The door slammed shut, startling Niles so badly that he dropped his pen and in the process, completely forgot about what he'd intended to write. And then he heard more noises; rattling, banging and soft curses. It was the stream of curse words that brought him to his feet and into the living room.
Daphne stood at the door, tossing things this way and that, muttering the same curse words as though no one was listening. The sight was shocking, as he'd never heard her use such language before, but he found it rather amusing. Of course he would never let on; especially now when she was clearly upset. Instead he stood there watching her from a distance, waiting for just the right moment to make his appearance.
"Rough day?"
"Sod off, Niles!" She shouted. "I don't want to talk about it!"
Her harsh words should have upset him, but instead he suppressed a smile. It was a side of her that he'd never seen and he found it intriguing. But suddenly she was staring at him with such anger in her eyes that it nearly frightened him. And he knew right away what he had to do.
It didn't take a degree from Oxford to see that she needed some time alone. When they'd professed their love for each other that warm summer night while standing on the balcony of Frasier's hotel room, Niles vowed to give his angel everything she ever wanted. And that included peace and quiet.
Slowly he turned on his heel and headed for the kitchen.
"What really burns me up…" She shouted, causing Niles to whirl around to face her. "Is when people think that they can run me life! So what if me choices haven't been the best and in fact most of them have been the wrong ones! I'm the one who has to suffer the consequences, not her! Oh, sometimes I wish she'd stayed in bloody England so that she'd butt out of my life!"
Niles stood there, watching her, waiting to see if she needed to continue. And when she said nothing more, he crept into the kitchen where he made a pot of tea. Minutes later, he placed the pot of tea on a stray, along with a teacup and a plate of scones (with jam and a sprinkle of powdered sugar of course, just the way she liked them) and prepared to carry it into the living room.
At the last second, he grabbed a single red rose from the bouquet he'd given her just the day before and placed it on the tray. He hoped that, at the very least, the small gesture would show Daphne how much he cared about her.
But when he returned to the living room holding the tray, he was heartbroken to find her staring out the window, brushing away tears.
He sat the tray on the coffee table and went to her, removing his handkerchief from his pocket. He reached out to touch her shoulder, but then thought better of it, worried that he might say the wrong thing.
"Niles, what's wrong with me?" She sobbed, whirling around to face him.
"N-nothing's wrong with you, Daphne. You're perfect."
"Then why is me mum always criticizing me? And me brothers say the most horrid things whenever I call them! Even Stephen! And then there's your brother, who's never satisfied with anything I do! Your father who refuses to do anything I ask of him. What is it, Niles? What is it about me that's so bloody terrible?"
He smiled and took her hands in his, leaning to kiss her softly. "Nothing, Sweetheart. There's nothing wrong with you. You're not a terrible person. Please believe me, I'm not just saying that. I would never-."
"Why do you love me, Niles?"
He froze, staring into her beautiful eyes. She'd never asked him such a question before and horrifyingly, he had no idea what to say. To say nothing implied that he did not love her, but to blurt out the first thing that came to mind was, by all accounts, insincere.
He filled the silence with kisses, hoping that it would ease her mind, while he collected his thoughts. And then he smiled, brushing a tear from her cheek.
"Oh Daphne, you can't imagine. There are so many reasons that I love you. But what I love most about you is your caring and kind disposition. Even before we professed our love for each other you showed me time and again how much you cared for me. You believed in me when no one else did."
When another tear slid down her cheek, he brushed it away, his hand resting on her soft skin.
"Niles, I'm sorry about before. I should have never said-."
He laced his fingers through hers and led her to the fainting couch, where they sat down beside each other. And just as he'd hoped, she smiled when she finally noticed the tray that sat on the coffee table.
"Niles, what have you done?"
He poured her a cup of tea and kissed her cheek. "Isn't this what I'm supposed to do for the woman I love? Make you as happy as possible?"
She sipped her tea and took a bite out of a scone, sighing as she did so. "Niles, this is…"
"Just the beginning." He promised. "Anything you want, just say the word and it's yours."
The kisses they shared were sweet and passionate, but suddenly she slumped against him, crying softly. She was exhausted; anyone could see it. And suddenly he felt a rush of anger toward his brother and father for running her ragged. Daphne wasn't a slave!
But before he could say anything more, he realized that she was crying harder. He pulled her closer to him and she rested her head against his chest, their hearts beating in succession.
"Dear God, no wonder you were so upset when you came home."
At his words, she lifted her head and looked at him, her face streaked with tears. "Oh Niles, I'm so sorry for the things I said to you when I came home. I was just-."
He kissed her cheek, her hair, her forehead until she was once again resting her head against his chest. And he was grateful for the blanket that was draped over the side of the armrest. If there was ever a moment that it was needed, it was now. He unfolded it, wrapping it around her, hoping that it provided the warmth that she needed.
She was asleep within seconds; the pot of tea and the scones forgotten. But he didn't mind at all. He could spend forever just holding her in his arms.
But it would take even longer for him to name all of the reasons that he loved her. Because that list would go on forever.
THE END