringing up conversation that I didn't want to pursue.

"Daphne, it's alright. It's no big secret that my marriage is, well, not anything to brag about." I found myself truly smiling as I spoke this.

"I just – well – how do you know when it's enough? How do you know when it's ruined beyond the point of repair?" She was looking at me with pleading eyes. Oh Daphne! You have no idea you've picked the wrong person.

"I really wouldn't know," I spoke as I stood up and went over to my desk. "Maris and I are still married, legally. Personally we barely see or speak to each other." My hands gripped the edge of my desk. This was turning into therapy that I have successfully avoided, thus far.

"Yet you still see no reason to officially separate, to divorce?" I turned and saw her innocent eyes piercing into me. Why was she measuring what to do based on me?

"I see tons of reasons to divorce," had I just said that? "I guess, I guess…" Might as well admit it, finally. "I guess Maris is safe. Separated or not I still have the comfort of being a married man."

"But even though you are separated you never see your wife. And because you are still married you aren't really seeing anyone else." Daphne was now standing and her poise, with her finger pointing into the air, reminded me of a detective on a case.

"Yes, that may be true."

"See, I don't know how you do it, Dr. Crane. I don't want that. I don't want to be committed to a man unless there is an actual relationship going on. You shouldn't either. There is someone out there that is right for you, you just need to go and find her." Ahh, but I have found her, haven't I?

"What if she's already taken?" Why did I ask that question while looking directly into her eyes? She took a slight step back.

"I – I don't know." Even Daphne was caught on that one.

"I do thank you for your concern, however I'm not too comfortable with a chase."

"I can understand that. However I don't think I could do what you have been doing. I need to confront Bryce about this. Thank you Dr. Crane." Wait, she's going to talk to Bryce? Does this mean she might soon be… available?

"You know what, Daphne? You just might have given me the push I needed to pursue this woman."


**Daphne**

I left Dr. Crane's and went straight home. I gave quick hellos to Dr. and Mr. Crane, grabbed the phone and went into my bedroom to call Bryce at work.

"Bryce McGee, how may I help you?"

"Bryce, it's Daphne," I spoke sternly.

"Daph! How are you?"

"Not too good. Look, I need to know what's going on here. For the past few weeks you've been brushing me off and I won't stand for it anymore."

"Daphne, please!" Bryce stammered on the other end of the phone. "I can explain, all of this. Tomorrow, at seven, I'll be at your place. You've got to let me explain, Daph, you've got to." The sincerity in his voice caught me off guard.

"All right, see you then." I hung up, my head in a bit of a daze. Why did I just back down like that? I guess an explanation is called for. I couldn't help to feel a bit like a fool, like I was turning into Dr. Crane and he turning into Maris…

No, no! Daphne don't go there. Let him explain tomorrow and then you can make correct assumptions. I willed my mind to drift elsewhere, it landed on Dr. Crane. He was in love with someone else, someone in a relationship. Why does everything seem to end up sour for him?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Niles~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up with new hope. Just the thought that Daphne might, in fact, be single again sometime soon made my whole world seem better. I might have another chance to capture my princess and make her my queen.

This newfound hope is making me corny as all hell. I decided not to let it bother me and went about my daily business. It took all my will to stop from planning how to make my move with Daphne. That surely has been my downfall in past proceedings. No, this time I'll act on the spur of the moment and I won't back down. I did, however, have to sit down, all the confidence was making my knees week.

Daphne made it perfectly clear yesterday that I should find someone better. How would she react if she knew it was her?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Martin~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have never seen Daphne so nervous and so upset at the same time. Her head had been on a paid vacation somewhere else all day. I was even able to get her to only do half of my normal exercises and she never lets me do that. Finally I couldn't take it anymore, I had to know what was going on.

"Daphne, are you sure everything is all right?" She stopped while cleaning and paused as if she had to thoroughly think this through.

"Honestly, Mr. Crane? No, I'm not." She then sat down with her head hanging low.

"Daph, hey, what is it?" I said while turning off the television set.

"It's Bryce. I think something's going on and tonight I find out what it is." Whoa, that's a hell of a load.

