The ringing phone lulled her out of the first good night's sleep that she'd had since arriving at her childhood home in Manchester several days before. In the tiny bed, the one that had once felt enormous to her, she turned and reached for the lamp switch, filling the room with brightness. Wearily she picked up the receiver and glanced at the clock, surprised to see how late it was. Or rather, how early.
"Hello?"
"Hello, my love."
Her heart melted at the sound of his sweet voice. "Niles…"
"Yes, it's me, my angel."
"Why are you calling so early? Have you forgotten about the time difference between Seattle and Manchester again?"
"Actually no, I haven't. I know exactly what time it is in Manchester. I'm sorry if I disturbed you my love, Please give your parents my apologizes for disturbing them as well.
But I miss you terribly and I just wanted to hear your beautiful voice."
Tears slid down her cheeks and she wondered how it was possible to love someone so deeply that made her heart feel as though it would burst. "I love you, Niles. I love you so much and I miss you too."
"I love you too. I just wish that England wasn't so far away."
"So do I Niles. It's much too far."
"It certainly is, Daphne. I can't wait to kiss you again."
"I miss your lips. I miss your stories about things that happened at your office that you share with me when you come home. Things that go right over me head! I miss the way you get so upset over the silliest things; a bottle of wine that you can't find, a bad review of an opera that you love but can't get tickets to. I miss the way you seem so clueless when your father talks about sports. I miss walking into Café Nervosa in the early afternoons to find you sitting with your brother, enjoying your non-fat half-caf latte with the faintest hint of cinnamon and the way you always order me a cup of cinnamon tea and then wipe the seat off for me to sit down. I miss everything about you, Niles Crane."
From far away through the telephone line that stretched across the continents, she could hear him sniffling, which made her tears flow even faster. "Oh Sweetheart, I've made you cry. I'm so sorry."
"I'm not crying, Daphne." His trembling voice replied. "I'm just-."
"Niles, I've known you for years and years and I know you better than anyone. I know you're crying, and while you're lying about it, you're holding your handkerchief against your nose to stop the bleeding."
She heard him chuckle then. "You're right my love. And I'm going to cherish those wonderful words that you said to me always; long after you return home."
She sighed deeply. "I wish I hadn't come."
"Nonsense, Daphne. You wanted to come. I'm only sorry I wasn't able to come with you. It's just that my patients-."
"I know, Darling. You work so hard. I just wish-."
"We'll be together soon, my love."
Another deep sigh. "Soon…" She repeated. "I love you, Niles."
"I love you too, Daphne."
"Give my love to your father and brother."
"I will. I'm sorry I disturbed your sleep, my angel."
"You didn't. I haven't been sleeping that well, anyway."
"I'm sorry Daphne. What's wrong?"
More tears slid down her cheeks. "I miss your body next to mine, keeping me warm; holding me."
Another sniffle. "Daphne…"
"Niles, why did you let me come here, alone?"
"Because I love you and because you said that you missed your family and wanted to see them."
"Oh Niles…."
"Get some sleep, my angel. Sweet dreams."
"Goodnight, Niles."
She hung up the phone, noticing for the first time as the moonlight streamed through the window that her fingers were trembling. Tears blurred the room around her and she reached for her worn childhood teddy bear, Wilbur, who sat on the chair beside her. Wilbur had been loved so much that his fur was starting to wear in places. He had definitely seen better days. But now he provided a great comfort, when the comfort she wanted most was not there.
She scooted further under the sheets and began to sob into her pillow, clutching the brown, matted teddy bear to her chest. "Oh Niles…"
She was still crying when she felt the mattress shift and a warm weight settle at her feet. Something moved through her hair; a hand… fingers, reminding her of a time long ago. She sat up at once, gasping in surprise. "Daddy?"
He smiled at her, continuing to run his fingers through her hair. "How's my l little girl?"
"Did I wake you? I'm sorry, I-."
"No, I heard the phone ring earlier and-."
"Oh… I'm sorry about that. Niles-."
Her father grinned and nodded. "I see."
"I'm sorry Daddy. He said he forgot about the time difference." It was a lie of course, but she wanted to keep the truth to herself. However her father knew better.
"I suspect that he knew what time it was when he was calling. He misses you, right?"
