Niles sat on Frasier's sofa, after everyone left. The party was a complete failure for him, but not so for his brother. Frasier managed to score three dates in one night. Niles had never had that luck before, much less have one pretty girl look his way. He knew he shouldn't feel this bad, but he couldn't help it. He would never be over Maris' demands or accusations. And the one girl he wanted would always be out of his reach. He just felt content to sit here, wallowing in his sadness alone.


Daphne wanted to make sure the lights were turned off in the apartment one more time. She was tired from cleaning up after the party that she hardly attended. She didn't mind, of course. She was content to stay in her room, until she was rudely interrupted by a strange man. She dismissed the incident pretty quickly after telling her boss.

As she walked in the living room, she realized she wasn't alone. At first, she felt frightened, thinking of that stranger in her room. But she turned on the lights to find Dr. Crane sitting on the sofa, half asleep.

"Dr. Crane! I didn't know you were still here."

Niles sat straight up at the sound of her voice. It was almost like he summoned her from his thoughts. The very person he wanted to talk to all night.

"Daphne…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I'll just go home now."

"Nonsense. I'm here if you need to talk. It looks like you might need a friend."

She was right, of course. More than right.

"Frasier's party was a disaster. Not only did everyone in the room acted like I didn't exist, but my brother managed to score three dates in one night. Three, can you imagine? Not only that, but everybody thought my name was Miles. How hard is it to get my name right?"

Daphne looked surprised at the burst of emotion.

"I'm sorry," he quickly said. "I didn't mean to go off on you."

She gently touched his hand. "It's alright. I understand. I said I was here for you, and I mean it. I can understand how upsetting that would be. If you must know, the party was no better for me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, a man came into my room, and I caught him trying on all me shoes!" She shook her head. "Preposterous."

Niles felt a surge of anger. He felt compelled to protect her. "Why the nerve…I'd like to wring that guy's neck!"

"Dr. Crane, please don't. It's ok. I told Dr. Crane, and I forgot the matter. It's over and done. Time to move on. I'm sure there'll be other parties."

She was right, of course. "I suppose you're right. I didn't even want to come to the party in the first place. But Frasier insisted that I make a donation. I suppose it's a worthwhile cause. I just don't know how Frasier managed to get three women interested in him all at once. That never happened before."

Daphne squeezed his hand. Suddenly, Niles felt bolder than he had all night.

"You know, I was thinking. The one person that I wanted to talk to wasn't even there." He looked at her. "You."

Daphne blushed, and she knew Dr. Crane could see it even in the dim lights. "Thank you, Dr. Crane. That means a lot to me. If I would've known, I would've been there in an instant."

All of a sudden, the room became washed in moonlight. The two of them gasped and Daphne exclaimed, "Would you look at that! There is nothing more beautiful than the sight of a big moon." Daphne sighed.

"I can think of something that's even more beautiful." Niles said so quietly, he thought Daphne didn't hear. But she turned to him and stood up. "Come on, I can't let that moon go wasted." She led him by the hand, out to the balcony.

Daphne had never seen the moon so big before in all her life. "Isn't that the most gorgeous thing you've ever seen?"

Niles didn't have eyes for anything but Daphne. Even with the most beautiful moon ever. "Daphne…No matter what, you would always be the most beautiful thing in the world. Even with that moon, nothing would compare to you."

Daphne couldn't believe her ears. Did he really see her that way? She was always flattered by his compliments, but she never thought about them much until now. Maybe she could feel something more for him too.

Just then, she took him in her arms and hugged him. The hug led to a kiss that was so sweet, not even her romance novels could compare.

"Dr. Crane…" she said when she came up for air. Then she smiled and corrected herself. "Niles. I'll always be grateful for your friendship, no matter what I'm feeling for you right now."

Niles' heart flipped. He knew she would be able to hear it beating rapidly. But hearing her say his name was the most beautiful thing he'd ever heard. In that moment, he was glad that the other women in the party called him by the wrong name. It was almost like his name was meant to be spoken for Daphne alone.

Niles hugged her again. He made a point to thank Frasier in the morning. For no matter how he thought the party turned out minutes ago, now it seemed like it was the best party Frasier ever gave.

The End