"How do you know all this?"

"I confronted him and he begged me to let him explain. Oh I don't know if I can handle all this!" The doorbell rang and Daphne answered it, though her body was already beginning to shake and I suspect a few tears falling. Niles was at the door, oh great.

"Dr. Crane!" Daphne sobbed and went straight into his arms. I gave my son a good stern look; his face was a mixture between surprise and heaven. Luckily the concerned friend began to shine through.

"Daphne, what on earth is wrong?" he asked while ending the hug to get a good look at her.

"I, I confronted Bryce and he's going to talk to me today and tell me what's been going on." And now she's sobbing into his shoulder. Niles' face was complete concern and he began to rub her back. I took off my stern look; he seemed to be behaving on his own today. Does this mean he's over her? Nah, that can't be it.

"It's ok, Daphne," my son began, "You'll be better off for knowing." She controlled her sobs and stood up.

"I suppose your right. Will you stay? I want all the support I can get when he comes."

"Of course. You should go wash up, show him the dynamite Daphne he's been missing." She smiled at him and then left to her bedroom.

"Niles, are you feeling ok?" I asked once she was gone.

"I'm fine Dad, why?"

"Well, because you were acting like a real friend there, not a lustful puppy." He scrunched up his face at that.

"I can behave around Daphne, Dad. Especially when she might soon be available."

"Oh geez," so that's why, he might be able to finally win her. That's one thing I love about my son, he never gives up, even when he's too afraid to try for something.


**Daphne**

I followed Dr. Crane's orders and went to me room. I washed all the tears off my face and put on one of my killer dresses. I did my hair and make-up and when I looked in the mirror I thought I had done a good job. It was ten of seven; almost time to find out what Bryce has been up to. I took a few deep breaths and then went into the living room.

Dr. Crane stood up the moment he saw me. "Daphne, you look magnificent." He always knows when to pay me a compliment. However I gave him a good look after he spoke, he was still looking at me. I guess I really did pick a good dress.

The other Dr. Crane spoke up, having obviously been informed of what was about to be happening. "Daphne, would you like us to leave once Bryce arrives?"

"No, no, Dr. Crane. I would like nothing of the sort. Please stay. Perhaps you'll be able to intimidate him," I said with a chuckle as the doorbell rang. "Oh dear, that'll be him."

Dr. Crane went to get the door while the younger one came over to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "It will ok, Daphne." He said and then stepped back.

Bryce entered the apartment looking nervous as all hell. Good, swine should sweat. "Hello all. Daphne, you look beautiful," he said. It just didn't seem as much of a compliment as the one Dr. Crane gave me earlier.

"Hi Bryce, you ready to talk, finally?" I said, trying to keep my wits through an icy exterior. It's hard to see a long time friendship possibly crumble.

"Yes, yes I am." He cleared his throat, walked halfway over to me, and then began to speak. "You see, the work load I had was increasing on me, tremendously so. Oh, I know you don't believe that, and it seems like a poor excuse but hear me out first, it'll all make sense." I nodded my head, still unbelieving, and he continued. "The Seattle branch is understaffed and all of us have been working double shifts just trying to make it all work. That killed me, Daph, part of the reason I took this job was to spend more time with you. And the hours are unbelievable; I can't work under so much pressure. My boss started to notice it too and he asked me if I wanted to be transferred back to London. Now I had to really think. It's nice over here and all but the job is so much better back in London and there I would be able to spend time with you but you wouldn't be there. So I thought and I thought and I finally came up with only one solution." Bryce became quiet at this point, I had no idea where he was going, that was, until he got down on one knee.

"Daphne Moon, will you marry me?" A thousand thoughts went through my head at once. We've barely dated. We've been friends for years. Is he my true love? Do I love him? Do I want to move back to England? Do I want to leave the Cranes? But of course I love him, why else would I be so worked up over never seeing him…

"Bryce," I said, he stood up shakingly. "Yes, I will marry you." He rushed forward and picked me up in his arms. I gave him a quick kiss and then began to speak again. "However, on one condition."

"Anything you wish."

"That we don't start planning the wedding for a while, just make sure we do work together."