New tears began to fall. "Yes."
"And you miss him."
Now she was sobbing, clutching Wilbur against her chest. "Daddy…" Her father took her into his arms, rubbing her back in a soothing motion, the way Niles often did.
"Come on now, it'll be all right."
After a few moments, she drew back and looked at him. "I'm sorry Daddy. I shouldn't be thinking about Niles right now when I'm supposed to be enjoying me time with you and mum and Simon and the rest of the family."
"Nonsense. Your husband should be the most important person in your life."
"So you're not mad at me, for running out on Donny?"
"Not at all. If you had married him, you wouldn't be so upset about not seeing him right now. You and Niles were meant to be together. I admit that I wasn't that fond of him before, after he flew all the way to England to try and get your mother and I to reunite. It worked, eventually, but any man who would do something like that for my little girl is someone worth keeping."
She hugged her father tightly. "Thank you, Daddy. I just miss him so much!"
"Then you should go to him."
The words made her pull out of his arms in surprise. "What?"
"If you love him that much you should be in Seattle with him, not here in Manchester where you'll be miserable."
"Oh, but I'm not miserable, Daddy. I missed you and mum terribly. I still have days left before I leave!"
"Right, but that can be fixed. I bet you can be on the next flight home if we hurry."
"But-."
"No arguments. I'm your father and you'll do as I say. You can come and visit us anytime but your husband needs you now. And you need him."
Daphne began to cry once more and kissed the old man's cheek. "Thank you, Daddy. Thank you so much."
"Now, you'd best get packing."
In record time she had gone through the tiny room, quietly packing her belongings, including the gifts from her family and the souvenirs she'd picked up along the way for her family back in America. How lucky was she, to have two wonderful families that she loved so much? It was simply amazing. She carefully made the bed, running her hand over the pink and yellow bedspread and went to the door, taking one last look at her childhood bedroom. But the moment she walked into the hallway, she did an about-face and returned to her room. Wilbur sat on the bed, his button eyes beckoning to her. In one fluid motion she walked into the room and picked him up, cradling him to her chest, placing a kiss on his soft head.
"Are you ready to go, Sweetheart?"
"Yes, Daddy, I-you don't have to do this, you know. I would have been fine."
"But I wouldn't be fine, knowing that you were missing your husband so much. We'll see you again soon."
"Thank you."
"Oh, I see you've found Wilbur. I've been wondering when you were going to take him home. He seems pretty lonely here without you."
"I've missed him." She said, feeling silly to be talking about a stuffed animal. "Thank you for taking care of him, for me."
"And tell Niles, thank you for taking care of my little girl, okay?"
"I will, Daddy."
"The taxi will be here soon, so we'd best get into the living room."
"What about Mum and the others?"
"They'll understand. And if not, I'll make them understand!"
Her bags sat by the door, Wilbur and her purse in a winged-back chair and she sighed deeply. A car horn honked, startling her a bit "Well, I guess this is goodbye." She said, starting to cry once more. "I love you, Daddy."
"I love you too, my English rose."
She smiled as she hugged him tightly, inhaling the faint and oh-so familiar scent of tobacco and musky cologne.
The horn honked again. "I'd better go."
Her father carried the luggage to the taxi and they shared one last hug. "I love you, Daddy. Give my love to everyone."
"I will my sweet little girl. And don't forget to tell Niles what I said."
She kissed her father's cheek. "I won't. Goodbye, Daddy."
"Goodbye Sweetheart."
The taxi sped to the airport and time seemed to have no meaning as she made her way through the terminal and found herself in the waiting area for her flight to Seattle. There were very few passengers around, a fact that made her a big anxious. Usually flights across the continents were booked to capacity, but she was grateful, oh-so grateful to her father for his generosity. Finally, it seemed that her family had grown to love Niles; a feat that she feared might never happen. And she loved Niles.
God, how she loved him.
She felt numb as she made her way through the tunnel and into the plane, taking her place in the faux leather seat that would carry her across the oceans to the man she loved. She opened her bag and removed the stuffed teddy bear, clutching him to her chest. The gesture brought looks of confusion and annoyance from those around her but she didn't care. "I love you Wilbur." She whispered. "And I know that Niles will love you too."
