"That was a delicious meal, Daphne," Niles said as he finished eating. Daphne smiled at the compliment. He looked across the table at his wife. "Now, why don't you go upstairs and relax? I'll clear the table and take care of David."

"Are you sure?" Daphne asked. "What about...?" Though Niles adored fatherhood, he was still very uncomfortable with changing diapers.

"I can handle it, don't worry. I know you're tired. You work so hard, taking care of David and me. Not to mention Dad."

Daphne knew he was right. She hadn't gotten much sleep lately. Since Niles had to work, Daphne had been taking the late-night feedings. At first she hadn't minded, but it was definitely taking a toll. "Thank you, Darling. I promise I won't sleep for too long."

"Take all the time you need, my love. You spend so much time with David during the day. I'd love a chance to bond with him. Don't worry about a thing."

Daphne got up from her seat. "I love you," she said, going over to kiss him.

"I love you, too, my angel. Sleep well."

Daphne headed up the stairs. Though Niles was always a kind and considerate husband, she'd never expected him to make this offer. But it was only a few more weeks till Christmas, so maybe he just wanted her out of the room for a while. As Daphne undressed, she wondered what sort of surprise he might be planning. Knowing Niles, it could be just about anything. Before she had another thought, she fell fast asleep.

Downstairs, Niles quickly cleared the table, leaving David in the highchair while he worked. When that was finished, he lifted the baby out. "Now, the real fun begins," he said. "Your mommy's been so tired lately. I thought we could surprise her. But first, I've got to put you in the playpen for a while." He kissed his son's cheek before putting him in.

Once David was safe and sound, Niles made his way up the stairs as quickly as he could, while still being careful not to make noise. From there, he snuck up into the attic. It didn't take long to find what he was looking for. He located the Christmas tree and a box of lights. He made two trips down to the living room. As he brought the stuff down, he made sure to check on David. The baby happily babbled to himself as he watched his own reflection in the mirror. Niles smiled to himself, amazed that this precious child was his.

He then remembered that he would need ornaments before he could set the tree up. One more trip to the attic. "Well, David, looks like I've got everything I need," Niles said, picking his son up from the playpen. "Now we get the tree up." Fortunately the tree was not difficult to assemble. Lights were easily hung on the tree. Once that was finished, Niles turned the lights on. David's eyes widened at the bright colors. "You like that, don't you?" Niles picked David up, letting him have a closer look. The baby was mesmerized. After a moment, he put David back down. "Now, the ornaments." Niles began removing some from the box he'd gotten from the attic. He put a few on the tree. Most were expensive and definitely breakable. Niles made sure those were placed well out of David's reach.

As he continued to go through the box, he found a few older ornaments as well. One was a star cut out of paper. Niles well remembered making it in school. He lifed David up onto his hip so he could see the star before it was placed on tree. Then he turned the star over. On the back of it, in crayon, were the words, "To Mom: Love, Niles." "I made that for your Grandma when I was just a little boy," Niles explained. "It's a shame that she never got to meet you or your mommy. She would've loved both of you." Niles kissed his son's cheek before returning him once again to the playpen. He carefully placed the simple star on the tree.

Niles continued to place more of the oraments on tree. A few were left over from his years with Maris. She'd allowed him to take a handful when he left. Niles knew he would never tell his son the origins of those ornaments, if he could help it. But then he came upon another one which held much happier memories. It was in the shape of a large 7, and in bold letters, it said, "We got Lucky in Reno!" Niles allowed David to see this one up close as well. "This is from when your mommy and I got married. The first time we got married," he added with a laugh. "It's a long story." David yawned in response. "Well, I guess I better put you down now." Luckily, the tree was just about decorated. He returned his son to the playpen once again. After double-checking everything, Niles stood back and smiled with satisfaction.

He quickly made his way upstairs. He walked into the master bedroom, unsurprised to see Daphne lying in bed, sound asleep. He went over to her, gently kissing her cheek to wake her. "I'm sorry to disturb you, my angel. But I think you should come downstairs for a moment."

Daphne looked at him in confusion for a moment. "Is something wrong with David?"

"No, David's just fine. But I think you really should come downstairs. It'll just take a second, I promise."

Still bewildered, Daphne got up, putting her bathrobe on. Niles could hardly wait for her to see the surprise. She'd been so busy lately that they'd barely even talked about Christmas decorations, or even mentioned gifts. He walked just behind her. When they reached the top of the stairs, Daphne let out a large gasp. The living room below was dark, except for the twinkling lights on the tree.

"Do you like it?" Niles asked as he came around in front of her.

"Oh, Darling, I just can't believe you did all of this!" Daphne couldn't believe her eyes. Their Christmas tree had always looked beautiful. But this was simply breathtaking.

"It was David's idea," Niles said with a grin.

Daphne kissed him. "Well, thank you both, then!"

"I wanted to do this for you because you do so much for us. It's our first Christmas as family of three, and I wanted to make it special," Niles said.

"I don't think I'll forget this for as long as I live!" Daphne felt tears in her eyes. "I know I've been difficult these past few weeks. We've barely had any time together at all."

Niles kissed her. "It's all right. I just wanted to let you know how much I love you."

Daphne sighed, wondering for the millionth time what she'd done to deserve such a wonderful husband and son. "You know, just before you woke me, I was having the most wonderful dream. Why don't I put David to bed, and then I can tell you all about it? Or better yet, we could just re-enact it." She grinned at him, and there was no mistaking her meaning.

"I'll meet you in the bedroom," Niles replied. A rush of excitement went through his body. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that no other woman had ever made him feel this way before. And no one else ever would. Daphne was truly one of a kind.

Niles thought of the famous Bible story, how the angel appeared to the poor shepherds in the fields. It must have been a wonderful sight to behold. But he doubted even they could have ever seen anything as beautiful as the angel in his life.

The End