"That sounds like a wonderful plan." I looked around the room and suddenly my heart fell. Saying yes meant that I was leaving…

"Congratulations, Daph," Mr. Crane said as he came over to give me a hug.

"Yes, of course, Congrat's," the older Dr. Crane replied. I didn't see the younger Dr. Crane, for some reason he just left. His brother soon went after him while Mr. Crane got out some Champaign.


**Niles**

Ever have a hat dance done around your heart? Well, I have. I got myself all excited, I thought that I might finally have a chance to win Daphne and then this happened. He proposed instead and I had to watch the whole horrifying experience. I tried to control myself, to be able to congratulate them, but I couldn't. I quietly left the apartment and just sat down by the side of the door. I knew one of my family members would be out shortly. It was Frasier.

"Niles, are you ok?" He spoke sincerely and squatted down next to me.

"No." That was all I could manage to say.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, not really but thank you for the offer." I then stood up and pushed the elevator. On the way home I picked up two bottles of scotch and hoped that they would do the trick.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Daphne~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I cannot believe that I am engaged. Shouldn't I be ecstatic? Happy? Thrilled? Instead I feel sad and odd. Something about this is not right. Of course that could be the fact that in just two short months I will be leaving Seattle, possibly forever. Leaving the loving arms of the Cranes. But I will be starting my life anew, marriage, perhaps even children. Still, something is not right…

My mind drifted to Dr. Crane. He looked so crushed when I said yes. Why is that so? Perhaps it just reminded him of when he and Mrs. Crane became engaged. That's probably not it; he did say that he was in love with someone. Someone who was taken…

All those glances. All those kind acts and the way he looks at me. All those times he's gone out of his way for me. Could I be that woman?

No, of course not. What a silly thought, Daphne. Why would he fall for someone like me? I decided to let that thought go but it had already gotten underneath my skin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Niles~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Never, ever visit your estranged wife while drunk. I don't care what the reasons seem to be at the time the result will conclusively be appalling. The two simply do not mix.

It was around the halfway point on the second bottle of scotch that these thoughts started to roll into my head. I began to see my life in black and white. I knew that I would be crushed without my wife and without Daphne to brighten up my days. With her gone that would leave me with one last hope for happiness, to get my marriage back on track.

Fate would have it that I had to finish the second bottle of scotch first and then head over to Maris'. I took a cab so I can't say I was completely void of senses. Although if I had drove perhaps I would be in a happy state right now at the bottom of some lake or smashed into some tree. Yes, that would be a much better fate.

The luck of Niles Crane is in negative digits and it lowers even further when I have alcohol in my system. I arrived at Maris' place and wasn't inside five minutes before the whole staff knew I was intoxicated. I could see them scurrying about more fearful of the consequences of my actions then they have ever been of "Mrs. Crane." If only I had noticed their reactions while there and not simply in my back thoughts.

Maris was, of course, concerned about my state. I know that I have painted her as a cold-hearted bitch, which she normally is, but she can show small amounts of affection when it is warranted. This was such a time.

She asked me why I was there and I told her, in such awful grammar and clumsy words as I would never like to repeat, that I wanted her back. My attempt at being romantic with half a functioning brain was apparent as her eyebrow twitched due to her holding in laughter.

My wife could not leave that question well enough alone but decided that alcohol was a truth serum, which for me it is, and decided to ask more questions when I was already at her beck and call. So she asked me why I wanted her back and without thinking, without realizing the consequences of my actions, without even acknowledging what was going on, I answered her: "Because I lost Daphne."

Well at that point the help scuttled down to the basement, probably praying that Maris would not start a fire. Maris herself went white. If you have ever seen a pale woman turn white you know you are in for trouble. She began to scream at me, this woman who cheated on me with our psychiatrist was now calling me all sorts of filthy names. And I sat there, barely blinking at her. Truth be told I had no idea why she was so upset at the time.

After an hour of yelling my Maris became tired, so she called a cab and kicked me out. I sit here now, on my couch, reading the letter that was stuck under my door this morning. Divorce papers, signed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Roz~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daphne had called me last night, insisting that I meet her at the café. So here I am, an hour before I need to be at the station, waiting for Daphne to arrive. Her voice last night was a little discerning, a mixture of happiness and torment. I had no idea that two extremes could be displayed in one voice; leave it to Daphne to accomplish such a feat.

