Daphne smiled as she stared at the lobsters in the tank.
"Oh, look at them, Niles! Aren't they sweet?"
Niles draped his arm around her, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"Not as sweet as you, my love."
Daphne turned to kiss him. "You always say the most perfect thing."
"I'm only speaking the truth." He replied.
She stared into his beautiful blue eyes, unable to resist touching his smooth cheek.
"I love you."
He kissed her again. "And I love you. Now which one of these delectable creatures would you like?"
She returned her attention to the tank of lobsters and sighed. "I think I changed me mind. They're all so cute!"
Niles chuckled as they walked back to their table. "I hear the veal Parmesan is wonderful. Or does the idea of eating something that was once so cute-."
With a smile on her face, Daphne's fingers went to his lips to silence him. "Hush, that's quite enough, Niles! Veal sounds heavenly. Now, let's get back to the table before your father and brother wonder what's happened to us!"
They arrived at their table just as the waiter was pouring the champagne.
"So how were the lobsters?" Abby asked.
Daphne smiled at Frasier's lawyer. "They were too cute to eat. So I'm having the veal."
"Well, I propose a toast." Abby said, raising her glass in the air.
Everyone grabbed their champagne glasses in anticipation; for this was a very special night.
"To frivolous lawsuits and the wonderful, charming clients they bring together."
"None more wonderful or charming than the angel who is sitting next to me." Niles said as he turned to look into Daphne's stunning brown eyes.
Forgetting that they weren't alone, Daphne rested her hand on the back of Niles neck and kissed him deeply.
"Oh geez! Do you have to do that here?" Martin groaned. "I swear, Niles-."
"Oh, I don't believe it!" Niles interrupted.
"Well, you'd better believe it, because if your mother saw you behaving that way in some fancy schmancy restaurant-."
"No, Dad. I mean over there! Donny just walked in!"
They followed Niles' gaze to the front door where Donny had indeed come in with an attractive woman on his arm.
Daphne's insides grew cold; for Donny was the last person she wanted to see.
"Can you imagine anything more embarrassing than him seeing us here tonight?" Niles was asking.
Daphne knew that she should look away, pretend that she hadn't seen her former fiancé, but she couldn't bring herself to look away.
"Just... ignore him and maybe he won't notice that we're here." Frasier said.
But it was too late.
Donny made a beeline for their table, causing Daphne's heart to race. She reached for Niles' hand under the table and squeezed it so tightly that she could have sworn that she heard him wince.
All around her were words of greetings and salutations;
"Donny!"
"Hello!"
"Long time no see!"
Donny grinned in that shy boyish way of his; the one that used to make her heart flutter. But she quickly pushed the thought away.
"Hey guys. Daphne."
She felt Niles thumb moving slowly back and forth against her hand in a soothing motion.
"Hello, Donny." She said, barely recognizing the sound of her own voice.
"Niles."
As always, Niles' greeting was polite. "Hello Donny."
"What brings you here?" Donny asked. "It looks like you're celebrating."
Martin laughed nervously and glanced at his sons. "He thinks we're celebrating."
"Look, I know that this is a little awkward but don't worry. It's fine." Donny said. "In fact, I'm actually celebrating something myself."
Abby's eyebrows rose and she feigned a smile. "Oh, did you win a big case, Donny?"
"No, I uh... got engaged."
Daphne's mouth fell open and she was only faintly aware of the voices around her, congratulating her former fiancé.
"Really? Well... That's wonderful Donny." Frasier said, shaking Donny's hand.
Still unable to believe what she'd just heard Daphne swallowed hard. "Yes, it certainly is wonderful."
Donny smiled. "Thank you. In fact, she's sitting right over there." He pointed to the attractive woman who was sitting at a table on the far side of the restaurant, smiling even brighter at the words of approval he received.
"Wave, Nancy!" Donny yelled, causing several heads to turn. "Show 'em the rock!"
Clearly embarrassed, this Nancy person gave a friendly wave and a smile pointing to the ring on her finger. Daphne couldn't help but notice that it was several sizes larger than the one Donny had given to her, not so long ago.
