Author's Note: Thanks to Pat (Pat2Trivia4Me), whose recent story "Falling Softly Through the Seattle Rain" planted the seed for this. It was intended as a one-shot, but the story had other ideas! I'll try to have Ch. 2 up ASAP. :)

David knocked on his parents' door. He could hardly wait to see their faces. They had no idea he was here. He was supposed to be back East, following his uncle's footsteps at Harvard. Despite his busy schedule, he'd managed to fly home for a weekend at the last moment.

"David!" Daphne exclaimed when she opened the door. She hugged her son tightly. "What are you doing here? Is everything all right?"

David laughed, seeing the surprise on her face. "Yeah, Mom, everything's great. I just needed to come back to see you and Dad for a bit. It's no big deal."

"Well, you could've called," Daphne said. "Harvard does have phones, right?"

"Yes, Mom. It's not like the Dark Ages. But I wanted to surprise you guys. You didn't have plans for this weekend, did you?"

"Well, your father's got opera tickets, but I think he can skip that for you," Daphne said. "Heaven knows I wouldn't mind staying home."

"I'd hate to put Dad out. But maybe I could give you a break." He grinned, knowing his mother had never shared his and his father's passion for opera.

"That would be lovely. Now, come in. I can't believe you're here. Your father's going to be so thrilled!"

David didn't know quite what to say. This visit wasn't just a social call. He'd come here primarily to talk with his father, but now that he thought about it, it wouldn't be a bad idea to hear his mother's perspective as well.

"Well, I know me cooking's not the world's greatest, but I'm sure it's better than whatever they're feeding you at school. Can I make you something?"

Even now that he was grown and living three thousand miles away, his mother was still treating him like her little boy. Some things never changed. "Sure," David said, knowing there was no point in arguing.

Daphne led her son by the hand into the kitchen. She could still hardly believe he was here. In no time, she had him sitting at the kitchen table, and was making his favorite meals. Once he was eating, she turned to him, smiling. "So, how is school going? Are you making any new friends?"

David knew by the look on his mother's face that she wasn't really asking about friends; she was asking about girlfriends. "Mom….guys don't usually discuss that stuff with their mothers!"

The way David was blushing reminded Daphne of the way Niles used to look when she'd caught him staring, or daydreaming during a conversation. "All right. Sorry for going all 'Mom' on you. It's just that I miss you."

David had to admit, he'd missed her, too. Even though he loved school, nothing beat being back home. Once more, he remembered why he'd come here. "When's Dad getting home?"

"I think he said he had a light day today. Should be here soon."

"Good. I wanted to talk to him about something. Actually to both of you."

Daphne wanted to pry, but she thought better of it. David was a grown man now. He would tell them what was on his mind when he was ready.

Just then, the door opened, and Daphne felt her pulse suddenly quicken. Niles was home. She was always glad to see him, but she could hardly wait for him to see that David was here.

"Daphne, my love?"

Looking at David, Daphne answered, "We're in here."

Niles entered the room. "Oh, did you finally manage to get together with Roz?" But his jaw dropped when he saw not his brother's former producer, but his son. "David. To what do we owe this pleasure?"

David shrugged. "I just wanted to come see you guys. Hope you don't mind." Before Niles could say that he didn't mind in the least, David had walked over, wrapping his father in a tight embrace.

"It's good to see you, son." Niles could vividly recall the days when David was young, and he'd greet his father with a hug just like this. So many years had passed, but one thing remained the same: the love Niles felt for his only son.