"Hi Roz, sorry I'm late," Daphne said as soon as she entered Nervosa.

"No problem. I'm just glad your not standing me up like my last stream of dates are doing."

"Oh Roz! Still having a dry spell?"

"I'm a mother, what do you think?" She nodded her head at that. "So what's up? What did you need to talk to me about?"

"Well, I have some good news. I'm engaged!" She tried to sound cheerful but her voice just went flat. Her rock, however, was gorgeous.

"Daphne, I'd say that's great but you don't seem too happy."

"Well, Bryce is being transferred back to London, so I'd be leaving in two months." Two months, wow. That's an awfully short time.

"But if it's for the right guy then what's the matter. You can still come and visit us here."

"I know, I know. But it just won't be the same. You know the Crane's, they're pains but you love them just the same." Ain't that the truth.

"Well, is Bryce worth it?" Daphne looked down at her hands, that can't be a good sign.

"I guess so. We're not up to the point of marriage yet, so it would be a long engagement. We have something that's good, it's just –"

"It's just that you're not sure if it's 'the one.'" I finished for her.

"Yes. I said yes to him because I think we will end up down that road if he were to stay here. Oh and I've known him for so long…" Her voice trailed off, I could tell something was going on in her head. "Roz, can I confide in you?"

"Sure Daph, of course you can." Would I really be able to keep this a secret?

"Well, last night I figured something out about Dr. Crane." Ooohhh, Frasier juice.

"About Frasier?"

"No, the other one." Niles? There's actually a secret that involves Niles?

"Niles? What did you find out about him?"

"It's more figured out. You see, I think he might be in love with me." The sincerity on her face caused me to burst out laughing.

"Niles, in love with you!" I tried to control my laughter because Daphne was now glaring at me.

"Haven't you noticed the way he looks at me?" Sure, but – "The way he's always has his hands out, knowing whenever I need the slightest help" Yeah, he does that, but – "And the way he always notices what I'm wearing?" Well, I always just thought he could be gay but I can see Daphne's point. Actually, now that I'm thinking about…

"Oh my god, Daphne! I think he is in love with you!"

"Plus he told me just the other day that he was in love with someone who wasn't his wife who was in a relationship. And when he saw me get engaged to Bryce he didn't even congratulate me, he just left." Niles does something un-gentlemanly? Whoa!

"What are you going to do about this, Daph?"

"Well, there's nothing much I can do. Oh, Roz, I am so worried about him. I never meant to hurt him."

"Daphne, you did nothing wrong, you didn't even know."

"True, it's just…" Her voice trailed off.

"Daphne, push that out of your mind. If you want I'll talk to Frasier, see what he knows."

"You think Dr. Crane would know something about this?"

"We are talking about the Crane brothers, what don't they tell each other."

"Good point. Oh, thank you Roz!" Daphne got up and gave me a hug, this must be really bothering her. She then left to get some coffee and I planned on how to have the most fun with Frasier as possible.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Frasier~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roz seemed a little too perky when I arrived at work. I could tell by the gleam in her eyes that something was up. At our second break, after an hour and a half of her giving me one of her crocked smiles I decided that I simply could not take it anymore.

"Alright, Roz, what's up?" I asked when she entered my side of the booth.

"Why would anything be up?" She asked with a smirk, oh she had something all right.

"Did you find some new gossip about work that you'd like to share?"

"Not about work," she replied calmly. What does that mean?

"Then about what then?"

"Oh, I shouldn't really be talking about this now, should I?" She then went back over to her booth. Since when does Roz keep secrets? I got up and followed her.

"Come on Roz, you know want to tell."

"Your right, I do. But I'm just afraid it's something that you don't know. And if you don't then you'll be really upset with Niles and that wouldn't be a good thing." What was she talking about?

"Come on Roz, like there is something about Niles that I don't know." She turned to me and shrugged.