"Wow, that's a big one!" Martin said with a bit too much enthusiasm.
Wearing an awkward expression, Frasier did his best to appear enthusiastic. "She's lovely, Donny."
"Thank you. I was representing her in a divorce case and we realized that we were..." His gaze fell to Daphne. "...perfect for each other. I know it's quick, but that's fate, right?"
"Right." Frasier agreed, his enthusiasm dying off.
A strange sense of guilt came over Daphne and she could tell by the look in Donny's eyes that he resented her. And she wondered why it hurt.
"Well... Congratulations again." Frasier said.
Awkwardly, Niles rose to his feet and extended his hand. "Congratulations Donny. I hope you two will be... well... congratulations."
"Thanks, Niles." Donny replied. "I guess I should get back to my-." He glanced at Daphne once more... "Well... enjoy your dinner."
There was a mumbled round of goodbyes and when Donny was finally out of earshot, everyone at the table seemed to collapse with relief.
"Boy that was weird!" Martin said.
"Now we know why he dropped the lawsuit." Daphne pointed out.
"He's in love." Abby answered.
Daphne's mouth began to tremble. "Or on the rebound. I mean, what other reason-.."
When she felt Niles squeeze her hand, she quickly looked away.
"Well... either way it's good news for all of you." Abby said. "Let's have a toast."
"To hell with the toast!" Martin said. "I'm starving!"
"So am I, Dad." Frasier agreed. "So, Daphne... You're having the veal Parmesan? My, that does sound wonderful. I think I'll try that as well."
Finding it nearly impossible to maintain her composure, Daphne rose from her chair and blinked back tears. "A-actually I'm not very hungry anymore. Excuse me."
Niles stood, watching her with concern. "Daphne-."
"I-I'm sorry. Just... everyone enjoy their dinner."
When she ran out of the dining area, Martin looked at Frasier, Niles and Abby in disbelief. "What was that all about?"
"I don't know." Frasier replied. "But I'm sure that it has something to do with Donny. I'll go talk to her. This is my fault anyway."
"No, Frasier. I"ll go."
In one fluid motion, Niles hurried out of the dining room, eager to find his angel.
Oh, why tonight of all nights and here of all places did they have to run into Donny?
The situation was definitely awkward and more than a little embarrassing. And Daphne must have been uncomfortable. It would be completely understandable if she were.
After all...
At once the reality of the situation hit him squarely in the face. Damn... he should have known that this would happen!
Suddenly the urgency to find her was so intense that he could hardly breathe.
"Daphne!"
He paid no mind to the stares of the patrons around him; people who were no doubt appalled by his behavior. Whoever heard of a sophisticated, intelligent man such as himself yelling a woman's name in a five star restaurant?
But Daphne wasn't just any woman. She was the love of his life; his heart, his soul, his world.
And he had to find her.
"Daphne!"
He searched the restaurant becoming more frantic when he found no trace of her. And it was then that he noticed the two doors; identical in color but distinctly different. The sight brought a sigh of relief and a smile to his face. For he knew where she was at last.
Daringly he turned toward the door marked Ladies and pushed it open, taking great care to make sure that he wasn't spotted. It was terribly risky, walking nonchalantly into the women's restroom as though he had done this almost every day. But he wasn't thinking about his reputation now.
"Daphne?"
]The ladies room was bigger than he imagined-enormous actually; almost as though he'd walked into a spa of some sort. It was just the kind of place that Maris would like; a large sitting room, complete with a row of plush leather chairs and warm, inviting colors. And beyond that, via a walkway of marble, were the bathroom stalls.
It was truly a ladies room built for a queen... or a goddess and the fact that soft classical music poured out of a hidden speaker.
And it was then that he saw her...
For a moment he could only stare; his heart breaking at the sight of her. She looked so fragile sitting alone in a secluded corner, crying quietly.
"Daphne, my love..."
The sound of his voice made her gasp in surprise. "Niles! What are you doing here? What if someone sees you?"
