Tonight was sure to be the most memorable evening of Niles' life. He wanted everything to be absolutely perfect. Here he was, impeccably dressed and ready to take his place as the newest member of the esteemed Empire Club. It was indeed the highest honor he could ever imagine. Or, at least one of them, anyway.

Nervously he paced the room which was filled with all sorts of sophisticated people; members and potential members of which he was thrilled to be a part of. But now he was becoming anxious, waiting for his brother to arrive. Had the man no shame, arriving late to such an important party? It was with great relief that he heard his name.

"Niles! Niles! How goes the chase?"

"Brilliantly!" Niles replied as he turned around. But then he froze. It wasn't his brother's question that perplexed him; it was the woman on Frasier's arm.

Instantly his breath was taken away.

"Daphne…"

Wearing a long sleeveless black evening dress, pearls around her neck, long black gloves and her hair piled atop her head, she smiled, making her look even more beautiful. It was, by all accounts nearly impossible, because he'd never seen her look so stunning.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Frasier takes me everywhere, don't you sweetheart?"

To Niles horror, his brother merely laughed.

"I think I'll go and sample some of the hors d'oeuvres. Back in a minute, Darling!"

When Daphne was gone, Niles looked at his brother in disgust. "Sweetheart? Darling?"

"My date canceled." Frasier explained. But when Niles seemed unconvinced, Frasier sighed. "Look, you can't possibly think that I'm dating Daphne!"

Niles swallowed hard. "Well, you are a man and she is a goddess!"

"Fine, believe what you want Niles, but-."

"Dr. Crane, how nice to see you!"

Shocked to hear his name, Niles turned to find the distinguished and elderly club President, Mr. Drake smiling at him.

"H-how did you know-."

The old man laughed. "Oh, I make it my business to know everyone's name; especially those who are interested in becoming a member of The Empire Club, Dr. Crane. Why don't we sit over here and get acquainted?"

"Oh… all right." But Niles could barely concentrate for looking around the room, hoping for any sign of the woman he loved. Alas there was none.

With a sigh he followed Mr. Drake to the corner of the room where they sat facing one another in two burgundy winged-back chairs.

"All right, Dr. Crane, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"

Niles swallowed hard, suddenly remembering his senior year of high school when he sat across from the President of Yale University, hoping to convince the man that he was the perfect addition to join their fine school.

"You know…" He pondered aloud. "I would like to know more about this Empire Club, even though I already know quite a bit."

Mr. Drake seemed impressed by Niles' question. "All right, Dr. Crane, what would you like to know?"

"Well, for instance, what do you expect from your members?"

"Ah… Well, many things. For starters…"

Mr. Drake's voice faded away in Niles' mind, replaced with thoughts of his goddess. When he looked at his watch, he was stunned to find that almost forty five minutes had gone by. Forty five minutes since he'd last Daphne…. His goddess, his angel….

And suddenly he was worried.

"So, does this sound like a club you'd be interested in joining, Dr. Crane? You seem like a fine candidate."

He looked up, suddenly aware that he was being spoken to. "What? Oh, yes it sounds wonderful."

"Splendid! Well, now why don't I introduce you to a few of our members?"

"Actually, Mr. Drake, there's something I need to take care of."

"Oh, well, all right…perhaps in a few minutes then. I'll tell the others that you'll be along in a little while."

"Um, actually, Mr. Drake, this might take a lot longer than a while. Excuse me."

Niles rose from the wing back chair and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Mr. Drake completely baffled. But Niles didn't care. He was on a mission to find the woman he loved.