Clutching Wilbur in her arms, she leaned her head against the seat back and fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of the man she loved so deeply. The next thing she knew, she heard a bell and the sound of the engine being shut off.
She was home.
Her heart racing she hurried out of the plane, not even bothering to return Wilbur to her bag. She no longer cared what people thought of a grown woman carrying a teddy bear through the airport. The only person she cared about; the only one who mattered, was just minutes away.
She raced to Ground Transportation and quickly found a taxi, and before she knew it they were heading down I-405 en route to Seattle. It wouldn't be long now.
When they arrived at the Montana, she paid the driver and quickly removed her things from the taxi. He sped off before she could thank him properly, but she didn't care. She entered the building, smiling gratefully at the doorman, who generously helped her with her things, even going so far as to accompany her to the floor of the home that she shared with her husband. "Did you have a nice time, Mrs. Crane?"
"Yes, lovely. Thank you."
"I thought you'd be gone longer than this. Dr. Crane said-."
"I know, I came home early. It's a surprise."
The doorman nodded knowingly. "Right. Well, welcome home."
"Thank you."
She stood at the door, her heart beating like mad. Her first instinct was to just walk right in but then she had a better idea. Her hand trembled as she rang the doorbell. She heard footsteps and then the door opened. Niles stood there, looking more handsome than she'd ever seen him before.
"Daphne, what are you doing here? I-is everything all right?"
"I just… missed you so much, Sweetheart. I-."
Unexpectedly she burst into tears and pulled her inside and then hurriedly brought her luggage into the living room. His arms went around her and she sobbed against him, wanting to be as close to him as possible. And she thought she could hear him sniffling as well. He kissed her cheeks, her lips her chin, her nose. "Oh God, how I've missed you , my angel. I never thought I could miss someone this much, I-."
Their lips met again and again in a series of fiery kisses that made her melt against him. "I love you so much, Darling." She said between kisses. "I love you…"
"I love you too, Daphne. So much, but-What happened?"
The kisses ended, albeit briefly and he led her to the fainting couch where they sat down and she put her head against his chest. And then her tears and sobs returned. "Don't cry, my love. Don't cry. I'm here."
But she couldn't stop crying, even after he pulled her against him and covered her with a blanket, pressing his damp cheek against hers.
Finally her tears subsided and she kissed him once more. "I suppose I should get this luggage upstairs."
"Let me help you."
He grabbed her luggage and bag, carrying the things up the stairs, but she simply couldn't resist touching him, her fingers grasping the waistline of his pants as she followed him to their bedroom.
When they were there, he sat her luggage in the corner and took her into his arms. She ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him again and again, finding that she couldn't get enough of him. They fell onto the bed, wanting so much to continue from where they'd left off on the night before she'd left, all those nights ago. She still remembered the passion that they shared. She'd never forget it as long as she lived.
She lay on top of him, smiling at his handsome face as he softly ran his fingers through her hair. "I love you, Niles."
"I love you too, Daphne."
At once she sat up. "Oh, I almost forgot. I bought you something."
"Daphne, you didn't have to do that."
"Of course I did. You're me husband and I love you."
She crossed the room and went to her luggage to get her bag. She removed the blue and green wool scarf wrapped carefully in tissue paper and handed it to him.
"Here you are, Darling."
His eyes widened as he carefully removed the sticker, bearing the name Topman, a high-end men's clothing store in the heart of Manchester and then gasped as he folded back the tissue paper revealing the scarf. "Daphne, this is exquisite. Thank you so much."
"I know it's a bit too warm to wear it now, but in a few months-."
He silenced her with a kiss. "I'll cherish it always. In fact, I'll make a special place for it in my closet right now."
She watched with love in her heart as he went to his closet (the one that she still joked was bigger than hers) and opened the drawer, placing the scarf carefully inside. And then he returned to her, placing a kiss upon her lips. "I can hardly wait for the first snowfall. I-." His eyes moved to her bag and he regarded her curiously.
"What's this?"
"What are you talking about?"
When she looked at him again, he was holding Wilbur in his hands.
"Oh, that's Wilbur. I found him in me room. I was holding him, crying into me pillow when you-."