And as Daphne glanced worriedly around the bathroom, Niles smiled.
"I don't care if anyone sees me, or if they throw me out. I wanted to make sure that you are okay. I was so worried."
"I-I'm fine. I just-."
When their gazes locked, Daphne burst into tears.
He was at her side in an instant, gathering her into his arms; the sobs paining him more with each passing second. He held her as close as possible, running his hand up and down her back in gentle, soothing motion.
"It's all right. I'm here now... No one's going to hurt you, my love." He whispered into her heavenly scented hair.
She clung to him, and in his heart he could feel her pain. "Oh Niles!"
"It's okay, just... relax and tell me what's wrong. Is-is it Donny?"
She looked at him and at first said nothing. But the expression on her tear-streaked face spoke volumes.
"I-I didn't mean to get so upset, but when I saw him I just-."
He stroked her hair, sighing at its silkiness. For as long as he lived, he would never forget how beautiful her hair looked when he'd first laid eyes on her. And it was even more beautiful now.
"I know.." He whispered, but she abruptly pulled of his arms.
"No, you don't Niles! You have no idea what it was like, seeing him so soon after... I was so worried about seeing him at the courthouse but then... I just... I never expected him to find someone else so soon. I know that's a horrible thing to say since I did something much worse when I-."
Niles took her hands in his. "Stop. You can't blame yourself, Daphne. It wasn't your fault."
"But it was, Niles! Don't you see?"
"I see a beautiful woman who made a decision on the most important day of her life, purely out of love. You can't help how you feel and neither can I. Okay, I admit that I coaxed you into your decision that night in Frasier's hotel room by getting you to admit your feelings. And I suppose that was the wrong thing to do; putting so much pressure on you when-."
She leaned closer and kissed him. "It wasn't wrong. It was the most wonderful thing any man has ever done for me. But when I saw how quickly Donny rebounded, it scared me, Niles! What if I had married him and he left me for someone else? I would be all alone, never to know how wonderful it feels to be loved by a man like you! And I'm so sorry that I didn't see it sooner!"
"You'll never be alone, my angel. Because all of that is in the past. Why don't we think about our future? The one that starts right now."
He pulled her into his arms once more for a kiss that left them both breathless. And then even more kisses came until reluctantly he drew back and laughed nervously.
"I guess we should get back to our dinner. I'm sure that everyone's finished their meal by now and we haven't even ordered. You must be starving and that veal Parmesan is starting to sound awfully enticing."
Daphne grinned. "Actually, I'm not in the mood for veal Parmesan."
"Oh? Did you decide on the lobster after all?"
"Not quite."
Niles wore a confused look. "I don't understand."
"I think I'd much prefer some cookies and milk while sitting on the sofa at your brother's house, watching a romantic movie in the arms of the man I love."
Niles smiled, remembering the gift he'd brought her earlier that day; chocolate chip cookies, atop long green stems that resembled real flowers. It was a memory that warmed his heart.
Sure he was spoiling her, as she so graciously pointed out. But after loving her from afar for over six years, he had a lot of making up to do. For he wanted so much to give her everything she deserved and more.
He kissed her again, deeper and more passionately than he anticipated.
"Come my love."
Daphne leaned against him as they returned to the restaurant, amid looks of concern from Niles father, brother and Abby.
"We'll see you at home, Frasier."
"Is everything all right, Niles? Daphne?"
Daphne smiled and kissed Niles cheek. "Everything's fine. We just thought we'd have our own romantic dinner-at home."
Frasier's eyes widened. "Oh? Sounds intriguing Niles? Do tell? Are you going to make veal Parmesan? Or perhaps eggplant souffle?"
Niles took one last moment to smell Daphne's hair and squeezed her hand.
"Actually we're just going to share something sweet."
Frasier smiled and nodded in approval. "Ah... One of your famous creations! I bet it will be wonderful!"
As Daphne turned to Niles and touched her forehead to his with a smile.
"It certainly will."
THE END