The first signs of the winter sun streamed through the window of their bedroom. Daphne opened her eyes, aware of the soft breathing of her husband who lay curled up against her. In the dim light she stared at him for a moment and smiled. He was so handsome. It only took seconds to remember the blissful events of the night before.
Just as the sun was setting on what was the shortest night of the year, she climbed into bed with Niles, content to be warmed by his body. They made love in the winter moonlight, holding, caressing and touching one another in ways that they had never done before. It was one of the most beautiful moments of her life.
She regretted overacting so badly when she had come home that night and discovered that David was not in his crib. Without waiting for an explanation from Niles, she assumed that something terrible had happened to him. Sometime later, Niles was finally able to tell her that David was perfectly fine. It turned out that he had asked Mrs. Woodson to take care of their son so that he could give Daphne a magical night. They laughed, reminiscing over raw vegetables that reminded them both of his fictitious date with Phyllis but now she felt terrible about her assumption that David was in danger. Niles, she knew, would never let anything happen to their son and she shouldn't have even imagined it. She was so grateful to Mrs. Woodson for caring for David and for allowing Daphne and Niles to have some time alone. It was needed more than she or even Niles would ever know.
And then there was Martin….
Tears sprang to her eyes when she thought of the man who was so much more than just her father and law and her "charge". He had become even more of a father to her than her own father, whom she rarely saw. He was getting older now and she wished that she had been more patient with him when he protested about doing his excesses. If only she had asked him why he didn't want to do them. Perhaps there was a reasonable explanation. His hip had improved greatly since they had first started their therapy sessions, but getting older meant that his joints weren't as limber as they used to be. She feared that maybe her sessions had been causing him physical pain. The thought made her heart hurt and she felt even guiltier than before. Why did she have to lash out at him, choosing to call him such horrible names instead of working with him? She wished, oh how she wished there was a way to make it up to him.
She kissed Niles' soft cheek and glanced at the clock, surprised to see that it was late; almost seven o'clock in the morning. At this time of year, the beginning of winter, the days were incredibly short (barely eight hours) but she didn't mind. Still, as much as she wanted to, she couldn't stay in bed all day. She had lots of Christmas shopping to do and she missed David terribly.
"Niles?" she whispered.
He made a soft noise as he turned his head and opened his eyes. The sight made her smile.
"Daphne…"
"Hello sweetheart."
She touched his cheek and brought her lips to his. It was oh so tempting to forget about the shopping trip they'd planned and even the fact that her son was not home. But she could not forget.
Niles snuggled up against her, tempting her even further but she couldn't give in. "Niles, I really need to go shopping. And David…"
Niles chuckled. "You're right. I did promise you a day of shopping, didn't I? Well, I'll call Mrs. Woodson and tell her that we'll be by the office this afternoon to pick him up. How does that sound?"
"Wonderful. Thank you, Niles."
"Of course, Daphne. But you don't have to thank-."
She stopped him with a kiss and then drew back, smiling. "I meant for last night."
He grinned like a little boy. "Oh…"
"I want to thank you in more detail later, but-."
"I know. We'd better get started on our shopping. There will be plenty of time after we get home."
"I can hardly wait."
"Me too, my love."