He went to her taking her into his arms. "Oh Daphne, I'm so sorry. I should have known that my phone call upset you. Is-is that why you're home so early? I wasn't expecting you home for days."
She pressed her face against his chest and then kissed him again and again. "I missed you so much, I cried for I don't know how long after I got off the phone! Daddy heard me crying and tried to comfort me, but it wasn't the same."
Niles sighed deeply. "Was he angry? Daphne, I'm so sorry. I should call and apologize."
"No, sweetheart. He's not angry. In fact he told me to tell you thank you."
"Thank you? For what?"
"For taking care of me. I believe his exact words were; 'Tell Niles thank you for taking care of my little girl.'"
"I should call him and tell him that it is my pleasure. But you still didn't tell me why-."
"Why I'm home so early? Because when Daddy heard me crying, he told me that I needed to be here with you."
Niles drew back, looking at her in surprise. "He said that?"
"Yes, he did. I couldn't believe it either."
"Well, I'll be sure and call to thank him. And Daphne? My schedule should be lighter within the next few months, so if you want to go back-."
"Not without you. Not ever."
Their kisses resumed, as passionate as before as they fell onto the bed. But then Niles sat up unexpectedly.
"What's wrong?"
"It's late. I know you must be exhausted my love. Why don't we get some sleep?"
"That sounds wonderful. I am a bit tired."
"Go ahead and get ready and I'll go after you."
She smiled and kissed him softly. "Thank you, Niles."
As quickly as possible she disappeared into the bathroom to shower and change into her nightclothes. She chose the nightgown that Niles loved the most; the blue satin one that hung below her knees. He always said she looked like an angel when she wore it. The memory warmed her heart.
A spritz of his favorite perfume on the brush she ran through her hair seemed to fill the room with the heavenly scent. And when she was ready, she floated into the bedroom where he was sitting on the bed waiting patiently, his mouth open in awe.
"Daphne... You look…."
She grinned at the familiar scenario. "Like an angel?"
"Even more than ever before."
She kissed his sweet lips again and again. "Thank you, Sweetheart."
"I'll be right back."
She smiled and kissed him again. "All right."
He disappeared from sight, leaving her alone in the bedroom. Her first thought was to pick up the phone to call her father, but she decided against it. Her mum might answer and she didn't feel like dealing with the questions and allegations at the moment. But before she knew it, Niles was coming out of the bathroom, wearing a pair of dark blue pajamas, his hair still damp from the shower.
Her heart fluttered at the sight of him. "You're so handsome."
"Thank you, my love."
They climbed into bed and snuggled against each other, his nose pressed against her hair. God, how she'd missed this; missed being in his arms. She loved him so much. But then she quickly sat up. "Oh, I almost forgot!."
"About what?"
She climbed out of bed and went to her bag, where Wilbur was lying on top of it. "You were asking about Wilbur, earlier."
Niles' eyebrows rose. "Wilbur?"
She climbed back into bed, stroking Wilbur's fur. "Me teddy bear. I found him after I got off the phone with you that night and I slept with him. He was me best friend as a girl and I loved him so much. I just had to bring him home with me. I hope you don't mind, Darling."
"Not at all, Daphne. He looks like he was well loved."
"He was. Mum told me a hundred million times to throw him out, but I couldn't do it. I loved him too much."
"Do you have anything that you love so much you could never live without?"
"Yes. An angel. And I love her more and more with each passing day."
Tears filled her eyes and she laid Wilbur on the end of the bed, content to kiss her husband deeply. "I love you, Niles. And I missed you so much."
"I missed you too, my love. Now, why don't we get a good night's sleep? Ironically, all of this working has worn me out and Mrs. Woodson suggested that I take a few days off. She said I looked exhausted but I think she really wanted the time off to see her grandchildren. I can't say that I blame her."
Daphne grinned. "That means we'll have plenty of time to make up for when we weren't together."
"My thoughts exactly. It could take a few days."
She snuggled deeper into the bed, fitting herself as close to him as possible, he reached for the light and turned it off, kissing her a few more times. And then as they held onto one another, they both drifted off to sleep, dreaming of the passion and romance that would fill the coming days and nights; hours that would be filled with more love then they could ever hope for. At that moment she was happier than she'd ever dreamed. She could hardly wait for tomorrow.
THE END