A/N: This is a birthday present for Andrea (iloveromance)! The story was supposed to be about something else, but then this happened. I think she knows what that is like and so I decided to finish it. Hope you like it.
Niles stifled a sneeze as he entered Frasier's apartment. He was sick. There was no denying it. His secretary had sent him home after he had almost fallen asleep while with a patient. But home was a lonely, lonely place. Being sick made Niles want to be with his family. And Daphne, who essentially, was a part of his family. Just the thought of her made him feel better immediately. However, the suppressed sneeze tickled his nose and his mouth opened; whether to finally let it out or to say something, he wasn't sure himself. Then Daphne appeared out of nowhere. His vision was slightly blurred and she could have come from the kitchen or from the back of the apartment. The smile that spread over her face he didn't see, but he heard it in her voice when she addressed him.
"Dr. Crane! I wasn't expecting you here, but you're just the man I need." Could it be that he was dreaming – or hallucinating?
"I-I am?"
"Yes, you see I have this date tonight," Crash! Boom! Bang! Niles felt his knees buckle dangerously and his hand blindly searched for something he could hold on to. He found Frasier's couch and hoped Daphne didn't see his weakness.
"And I have nothing to wear! I know you have excellent taste," he giggled and suddenly grew shy before she went on, "and I was wondering if you could help me find something nice to wear?"
"Of course." Niles answered without hesitation. Inside it just hurt. He didn't want her to go on a date and the thought of helping her look beautiful for some man who was most likely beneath her, made his stomach churn. He took a careful step forward, knowing that his knees would be wobbly.
"No, Dr. Crane, I meant… I really don't have anything to wear. I was wondering if you would come with me and… help me pick something?" Had she not blushed asking him this, he might have been able to tell her no. Not like this. She looked at him – she pleaded with him – and her eyes were two dots of deep, dark brown that looked as molten as his heart felt. There was no way he could say no. His nose reminded him that he was sick; his whole body reminded him. But this was Daphne and she needed his help.
"I'd be…I'd be honored to help." Niles told her with some difficulty. When she smiled at him however, he felt it settle deep in his heart. All of a sudden, he felt better and stronger. Except that it made him careless; the sneeze he'd been able to hold in as long as he had, finally forced its way outside and startled Daphne.
"Bless you, Dr. Crane. What was I thinking! You're allergic to these flowers I bought. Come on, the sooner you leave, the better you'll feel." She ushered him outside and he didn't have the heart to tell her that it had nothing to do with flowers.
The mall was not a place Niles was well acquainted with. He bought his clothes in exclusives places, but he knew that Daphne didn't have that kind of money. It bothered him. If he were her boyfriend (her husband, it chimed in his head) then she could pick the most beautiful, the most expensive clothes. He sighed inadvertently, which made Daphne turn to him. She was holding a strange looking blouse.
"Do you like it Dr. Crane?" He hated it. There was no sugar-coating it. It reminded him of a Hawaiian shirt – only it was even uglier. Blue colors mingled with brown, purple and red. They didn't complement each other, but rather tried to scare the others off.
"S-sure." He replied carefully. His nose tickled and this time he wasn't sure whether it was another sneeze or his trademark inability to lie that would end in a nose-bleed. However, before he could think more about it, Daphne sighed and put the blouse away. Niles exhaled happily.
"It's no use; they have nothing in me prince range that looks beautiful."
"I'm sure that's not true." Niles had hardly looked around, because he was feeling sick. He had let Daphne drive, claiming not to know where the mall was. That had turned out to be a mistake. Daphne was a good driver, without question. She was just a little more reckless than he, and his upset stomach, were used to.
"I'm sorry I dragged you here, Dr. Crane. I think we can go back now. I'll wear something of me old stuff." Daphne was about to leave, but Niles took her arm. She looked at him with sad eyes and he felt so guilty. He didn't want to help her find something beautiful. After all, she'd be wearing it for another guy. He would compliment her and she would smile and Niles would… succumb to his own jealousy. And he was jealous. There was nothing he wanted more than to spend the evening with her. It was a dream and a fantasy. Reality was staring him in the eyes. Not helping her would cause Daphne pain. He could swallow his jealousy, surely, to make her happy?
"We'll find something. If it's the last thing I do, Daphne, but we'll find something."
"Oh, Dr. Crane, what would I do without you!" She kissed his cheek and went off strolling through the store like some happy, love-sick teenager. Niles followed her slowly; he was love-sick, too. For that woman. At the moment however, he felt sick – and much less in love.
After almost an hour and two stores later, Niles was almost as convinced as Daphne that they wouldn't find anything. He had suggested he'd take her to one of his special places and pay for anything she picked, but unsurprisingly she had refused. Now Niles was no longer sure how much longer he could keep this up. So far Daphne hadn't noticed how sick he was. Once or twice he hid somewhere, sneezed and blew his nose. There was a soft film of sweat forming on his forehead and no matter how often he wiped it away, he couldn't get rid of that sticky paleness on his face.
"The date is in three hours," Daphne panicked, "I should just cancel." That would have worked for Niles. But incidentally, it was that moment when he saw it. Ignoring Daphne, he quickly made his way over to the garment. The moment his fingers touched it, his eyes closed. He knew this belonged to Daphne.
"Dr. Crane?" She had followed him and her fingers reached out, first to touch him, but then she too touched the piece of garment. "Ohhhh." She said in amazement.
