Niles stood outside his brother's door. He'd been looking forward to this outing all day. He knocked impatiently. Daphne answered.
"Hello, Dr. Crane!"
Niles smiled, as always, at the sight of her. "Is Frasier ready? We're supposed to go to dinner and then to the opera!"
Daphne was confused. "I'm afraid your brother isn't here. He left a while ago to meet a woman for dinner. Apparently he made at date with her this afternoon, at the cafe."
"What? I can't believe this! We've had these tickets for weeks!"
"I'm sure your brother forgot. You know how he gets whenever he meets a new woman!" Daphne laughed. Every time her boss started seeing someone new, he would go on and on about how she was "the one."
"Well, I hope he has a nice time! I can't believe he'd just stand me up like this!"
"I know you're disappointed, but would you like to come in? I was about to heat up some leftovers for dinner."
Niles smiled. His mood lifted immediately. "That would be lovely. Thank you!"
Daphne smiled and took his hand, leading him into the apartment. Niles was breathless at her touch. She led him straight back to the kitchen. "I've got the place to meself tonight. Your father's over at his pub watching a game."
Niles barely heard her words, still in shock over being invited in. He managed to nod in response.
Daphne laughed at his reaction. "Now, I'll just get the leftovers from the fridge and pop them in the microwave. We should be eating in about two minutes."
Niles nodded at her and went to the cabinet to retrieve the plates. Meanwhile, Daphne opened the refrigerator and took out the food. She set it on the counter, then closed the fridge. But she'd slammed it a bit harder than she'd meant to. Suddenly, an antique spice container that had sat on top of the refrigerator fell, crashing to the floor. It shattered instantly.
Niles turned at the sound. Daphne stood frozen, apparently in shock. "Stay back," Niles advised. "I'll clean this up."
Daphne did as he'd asked, walking over to the far corner of the kitchen, while he got out a broom and dustpan to clean up the broken pieces. In a matter of minutes, the floor was clean. Niles looked up, and was shocked to see Daphne's eyes filling with tears. Immediately he dropped the broom and dustpan. He walked over and took her into his arms. "Oh, Daphne, what's the matter?"
"That container – it was your brother's!" Daphne said as she continued to cry. "He loved it. And what have I done? I broke it into a million pieces!"
Niles pulled her even closer. "Sh, it's all right. It was just an accident. It could've happened to anyone." He rubbed her back slowly, hoping to calm her.
"But you gave it to him! Oh, Dr. Crane, I'm so sorry!"
Niles reluctantly pulled out of the embrace. "It was just a thing, Daphne. Things can be replaced." He couldn't resist brushing a tear from her cheek.
"I wish your brother could see it that way! But he's going to be so angry."
"Don't worry about Frasier. I'll explain it to him."
For the first time, Daphne smiled. "Thank you. You're being very sweet."
Niles smiled back. "Well, I care about you, Daphne. I would never want to see you hurt."
Daphne kissed him gently on the lips. "You're such a good friend. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Niles could hardly believe it when he felt her lips on his. His heart leaped. He took her hand in his. "I'm sorry that this happened to you and upset you this way. But I'm glad I could be here when it did. This way I was able to protect and comfort you. I'd do it again, Daphne. Every day. I love you, and I'll always want to keep you safe."
Daphne hardly knew what to say. A minute ago, she'd been upset and afraid. But now she was feeling so many other things. Surprise, of course. But also something deeper. This whole disaster had been her own fault. She was forever having accidents in the kitchen, and more than once Dr. Crane had warned her to be more careful with his things. But this Dr. Crane had made her feel safe. She reached out, touching his face. The feeling of it made her want to cry. In his eyes, she saw nothing but kindness. Suddenly, without even thinking of what she was doing, she leaned forward and kissed him again. That kiss led to several more. This was something new, something she'd never imagined. But it was real all the same.
Daphne's kisses made Niles dizzy – in the best possible way. It was a dream. But when the kisses stopped, and he saw her smiling at him, he knew he wasn't dreaming. "Oh, Daphne. I've been waiting so long for you to kiss me like that! You've made this the most wonderful night of my life. I don't know what to say!"
Daphne put her arms around him. "You don't have to say anything right now. Just hold me."
Niles did as she'd asked, sighing when she rested her cheek on his shoulder. "Daphne?" he finally asked. "Would you do me the honor of letting me buy you dinner?"
Daphne pulled out of the embrace and smiled. "I'd like that."
Niles quickly helped her return the leftovers to the refrigerator. Then he helped her on with her coat and led her out the door. Niles smiled to himself. Frasier's not the only one with a special date tonight, he thought.
The End