Seattle Center-Frasier Crane Day
Daphne looked around at the large group of spectators that were gathered at the foot of the Space Needle, dismayed when she saw no sign of Frasier.
Meanwhile at the podium, Roz was doing her best to keep the crowd under control. But it wasn't easy. As the minutes ticked by, the crowd grew increasingly restless.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I-I'm sorry for the delay." Roz said into the microphone. "It seems that our guest of honor-."
"Has officially arrived!" Frasier yelled.
Suddenly from the back row came a rousing burst of cheers and applause; an excitement that spread throughout the crowd like wildfire as Frasier walked through the
parted crowd, smiling and waving.
Roz smiled at the sight of her friend and leaned toward the microphone. "So it is without further delay...at least I hope...that I introduce Dr. Frasier Crane of KACL
Radio!"
There was a thunderous round of applause as Frasier walked through the crowd and approached the podium.
"Where have you been?" Roz sneered. "You owe me big time for covering for you! I even broke a nail!"
"My, that is a tragedy!" Frasier replied through clinched teeth as he smiled at the crowd.
"Frasier!" Roz yelled, glaring at him with her hands on her hips.
"Good afternoon, Seattle!" he yelled garnering even more cheers and applause. "I hope you'll excuse my tardiness, but..."
Daphne tried to pay attention to the speech but her wandering mind made it difficult. It was bad enough that Mayor Norm Rice had her questioned by security. Of all
the nerve, thinking she was from outer space! Why, the man didn't deserve to run a big city like Seattle! However, she was overcome with relief that Frasier was okay.
After all, it was completely unlike him to be over a half hour late to anything.
And the fact that he was there alone...
Her eyes swept over the huge crowd where several familiar faces were scattered among hundreds of unfamiliar ones. The familiar ones; Bebe, Gil, Noel, Chopper Dave
and Kenny smiled at Frasier with pride. Beside her sat Bulldog along with Eddie and Martin. It seemed that all of Seattle had gathered to celebrate Frasier Crane Day.
Everyone except...
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her irrational fears. Although she knew everything would be fine, she just couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness that came
over her.
She leaned toward Bulldog. "Where's Dr. Crane's brother? I thought he was with Frasier." But to her dismay, Bulldog ignored her; choosing instead to stare at a leggy
blond that strolled by.
With a sigh, she looked around, trying to rid herself of the nervousness. Frasier and Niles had come downtown together, she was sure of it! She'd just seen Niles
about an hour before the ceremony at Café Nervosa. Of course, all she could think about then was her bloody passport and her friend Zena.
No matter how much he denied his own enthusiasm for Frasier Crane Day, it was obvious that Frasier relished it. The way he was carrying on now, rousing
the crowd, it was impossible to believe he felt any other way.
And then the bad feeling returned...
She glanced around, praying for any sign of
Frasier's handsome younger brother. When she found none, nerves clinched in her stomach which made breathing difficult. She forced herself to relax, with little
success. Slowly she reached behind Bulldog and attempted to tap Martin on the shoulder, unexpectedly brushing her arm against the back of Bulldog's neck in the
process. As predicted, Bulldog grinned slyly. "I knew you had the hots for me! Come on, Daph! Admit it!"
Instantly she pulled her arm away. "I most certainly do not!" she hissed.
"Shhh!" came the response of nearby Frasier devotees.
"Daphne, do you mind? My son's being honored up there!" Martin whispered loudly as he pointed to Frasier.
"I know! But what about your other son?" Daphne whispered back.
"Who?"
Daphne was appalled. "Have you completely lost your mind, old man? Your youngest son, Niles Crane! Remember him? Extremely sweet, blond hair, warm
and caring eyes and-." She stopped suddenly; her face reddening when she realized what she'd said.
"Yeah? What about him?" Martin asked, obviously not catching the sentimental description of his son.
Martin leaned across Bulldog to talk to her, ignoring Bulldog's protests of Martin blocking his view of a brunette across the aisle.
"Well, where is he?" Daphne asked. "I thought he was supposed to be with Frasier."