"Buy this." Niles said with a rough voice. He didn't want to open his eyes, because as long as they were close he could see her wearing it. And he was the one who saw her in it. The fabric was soft. Given his expertise, Niles knew it had to be merino wool. The material would caress her skin while fitting perfectly around her body. Tight, but not too tight. Revealing without being too much. It was the same red as the dress she'd worn to the Snow Ball had been. That was just another added bonus. Niles saw it; he saw it clearly.
"It's beautiful," Daphne said quietly, "I'm going to buy it." She decided after a quick look at the price tag. Niles waited for her outside the store, hoping to get some fresh air. He was shivering in his coat. As soon as Daphne left for her date, he would go home, crawl into his bed – and die most likely.
"Dr. Crane, thank you so much for helping me find this sweater! It's perfect! Dr. Crane, are you all right?" For the first time Daphne seemed to be looking at him more closely. Instinctively, she put her hand and on his forehead and seemed to be shocked what she found there.
"You're burning up! Let's get you home."
"I'm fine." He croaked out. He sounded anything but fine.
"You should have told me you were feeling sick! I never would have made you come out here." She held his clammy hand as she dragged him through the mall and to their car. She looked more like an angry mother than a concerned friend.
"It's fine." At the moment he seemed incapable of saying anything else.
Back at Frasier's apartment, Daphne gently shook Niles awake. For a second time that day, he had fallen asleep. She smiled at him – he thought, because his vision was blurry – and said something. He figured she was telling him to get out of the car and so he did. Daphne chattered all the way up, but Niles could hardly follow her words. He wanted to sleep. He wondered why she hadn't taken him to his own home.
"Looks like your father and brother aren't home yet." Daphne said and she gently pushed Niles inside the apartment. He immediately slumped down on the couch and even though he was wearing a coat, he shivered violently.
"I'll be right back with a cup of tea for you and some medication. I'm sure your brother won't mind if you take his bed for a little nap." She disappeared into the kitchen and Niles was willing to go to Frasier's bedroom and lay down there, but his body was not. His eyes closed and he settled right there on the couch. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.
"Dr. Crane?" Niles was in a big hall. Terrible acoustics, he told no one in particular. He was holding a baton, but there were no musicians.
"Dr. Crane?" Then suddenly, through a veil of deep fog, someone appeared. Or something. It was red. That was all he could see: a red vision. But as it came closer, he realized it was Daphne. The baton fell to the ground and it made a clinging sound. He couldn't have cared less. Daphne strode towards him. She was wearing the new sweater! Earlier he had thought he could imagine it. That his imagination was so vivid that he could see her wear it. How wrong he had been! Seeing her wear it for real, his fantasy had been nothing but a cheap imitation.
"Dr. Crane? You're scaring me!" It took Niles a moment to realize that his eyes weren't open. With some difficulty, he opened them. But there she was anyway: his angel. She was indeed wearing her new red sweater. That hadn't been a dream. Her smile was real, too. The real one, the one he saw with open eyes, was sadder though. There was concern in her eyes and his hand reached out – to where? He wasn't sure. She took his hand and held it in hers.
"Oh, Dr. Crane," her voice was pitiful, "you're sick. Your hand is all clammy."
"I'll be fine," Niles used his new favorite word to reassure her and sat up. His head started spinning but he concentrated on her face and somehow it worked. "Isn't it time for your date yet?"
"Yes," she replied nervously, "But I'm not sure I should go."
"Why not?" Don't go, he thought. Stay here with me.
"Well, you're all sick and…"
"And? Me being sick is none of your concern. Like I said, I'll be fine." A sneeze betrayed him, but he grinned at Daphne. As much as the thought of her dating other men hurt him, he just wanted her to be happy. He didn't want her to stay with him out of pity.
"I know Dr, Crane. It's just… I'm not sure I want to go out with Jacques."
"Jacques? His name is Jacques?" She nodded miserably.
"You see the reason I asked you for your opinion today that he is this really sophisticated professor and I didn't want him to think I had no class." Niles felt his blood boil and this time it had nothing to do with being sick. How could a man think of Daphne as anything else but classy?
"Daphne, if he thinks that, he is a fool."
"Thank you, Dr. Crane. I was surprised he asked me out and I was just so flattered and now…"
"Do you like this… Jacques person? Do you really like him? Can you imagine yourself with him if you close your eyes?" Speaking hurt his throat, but he needed to get it all out there. Daphne thought for a moment, then she tentatively closed her eyes. A smile spread over her lips that worried Niles.
"What- what did you see?"
"Not Jacques, Dr. Crane. I saw you," she told him and grinned when his eyes grew wide, "If it's not too much to ask I'd like to take you out to dinner. Once you're healthy again, that is." Niles was amazed how easily those words had slipped off her tongue. Was it truly that easy?
"Am I- am I dreaming?" He asked and Daphne laughed; a heavenly sound in his ears. "If I am, please don't wake me. I'd love to have dinner with you, Daphne."
"Wonderful. And now you'll put on these clothes," she handed him some of Frasier's old sweats that would surely hang off his body, "and I'm going to make you the best chicken soup you've ever had."
"I don't think my father and my brother-"
"They'll see you're sick and they'll want you to stay. Go change, Dr. Crane. I'm sure there's some movie on we can watch, too."
Niles watched as Daphne disappeared into the kitchen. She was still talking to him, telling him to finally get changed and how she had to take his temperature. He no longer cared; Daphne had asked him out! As soon as this cold was out of his system, they would have dinner together. His heart soared and he felt like he could fly. As it turned out, he couldn't. Everything hurt as he got up and waddled to the bathroom. But there was a silver lining in the path that would be paved with a sore throat, a headache and a runny nose: he and Daphne had a date! He couldn't help but smile.
END