Niles felt sick.
When he closed his eyes, he could picture the whole scenario as though it were a bad movie replaying itself in his head.
He sat in his car, staring at the monstrosity of a house where he'd spent the last fifteen years with a woman who claimed to love him. But in light of what he'd just encountered, he wondered if she ever really loved him at all.
With a deep sigh, he leaned his head against the plush leather seat of his BMW, wondering how it had all gone wrong.
Was he really that horrible of a husband that Maris felt the need to have an affair in the confines of her luxurious master suite?
It should have been their suite; Niles and Maris, but sadly they hadn't shared a bedroom in years. Still, he was hopeful that their marriage would prosper. And when Maris finally agreed to counseling, he was absolutely elated.
Right then and there he vowed to do whatever it took to acquire the services of one Dr. Bernard Schenkman.
The man was brilliant and after only a few sessions, Niles and Maris were talking out their problems and discovering a side of their relationship that they never knew existed.
After being thrown out of the house yet again after yet another heated argument; this one involving Maris' prized azaleas.
Apparently Niles' spontaneous romantic gesture of carefully removing one from the garden and handing it to his beloved wife was a crime in her eyes; a crime that had resulted in his being thrown out of the house yet again.
Only this time she didn't call to beg him to return.
At least he knew that his wine collection was safe for the moment.
As he walked to the car, cringing at the harsh words and hurling objects Maris threw his way, he couldn't help but remember the last time she'd thrown him out for giving his honest opinion about a new outfit.
It was several years ago but the memory was still vivid.
Fortunately Frasier and his dad were kind enough to let him stay for the night. His mind drifted back to the first time he'd imposed on them. Frasier was in Boston visiting Frederick and his father was on a fishing trip.
He'd planned on having condo 1901 to himself, but when his angel answered the door and heard his plight, she promptly canceled her plans.
It was such an unselfish gesture and one that only increased his love for her. A love of which she was completely unaware but that his heart knew only too well, for she was there every moment.
As he talked, she never judged but rather listened quietly while he told her the whole sad story. And then she offered him Frasier's plush bed for the night.
Her kindness afforded him what was perhaps the best sleep he'd ever encountered in his life. He hated leaving the next day, finding that he wanted nothing more than to share her company a bit longer.
However, the unexpected phone call from Maris changed all of that. He said goodbye to Daphne, thanking her profusely for her generosity and then hurried home in the hopes of saving not only his precious wine collection but his marriage as well.
As he bounded up the stairs Maris seemed eager to see him and incredibly, she even apologized for her harsh words, assuring him that she really did love him. And even more incredible, she accepted his romantic invitation to join him in his room. It was there that they spent a heavenly night of passion that lingered in his mind long after the union was over.
But as he suspected, their happiness didn't last long.
After a few years of ups and downs, Niles found that he and Maris were that they were falling back into the same dangerous pattern and for the first time he was truly afraid that his marriage was falling apart.
And so reluctantly he headed back to Frasier's.
