A/N: Thanks to Kristen for giving me the idea for this story!

It had been an exhausting day. Running errands in downtown Seattle was not Daphne's favorite thing to do. She loved the Emerald City and its vibrant shopping district but when it came to locating specialty items for the elder Dr. Crane the task simply overwhelmed her.

Still, she supposed it was better than arguing with his father over the importance of doing his exercises. The old man just did not understand how imperative it was to strengthen his hip to avoid any further injury.

Now as she stood at the corner of Forth and Spring, she could hardly wait for the bus to arrive. She was looking foreword to a relaxing evening at home curled up on her bed with a good book. That is, after she put away all of the items that Dr. Crane had requested. That task alone was bound to take at least an hour. But even so, she'd be home and not out and about.

Amazingly the bus arrived at the stop right on schedule and she hurried to get on. It was a busy time of the afternoon and the seats were sure to fill quickly before she reached the Elliot Bay Towers. Fortunately she found a seat near the middle of the bus and she gratefully sat her packages at her feet.

As the bus took off, she found herself drifting into slumber. The traffic was heavy and the bus ride was likely to take longer than normal. So it wouldn't hurt to take a short nap along the way.

She'd barely drifted off when she heard the sound of crying. Her eyes opened and she looked around at the other passengers, but they seemed to be engrossed in their own little worlds.

That was strange. Perhaps she'd imagined it.

She'd no sooner closed her eyes once more when she was awakened by the soft sound once more. She opened her eyes and noticed a young woman holding the latest bestseller in front of her face as though she was trying to hide behind it.

Daphne hadn't meant to stare but it was unusual to see someone with a book held so close to their face when no pages were being turned. She watched inconspicuously as the woman slowly moved the book away, revealing a very pretty face with bright green eyes and a lovely complexion. But it was the sadness in her eyes that tugged at Daphne's heart.

The woman's eyes were red from crying and still more tears were streaming down her cheeks, despite her efforts to blot them away with a tissue. Whatever was bothering the woman must be terribly painful.

When they made eye contact, Daphne quickly looked away. She couldn't let the woman know that she'd been watching her. The woman clearly didn't want anyone to see her in such a state of distress and Daphne certainly couldn't fault her for that.

As the bus arrived at Daphne's stop, she stood and made her way toward the door, surprised to see the woman do the same. Her packages in hand, Daphne headed for the Elliot Bay Towers but when she saw the woman sit on a nearby bench and begin to sob, she could no longer pretend that she hadn't seen.

Without hesitation she turned and walked to the bench sitting down beside the woman. For a moment, Daphne didn't know what to say. It was impossible to think of anything to say that wouldn't upset the woman any further. So she did what she'd always done when she saw a stranger in distress. As gently as possible she put her hand on the woman's forearm.

"Miss, are you all right?"

"No..." The woman replied, barely giving Daphne a glance.

"Of course you aren't. How daft of me to even say such a thing. Is there anything I can do?"

"Thank you but I'm afraid there's nothing anyone can do. If only... Oh, never mind. I don't think you'd understand."

"Well, perhaps not, but if you want to talk about it, I'd be glad to listen."

The woman turned to Daphne in surprise. "You would?"

Daphne smiled. "I know we haven't met but my boss always says that it's not good to keep things bottled up inside. But if it's too personal, I understand. I just wanted to help."

"Well I don't!" The woman said, starting Daphne with her outburst. "I thought Ryan really loved me but apparently I was wrong. I just... I can't believe he said all of those terrible things to me! I admit I said some things that I shouldn't have but his words... they hurt. I-."

When the woman broke down in tears, Daphne wasted no time in trying to console her.

"It's all right..." She said soothingly as the woman cried on her shoulder. "It's all right. Just let it out." Daphne whispered, stroking the woman's back. She held her for a long time, until finally the woman lifted her head.

"I'm sorry. I-."

"Nonsense. There's no need to be sorry. If anyone should be sorry, it's Ryan. It's terrible, him saying such horrid things to you when he's supposed to love you! Can I ask what your fight was about?"

The woman looked at Daphne in surprise. "How did you know that we had a fight?"

Daphne smiled. "This may sound silly but I'm a bit psychic."

"Oh..." was the woman's response.

"Listen, I know that we don't even know each other's names, but would you like to come over for some tea? You look like you could use a friend."

"Oh, I don't know... I-."

"I understand. I'm sorry if that was a bit foreword of me. I just hate to see you so upset."

"Well, actually some tea does sound nice, but-."

"But nothing. I promise you don't have to stay long. In fact, you can stay as long as you like. My name's Daphne, by the way. Daphne Moon."

The woman smiled and shook Daphne's hand.

"Sharon. Sharon Longfield."

"Pleased to meet you, Sharon. Now come on and I'll make you a hot cup of tea. Always does wonders for me when I'm feeling low."

"Thank you, that's very kind."

"You're welcome. It's the least I can do for a friend." Daphne said, taking the woman's hand.

Perhaps this day wouldn't turn out to be so bad after all.