Author's Note: It seems as if every time I watch "Three Valentine's," I get an idea. Well, this came to me this time. Enjoy! :)
Daphne couldn't believe her luck. She'd come here tonight to have dinner with Mr. Crane, which was very nice. But with it being Valentine's Day, she didn't really want to be out with the man she considered to be her second father. But instead, here she was, talking to the waiter who had found her to be attractive. She had blushed at his compliment. She was pleasantly surprised that she found herself enjoying his company. He was only doing this waiter job so he could get the money he needed to go to study cooking abroad.
She was just about to ask where, when suddenly, a vision flashed in her mind. She wanted to dismiss it. But it was Dr. Crane, her boss's brother, lying on the floor, seemingly passed out and in pain. She needed to get out of there and go to him.
The waiter touched her arm. "Daphne? Is everything alright? You look a million miles away."
She jerked back into the present long enough to smile at him. She didn't know his name yet, or maybe she forgot what it was. But she knew she had to get back home.
"Oh yes, I'm fine. I just remembered there's something I need to do at home. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I have to go. Now."
Disappointment flashed across the waiter's face. "Well, ok. Do you need me to drive you home?"
Daphne knew she couldn't let him do that. It'd pain Dr. Crane even more if she showed up with a strange man standing beside her.
"Um, no, that's not necessary. I think we can get back by ourselves. But thanks anyway." She smiled at him. If her feelings were right about Dr. Crane, she didn't want to give this man any hope of possibility of another date with her. If this was even considered a date.
She shook his hand. "Thank you for making me feel special on Valentine's Day. You have no idea how much that meant to me tonight."
The waiter smiled and said, "My pleasure, Daphne. If you ever come back, you know I'll make sure you get the best service!"
She smiled. "Thank you. And good luck with your studies. That really does sound amazing."
After she said goodbye to her companion, she raced over to where Mr. Crane was still talking to the coat check girl. If she wasn't in a hurry to get home, she would've fussed at him, for talking with someone almost as young as she was.
He pretended not to know her at first, but she finally got his attention. "Mr. Crane, we have to get home. Now."
Martin rolled his eyes. "What's the rush, Daphne? Niles is entertaining at Frasier's tonight. And he specifically said not to disturb him!"
"Yes, well, that's just it. I'll tell you about it in the car. Now, come on, we need to go."
Reluctantly, Marin sighed, and followed Daphne out of the restaurant.
As they rode the elevator up to Frasier's floor, Martin turned to her and said, "This better not be some ruse just to get me out of talking to Felicia. I was just about to give her my number!"
Daphne chose to ignore that comment. This ride seemed longer than before. But finally, the elevator stopped, and the doors swung open. Daphne gasped at what she saw when she stepped off. Her vision had been true. Dr. Crane lay on the floor, passed out, wearing nothing but his shorts and suit. She didn't know what to think. Her vision didn't include what he was wearing, or not wearing.
Martin shouted out then, "Oh my God! Eddie, where are you boy? Are you ok?"
Daphne rolled her eyes. Typical Mr. Crane, thinking of only his dog, and not his son lying here. She then surveyed the room, and noticed the burned sofa. Frasier's beloved sofa had been burned to a crisp, with what looked like the remnants of the meal Dr. Crane was cooking scattered on it.
She didn't want to cry. No, that would just make the situation worse. Instead, she sprang into action. She first tried to wake Dr. Crane by slapping on his face.
"Dr. Crane, Dr. Crane...Please, wake up!" Thankfully, after a minute or two, he seemed to come to. He moaned a little, and his eyes fluttered open. He squinted at her. "D-Daphne? Is that you?"
She sighed. He was going to be ok. He started to get up. "Don't push yourself, Dr. Crane."
"B-But I have to...to clean up."
"Don't worry about that. Your father and I can manage. Just take it easy. I'll get you some ice."
She ran to the kitchen and put some ice in a plastic bag. When she came back to Dr. Crane, she found him standing up and just staring at the damage. "Frasier's going to kill me."
She felt sympathy towards him. Here he was, expecting to spend Valentine's Day with a romantic date, and the exact opposite happened.
"Oh, you sweet man. Don't you worry about your brother. I'll make sure he doesn't do anything to harm you. Now, why don't you just go get freshened up, and I'll try to clean up a little around here."
Despite his being in pain, Dr. Crane smiled. "Thank you, Daphne. I'll come back to help."
"Nonsense. You've been through enough for one night. Now, go on."
Daphne watched him walk slowly down the hall to Frasier's bathroom. She knew her boss would have a fit if he knew that his brother was using his bathroom. But she wasn't going to let that happen.
She managed to clean the food particles off as best she could, and she decided to throw the slip cover that was on Martin's chair over everything, so there wouldn't be any visible scars. She was just about to clean the kitchen, when she heard footsteps coming back down the hall.
Dr. Crane was looking a little better. He had changed his clothes, and he was carrying a bouquet of roses.
She gasped when she saw the flowers. "Dr. Crane, what's this?"
He handed bouquet to her. "These are for you. For making like nothing happened tonight, when everything went wrong."
She smiled. She was sincerely touched by his gesture. "You didn't have to do this."
"I wanted to spend Valentine's Day with somebody special, but instead, I get the woman of my dreams."
Daphne shook her head to clear it. Surely she was having another vision! But it seemed entirely real when Dr. Crane slowly came toward her and took her in his arms and tentatively came in for a kiss. She decided to act on her feelings and kissed back. She didn't know what was going on, but she didn't want to break the spell. Suddenly, she felt like she was ten feet above the ground, and nothing in the world mattered but them. She could hardly wait for the next Valentine's Day to come
The End