Author's Note:Thanks once again to Andrea (iloveromance) for allowing me to continue her beautiful and extremely melt-worthy story, "Love and Loss." Please do R&R! :)
Niles was surprised when he answered the knock at his door. "Daphne!" He smiled immediately. "What brings you here?"
"I just wanted to thank you, Dr. Crane. For being so sweet yesterday when I was carrying on about how I'll be all alone someday. That was so silly. Of course I won't be alone. I have Donny now."
Niles felt a slight ache in his heart at the mention of Daphne's fiance. "He's...a very lucky man."
Daphne blushed. "Thank you."
An awkward silence followed. Finally Niles spoke. "Would you like to come in?"
Daphne nodded and began to enter the apartment. But she stopped suddenly when she saw that his coffee table was piled high with several large books. "I don't want to bother you if you're busy."
Niles smiled. "Daphne, you're never a bother. Those are just some old photo albums. Being at that cemetary yesterday made me think. I have to admit I haven't visited my mother's grave as often as I should."
Daphne gave him an understanding smile. "I know it must be hard to go there. But if you think it would make it easier for you, I could go with you sometime."
"That's very kind of you to offer, but I couldn't ask that of you. I just...miss her."
Daphne reached over and squeezed his hand. "I'm sure she knows that."
"Would you like to see some pictures of her?" Niles asked.
Daphne nodded and walked over to the sofa. "She was beautiful."
Niles sat down beside her. "Yes. Did you know that Dad says he knew he loved Mom the moment he met her? Even though they met over a dead body!"
Daphne smiled. "Your father's told me that story." She began looking through the pages of one of the albums. "Is this you?" she asked, pointing to a picture.
Niles nodded. "That's the day I came home from the hospital. You can see how Frasier's glaring at me in that bassinet."
"He loves you, you know," Daphne said gently. Though the two boys were often competitive, she knew that deep down, they also loved and respected each other a great deal.
Niles blushed. He couldn't believe how caring Daphne was. Most people would be bored with pictures from someone else's family. But not Daphne. She understood how much Niles' family meant to him. Another reason she was, in some ways, his closest friend. He turned to another page in the album. "There's Frasier and me with our science projects. Mom was so proud of us!"
Daphne smiled. She could hardly picture Niles and Frasier as children. Even in the photograph, they looked like minature adults, wearing blazers with the name of their private school. "You look handsome in that suit!"
Niles blushed even harder. All of a sudden, he felt like he was that same young boy, shy and awkward around a girl he liked. "Thank you," he said. "Dad and Frasier and I don't like to talk about Mom much. I think it just makes us miss her even more. But with you, it's...different."
"I suppose it's because I've seen so much of this in me work. When people lose a loved one, it can be very hard. It never goes away."
Niles knew she was right. He and Frasier would always miss their mother. But being near Daphne helped lessen the ache in his heart. He smiled when Daphne reached over and took his hand, squeezing it. Her hands were so soft he could hardly believe it. He'd never been one to believe in supernatural things, but maybe he ought to reconsider that. Especially since he was now looking into the eyes of an angel.