"Ok then. Just forget I said anything." She looked up, "twenty seconds." I went back to my booth, however I was dying to know what was going on. I could not wait until our next commercial break. And Roz's face had gone from a crocked smile to a sultry one; she knew what she was doing. Although after I accidentally hung up on the woman with a fear of rejection she decided enough was enough. We cut a commercial and she entered my booth.

"Want me to spill?"

"No, I'd like to hang up on more callers today so we can be become the Dr. Hang-up show!" She rolled her eyes at that one.

"Yes or no."

"Yes."

"Is Niles in love with Daphne?"


**Roz**

Watching Frasier squirm may have been fun, but the changes his face made after I asked was hilarious. I wish I had a camera for this would have been the perfect pick me up after a bad date. He just looked at me, not blinking, and then blinking too much. Then his jaw dropped open but not words came out. Then his eyebrows lowered and his mouth closed, then opened, and then closed again. Then finally he got out some words but they were complete babble. He stopped, swallowed ten times, and then continued.

"What?"

"Oh, you heard me, is Niles in love with Daphne?"

"Where did you hear that?"

"One question at a time."

"Well, umm," then in a soft voice, "yes he is."

"Oh man!" So it was true!

"Now how did you hear?" Oh, could I find a camera before I answer this? Nah, too suspicious.

"Daphne." Frasier, who had now been standing, stood stiff as a board. His eyes looked like they were going to fall out of his head. I could hear the wheels in his head turning a mile a minute. A little quicker than the last time he produced a feasible answer.

"Roz, how does Daphne know?"

"She figured it out. After she pointed it out to me I'm surprised all of Seattle doesn't know by now."

"Did she seem, upset?" By this or by her whole situation? Either way I knew I couldn't say.

"No, not really." Frasier let out a huge sigh.

"Good, then hopefully this will not ruin anything."

"Even if it did she's leaving in two months Frasier. Why didn't the little weenie ever tell her?"

"For the exact same reasons you called him a weenie." Oh, so Niles is chicken. Well, that made sense.

"Roz, do me a favor, don't let Niles know that Daphne knows. He's taking her engagement poorly and this would just push him over the edge." As much as I hate to have to keep quiet, this one made sense.

"No problem, you're on in ten." I went back to my booth and all I could think of was how awful this must all be for Niles.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Frasier~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I got to Nervosa that afternoon I saw Niles sitting at a table, drinking his late. I ordered mine and sat down beside him.

"Hi Niles."

"Hello Frasier," he sounded really depressed. I noticed he was staring at a piece of paper.

"What is this?"

"Divorce papers." When did this happen?

"Your giving Maris papers?"

"More like receiving them," he glanced up and looked at me, "she's already signed." Ouch! First Daphne, now Maris.

"What are you going to do?"

"Oh, I will eventually sign them. It's a clean split, Frasier. I'd be a fool to pass that up. Maris could send me through the cleaners if she wanted to and believe me, she has every right to." There's something here that he's not telling me.

"Why does she have every right to?"

"Let's just say that she knows about Daphne." Gracious!

"Oh Niles, I'm so sorry." I touched his arm and could feel that he was shaking.

"No, this is for the best. My marriage was in shambles, every one knew that. It'll be good to stand on my own two feet." I didn't believe him.

"Are you sure?"

"No." He got out a pen and signed the papers. "But there is no better way than this to find out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Daphne~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was cleaning up the apartment, still trying to sort through all my mixed emotions, when the two Dr. Cranes came home. As soon as I saw Niles I couldn't take my eyes off him, he looked so pale. Mr. Crane obviously noticed it too.

"Niles, what's wrong?" Dr. Crane was practically being supported by his brother.

"Well, Dad, I signed my divorce papers today." Divorce papers?

"That's great son. Oh, I know it's hard now but things will get better, trust me."

"Oh, Dr. Crane!" I said and went over to give him a hug. "I thought you were going to stay with Maris?"

"I was but things didn't pan out that way." He looked so completely lost and I felt awful for it. Maris was his savior and he was in love with me. Well, I didn't know that for sure. Hopefully it wouldn't be me and he could still have a shot at his love.

