Author's Noe: Thanks to Melinda (carlyfan10) for allowing me to continue her wonderful story, "David, Daphne and Peppa the Pig." I began to wonder what would happen when Daphne returned from England and heard what David had been doing while she was gone. Obviously, that led to this! :)
Niles woke up, looking at the boy sleeping next to him. He placed a kiss on David's blond head. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
David stirred, slowly waking up. "What's going on? Is Mommy back yet?"
Niles shook his head. "Not yet, son. But her flight gets in this afternoon. I was just telling you how sorry I am about our little disagreement. Grandpa told me why you like Peppa Pig so much. It's because she reminds you of Mommy, right?"
David nodded. "I miss her."
"I know you do, son. So do I." Niles pulled David close, hugging him. "I suspect you'll get tired of hearing me say this in a few years, but I love your mother a lot. I mean, a lot. From the day I met her. We didn't really get together right away. That story's much too involved for me to tell you now. But, suffice it to say, I know how you feel."
David looked at his father. He could feel tears in his eyes, but he did his best to stop them.
"It's OK to cry, David. I know you miss Mom, but she's coming back today. You can tell her all about Peppa and why you love her so much."
"Really?" David perked up.
"Sure. Maybe we'll even see if Grandpa and Ronee want to go out to dinner to celebrate her being back."
"Cool!" David raised a fist in the air, excited.
Niles smiled, remembering that his son would not be this little for long. He tried to memorize the look on David's face. "I think we better get up now, Buddy." He tickled David's ribs, causing a giggle that sounded to Niles like the most beautiful music in all the world.
In a few minutes, he and David were both dressed, and Niles took his son downstairs for breakfast. He decided to make pancakes. While he carefully flipped the batter, David turned on the small TV they kept in the kitchen. It took him no time to locate Nickelodeon. As luck would have it, Peppa Pig was on. "Yay!" David exclaimed, clearly excited.
How could I have ever wanted to take away something that makes him this happy, Niles wondered. Once more, he was grateful that his father had stepped in and shown him the error of his ways. When the pancakes were ready, Niles carried a plateful over to the table. David immediately dove in.
Niles' heart monetarily stopped as he watched his son cover his pancakes in an overwhelming amount of syrup. He knew Daphne would definitely have said something, but Niles decided, just this once, it didn't matter.
Since they still had a bit of time to kill before Daphne's plane arrived, Niles decided to pay a visit to his father. "Guess what, Grandpa?" David asked, when Martin answered the door.
"What?"
"Mommy's coming home today!"
"I know. You and your dad miss her, don't you? I sure do." He looked around, as if he were revealing a secret. "I even kind of miss my therapy. But if you tell your mom I said that, I'll deny it!"
David laughed, and once again, Niles thought it sounded like heaven.
"Hey, Dad, you and Ronee don't have any plans tonight, do you? Because I thought maybe you'd like to have dinner with us, in honor of Daphne coming home."
"Well, I'll have to run it by Ronee when she gets back from the store, but I don't think it'll be a problem. Just let us know when and where."
Niles nodded. He would go anywhere Daphne wanted. It had been that way since way before they were married.
Martin offered to let David visit for a while, and even watch some more of Peppa Pig, but Niles declined. He didn't want to be stuck in traffic on the way to the airport. "Come on, David. We've got a plane to catch."
"Yay!" David never cheered when he left his grandfather's house. Yet another sign of how badly he'd missed Daphne.
Luckily, Niles needn't have worried about traffic, and he made it to Daphne's gate in plenty of time. David could hardly stay seated as they waited. He got up every time a flight landed and passengers entered the airport. Niles was just about to tell his son to calm down when he heard his wife's flight number called. Then, Niles stood, waiting breathlessly.
Suddenly, a group of passengers parted, and Niles saw her. How had she become more beautiful in just two weeks? While Niles worked to control his heart rate and breathing, David took off, making a beeline for Daphne.
"Mommy!"
Daphne nearly fell over as David ran into her. But the feeling of his little arms around her legs was just what she needed after spending the past several days with her mother and brothers.
Niles made his way toward her, arriving just as she bent to hug her son. She stood then, kissing him in a far different way from how she'd greeted David.
As the kiss ended, a soft sigh escaped Niles' lips. "How is your mother?" Niles had never exactly gotten along with his mother-in-law, but he hated to think how she must be feeling.
"She's all right, I guess. One minute, she was cursing me dad out and ranting that he deserved this for the way he's always treated her. The next, she was crying her eyes out. I did me best to comfort her. I also managed to convince Simon to spend some time with her, just till she's back on her feet." She let out a defeated sigh. "If he actually keeps his word, I'll probably faint!"
Niles laughed. Simon was hardly a model son or brother. "He might surprise you."
Daphne rolled her eyes, not wanting to think about her brother right now. "So, how are the two of you? Did you have fun while I was gone?" She posed the question to her son.
"Yeah. We missed you, though. But guess what, Mommy? I saw Peppa Pig on TV, and she sounds just like you!"
Daphne cast a questioning glance at her husband. She'd never heard David mention this before. And she knew Niles was usually strict about television.
"When I first saw David watching it, I yelled at him. But then, Dad explained that Peppa speaks with an English accent, and that was why David loved to watch the show. After that, how could I refuse?"
All Daphne could do was smile gratefully at her husband. He'd loved her for so many years, but what continued to amaze her was how deeply he cared for David. She'd always known he would be a good father, but seeing it actually happen was quite different. Daphne tore her gaze away from Niles after a long moment. She looked down at David. "Well, I don't believe I've ever seen Peppa Pig before. How about we go home and see if we can watch some on TV? You can tell me all about her."
David's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Sure," Daphne replied, playfully tousling his hair. "I think Daddy can bend the rules a bit on watching TV, can't he?"
"I think we can arrange that." Niles grinned. He loved seeing his wife and son so happy.
"Yay!" David slipped his hand into his mother's and began walking in the direction of the exit. He was practically pulling Daphne along.
Even though Daphne knew she still needed to pick up her bags before they could leave, she couldn't help smiling. Her family might be back in England, but this was definitely where she belonged.
The End