fAuthor's Note: This is yet another bit of fluff inspired by real life. Thankfully, it wasn't my experience, though! I just couldn't resist doing something w/ it!

Daphne smiled at Niles. This night was going to be perfect, she just knew it. They had only returned from their honeymoon two days ago. The time in Bora Bora had been wonderful. But now, Daphne had decided (or rather insisted) on throwing a dinner party for Martin, Frasier, and Roz and Alice. It was sort of a thank-you, or rather a way to make up for the trouble their multiple weddings had caused.

Niles repeatedly offered to have the party catered, but Daphne refused. She might not be the greatest cook, but she could at least make pasta. It wouldn't be right to cater, if she truly wanted to apologize for what she and Niles had put everyone through. Now the dinner was almost ready, and Daphne used a spoon to remove the pasta from the boiling water. But the spoon slipped, falling into the water. Instinctively, Daphne reached for it, before realizing that sticking her hand into boiling water wasn't the wisest thing. The burn on her finger immediately made that clear. "Bloody hell!"

Upon hearing his wife cry out, Niles moved quickly. He grabbed an ice cube from the freezer and wrapped it in a paper towel. "Here, put this on your finger." He then guided her to a chair, instructing her to sit at the kitchen table.

"But what about our guests? They'll be here any minute!" Daphne was on the verge of tears, although the ice helped a great deal with the pain.

"My love, don't worry about them. I'll take care of Dad and everyone. You just worry about that finger of yours. When the swelling begins to go down, you can join us. Everything's going to be fine." Niles kissed her. Then he retrieved the spoon with a pair of tongs and got the pasta ready to serve. Just as he did that, the doorbell rang.

Not wasting any time, Niles carried the bowl of spaghetti and placed it on the dining room table before answering the door. He opened it to find his father and brother standing there.

"What's for dinner? I'm starved," Martin announced.

"Um, spaghetti," Niles answered.

"Great!" Martin replied, already heading to the table.

But Frasier had other things on his mind. "Where's Daphne? You didn't wear her out in Bora Bora, did you?"

Niles rolled his eyes at his brother's implication. "No. She just had a bit of a mishap in the kitchen. She'll join us shortly."

Just then, the doorbell rang a second time. Niles opened the door to reveal Roz and Alice. Niles smiled at the sight of them. "Hello."

Roz smiled. "Hi." She remembered the days when she and Niles used to hate each other. That was in the past now, but it was still hard to believe he and Daphne were married.

"Come in," Niles instructed. "Daphne will be along any minute. She had a little accident in the kitchen."

"Oh, God," Roz said immediately. "Does she need help?" She took a step forward.

"No," Niles said quickly. Daphne had been stressed about potentially ruining this party as it was. The best thing to do now was leave her be until she was ready to join the party.

In the kitchen, Daphne found that the pain from her burn was almost gone. She had a feeling it had less to do with the ice than the man who'd given it to her. Realizing how much she loved him, Daphne was ready to go into the living room and greet the guests. As she prepared to open the door, she found herself feeling strangely nervous, even though she knew these people were her family. She could do this. When the door opened, Daphne saw every eye on her.

"My love, how is your finger?"

Daphne went over to him. "It's much better." She held out her hand to show him.

Immediately, Niles took her hand in his. Being very careful not to touch the injured finger, he kissed the back of her hand.

That small gesture made Daphne's irrational nerves disappear at once. She smiled at him shyly. She hoped he understood that she would thank him later.

"What happened?" Roz asked, clearly still concerned about her friend.

"Oh. It's silly, really," Daphne replied. "I burned meself in the kitchen. Tried to grab a spoon after it had fallen into boiling water. But it's fine now. I just feel like such an idiot, doing that on a night when we're having company."

"Please," Roz said, rolling her eyes. "I do stuff like that all the time. Right, Alice?"

Alice nodded. "We eat out a lot."

The adults laughed. Daphne bent down to Alice's height. "Thank you so much for coming! Niles and I had four different weddings, but we only had one flower girl. And you were the prettiest flower girl in the whole world!"

Alice grinned proudly, and Daphne hugged her tightly. "Now that Niles and I are married, maybe we'll have a little girl soon that you can play with."

Alice's eyes widened. It was clear she loved the idea. The adults in the room couldn't help smiling at the thought of Niles and Daphne having a family.

Daphne released Alice, and stood up again. For a second, there was only awkward silence as the adults were still thinking about the possibility of Daphne having children. "Thank you guys for coming, too," Daphne finally said. "I just thought this would be my way of making it up to all of you that we kept dragging everyone down to the courthouse."

"Aw, Daph, you don't have to apologize for that." Martin spoke for the group.

Daphne loved Martin more than she could ever say. She'd loved him for years, but now things were different, since she was officially a part of the family. She could only smile as she walked over to him.

Martin returned the smile, and Daphne thought she saw tears forming in the old man's eyes. But she knew better than to mention it. Martin pulled her into a hug. "You know, if Niles ever mistreats you, you just let me know. He's my son, but that doesn't mean I won't slap him for you if I have to!"

Daphne couldn't help laughing. "Oh, you rotten old sod!" She hugged him again.

Seeing the two hug, Frasier spoke up. "I don't have to tell anyone here how rarely marriages work out these days. But if anyone's going to make it, I think it's going to be you two."

"Oh, Frasier!" Daphne immediately walked over to her new brother-in-law. It still felt strange to call him by his first name after all these years, but she knew it was fitting. He was definitely family now. They hugged.

"OK, enough of this mushy stuff! Let's eat!" Martin said.

"Dad, please, can't you ever think about something besides food?" Frasier asked.

"Well, I have to make sure I'm not eating during my favorite TV shows," Martin answered.

Frasier rolled his eyes.

"Come on, let's eat," Niles said. "I told Daphne she could've had this meal catered, but she wouldn't hear of it. If she'd listened to me, she never would've gotten hurt."

Daphne smiled. "Well, I have to admit, that would've been easier, but at least this way, you know I'm really sorry for all the trouble Niles and I caused with all of our weddings."

"Daphne, Dad and I would've gone to a hundred weddings if that's what it took. All that matters is that you two are married now. I don't think I've ever seen my brother happier, and that's all thanks to you."

Daphne blushed. It was still hard for her to believe Niles loved her for years before she knew a thing about it. She knew she'd never get over all the times she rejected him, the chances she'd missed. She looked over at Niles and saw him smiling at her. She couldn't think about the past now. What mattered was her future. Without a doubt, she wanted to spend it with Niles.

The End