"Hey Niles," Mr. Crane began, "why don't you come down to McGinty's with me and we'll have a few good beers?"

"Actually Dad, I think I'd prefer to be alone right now, could I take a rain check?"

"Yes, of course." With that I watched that broken man leave the apartment.



Roz finally called an hour later.

"Hey Daphne!" she said.

"Roz, things are not good," I couldn't keep this inside any longer.

"What's wrong?"

"Dr. Crane signed his divorce papers."

"Whoa! You're kidding me!"

"Please, Roz, tell me it isn't me that he's in love with." There was silence on the other end of the phone, my stomach began to twist and turn.

"Ahh, Daph, I hate to be the one to confirm it for you, but he is." Oh bloody hell!

"How could he be in love with me? What did I ever do to make him fall in love with me?"

"Hey, sometimes it just happens." 'Just happens,' that's what true love is, that's what requited love is.

"No, Roz, he can't be, he just can't be." I started crying, this was all too much for me.

"Daphne, calm down, why is this bugging you so much?" That's a very good question, now isn't it? What would be a good answer…

"Why is this bothering me? Why is this bothering me? It's bothering me because that man, that dear sweet man told me that he was holding on to his wife to help him cope. He made it clear that the only way he'd leave her is if he thought he had a chance with his love, with me. It's clear to me that she left him. How am I supposed to leave him in this state? Leave to England forever!"

"Daphne, he'll survive. He's got a family to support him. You can still be his friend from England, can't you?" Yes, of course I can. But I can't see him from England; I can't hold him from England. I can't make things right for him from England…

"You're right Roz. I'm just over analyzing. I think I just need a good night's sleep."

"Good idea, call me whenever you need me, night Daph!"

"Bye Roz." I hung up the phone in a blur. Dr. Crane was part of the reason I didn't want to go to England. Now what the hell does that mean?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Martin~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When things get bad they get ugly, and weird. Niles has been taking his divorce very hard; I can't say I blame him. I want to be there for my son but he's starting to shut everyone out. Luckily he did take me up on my McGinty's offer, he's coming over tonight and we're going to head out. Hopefully I'll be able to talk to him, really talk to him and help him.

Daphne's also been acting strange. She seems on edge for some reason. Perhaps it's just the move coming up but I know better than that. There's something going on. Maybe that means she'll stay. Oh, I want her to be happy but I'll miss her around here. Although Bryce is a nice guy. I just wish I knew what was bothering her.

She was getting dressed for her date when the doorbell rang, so I let Bryce in.

"Hi Martin."

"Hey Bryce, Daphne will be ready in a few minutes." I let him in and we both sat down.

"Martin, can I ask you a question?" He seemed nervous; this guy sure gets nervous very easily. I nodded and he continued. "Have you noticed anything, different, about Daphne?" Geez, he sees it too.

"Yes, I have. But I'm just a detective," we both chuckled at that. "I wish I could help you but I have no idea what it is."

"Oh, but I do." The doorbell rang again and I got up to answer it. What on Earth was he talking about?

"Hi Dad," Niles said.

"Hey Niles," I let him into the apartment as Daphne exited her room.

"Hi Bryce, Dr. Crane." She paused, surprised to see Niles. And then all the puzzle pieces began to make sense. It was only for a moment but Daphne and Niles' eyes were en-locked. There was a passion running across that room that I was afraid if anything walked in between it would be electrocuted. I feared for Eddie's life but he remained asleep on the couch.

"Shall we go then?" Bryce asked Daphne. She snapped back to reality, appearing disillusioned. She nodded her head to Bryce, said a few soft goodbyes, and then the two left the apartment.

As soon as they were gone Niles practically collapsed onto the couch.

"What was that?" He asked, his eyes pleading with mine for an answer. How was I to answer this? Either way it was going to torment Niles further, I was sure.

"Honestly?"

Niles glared at me. "Yes honestly."

"Remember that stare you complained about Daphne and Bryce sharing back at the beginning of their relationship?"

My son gave me another glare. "Dad, how does that possibly relate to this?" He was being stubborn and clueless.

"Do you remember that stare?"

"Yes. I said it was a lust stare and you said it was a stare between two people who had just realized they had feelings for each other." He looked at me with annoyance. He didn't get it.

"Yeah, well Daphne just gave you that look." One, two, three…

"Oh my god!" And Niles began to hyperventilate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Frasier~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I arrived home I found my brother hyperventilating on my couch and my father trying to get him to drink a glass of water.

"Oh my god! Niles, are you ok?"

"I – am – fine!" He said through taut gasps.

"Dad, how long has this been going on?" Dad looked at his watch.

"Oh, only about two hours." Two hours, my god!

"What has got him that wound up?" My brother, who was having trouble breathing, attempted to speak.

"Daph – ne. Daph – ne - might –" Dad cut him off.

"We just caught Daphne looking at Niles as more than a friend," he turned to Niles, "which doesn't yet mean anything!" Oh no, it's probably just due to knowing how he feels!

I grabbed a cold cloth and pressed it to my brother's neck. Old child hood tricks sometimes are just the medicine that is required for he was finally able to breath normally again.

"Thank you Frasier."

"Hey, what are brother's for?"

"What does this all mean?" Dad and I gave each other a look.

"It's nothing to get worked up over," Dad said.

"She has been concerned about you, going through your divorce and all." As I finished speaking Niles looked up at us.

"I suppose your right. It was nice though, wasn't it? To be looked at that way by her." And then he got ready to leave.

"Are you going to be alright?" I asked.

"Surprisingly yes. I'm better for this experience. Dad, we will go to McGinty's, soon, I promise."

"I understand, son. Drive carefully."

"I will, goodnight." And then he left.

"Dad, Daphne knows."

"Well she knows something, that's for sure. When Niles and her shared that look I was afraid they'd set your apartment on fire."

"No, Dad, she knows." I glared at my father and what I told him seeped in.

"Aw geez, who told?"

"No one, she figured it out."

"Well, it wasn't that hard, was it?"

"No, it wasn't." Before Dad and I could help ourselves we were laughing quite heartedly.

"But I tell ya Frasier, she has feelings for him, too."

"Are you sure that isn't just her knowing how he feels."

"Positive." It was at this point that Daphne and Bryce returned home.


**Martin**

When Daphne came home she looked tired. Well, knowing that someone else is in love with you could do that. Bryce said he wanted to chat to her extended family for a while and gave her a kiss. Daphne then left us alone.

"Hey Martin, can we continue that conversation from before?" Oh yeah!

"We can but we think we've figured it out, at least part of it," I said.

"What conversation?" Frasier asked.

"Oh, Bryce and I were talking about Daphne's strange behavior," I responded.

"That's right, you lads go first and then I'll chip in my half."

"Bryce, I'm warning you, this isn't going to be easy."

"Oh, I know." What exactly did he know?

"Well, Frasier just told me that Daphne found out that Niles has a bit of a crush on her."

"A bit? I'd say that's pretty well fledged." He knew?

"Wait, Bryce, you knew about this?" Frasier asked.

"Is Daphne not my fiancée?" He had a good point there. I didn't really want to say anything else, for all we knew for certain was that she knew Niles' feelings.

"That's all we really know for sure." I said.

"Come on, you mean to tell me you haven't noticed the looks she's been giving him?" Whoa!

"Bryce, you're calmly telling us this?" Frasier asked.

"It helps to be her childhood friend." I was so confused and apparently so was Frasier.

"I'm a little perplexed by your statement," Frasier said.

"Let me explain this whole thing to you fully, hopefully that will help. You see, neither Daphne nor I were really ready for marriage but we knew it could be a future possibility. I proposed because I wanted to make it real, to keep the relationship alive. We both knew that we would only get married if the relationship continued to thrive. Now I'm her friend, first and foremost. I noticed that she was hesitant to leave Seattle and I thought it was just you lads, being like a family to her and all. However I started to notice how she acted around Niles, in fact it was present in her speech as well. I know Daphne quite well and I know what her looks and speech patterns mean."

"What are you saying?" He was being coy like my sons and I just wanted the facts.

"Daphne doesn't realize it yet, but she's in love with him."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~End of Part I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~