"How in the hell should I know?" Martin asked. "Besides Niles is a smart kid and can take care of himself!"
"So thank you Seattle for honoring me with this... truly extraordinary day... I'll cherish it forever. And I wish you all good mental health." Frasier said, bowing when the
thunderous applause returned.
"It's about damn time!" Martin said minutes later when Frasier appeared beside him. "Where in the hell have you been?"
"That's a fine way to greet Seattle's newest celebrity." Frasier retorted.
"Well excuse me your highness! Forgive me for worrying about my oldest son!"
Martin snapped.
Daphne fumed with anger, taking notice of how quickly Martin looked away when their eyes met.
Frasier smiled and put his hand on Martin's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Dad."
"No big deal. But why were you so late?"
"Good Lord, Dad! I don't even want to discuss it. The whole... fiasco has been one big nightmare! All I want to do right now is bask in this new found fame." Frasier
said, waving at a few admirers.
Daphne looked up in alarm. "Nightmare? What happened, Dr. Crane?"
"Well Daphne, it started out as a perfectly nice day. That is until Niles caused a scene at Pike Place Market when he was nearly assaulted by a fish!" Frasier
said.
"A fish?" Martin asked in surprise.
"It seems that the aim of one of the fish mongers was a bit off and-."
Martin laughed hysterically at the image of his youngest son being hit by a fish.
"I'm glad you're amused, Dad because I, for one was not! In fact, Niles was so startled that he spilled his latte all over my suede shoes!"
"Wow, I hope you called the Seattle PD about that horrific accident!" Martin said with a roll of his eyes.
"Dad, Niles completely ruined a perfectly good $400 pair of shoes!" Frasier said. "And now I have these that are absolutely killing my feet! It's like they
were made for the munchkins in the Wizard of Oz!"
Martin's eyes widened. "$400? Do you know how many pairs of Hush Puppies I could buy with that kind of money?"
"Will you two please shut up about your bloody shoes?" Daphne yelled. When the two men were silent, Daphne sighed. "Go on with your story, Dr. Crane."
"Of course. Well after a quick trip to the shoe store, we made our way to Pioneer Square where we were both mugged!"
"Mugged?" Daphne and Martin said at once.
"Why didn't you say something before?" Martin asked.
"We're perfectly fine, Dad. Except maybe our pride!" Frasier said with a laugh.
"We were also chased by a group of people who saw us borrowing a quarter for a phone call from a blind man." Frasier added, ignoring the looks of dismay he
received. "So then when we finally found a way to the Space Needle, the monorail malfunctioned! They had the audacity to take us back to Westlake to repair it!"
"Imagine that." Martin said, rolling his eyes.
"You and your brother were mugged?" Daphne asked again, putting her hand over her heart.
"Yes Daphne, but I'm trying to forget about that horrible event. So after the monorail broke down I was forced to find my own way to the Space Needle
which is why I was over a half hour late."
"Wow..." Martin said turning to Eddie. "Can you believe this story?"
But Eddie just whined and bowed his head.
"Yeah, me neither. Come on, boy. Let's go home." Martin said rising from the chair and tugging on Eddie's leash.
"B-but what about your brother?" Daphne asked, barely unable to hide her worry.
"Frasier darling!" Bebe said, stepping in front of Daphne. "You couldn't have done that speech better if you were accepting the award for most desirable male! Oh, and
judging by how sexy you look, you are definitely in the running!"
Frasier blushed. "Now Bebe... no need to over exaggerate!"
"Hey Doc, great speech!" Kenny said, patting Frasier on the back. "This should really send our ratings through the roof!"
"Dr. Crane, ever noticed that the Space Needle resembles the Starship Enterprise a little bit?" Noel chimed in.
"Oh Noel, don't start that nonsense again." Gil said. "If it weren't for the ambiance of the revolving restaurant, the Space Needle would be merely-"
"Dr Crane! Where's your brother?" Daphne yelled, startling them all to silence.
"Oh you mean Niles?" Frasier asked.
"Yes! Is it customary on Frasier Crane Day to forget that your younger brother exists?"
"Whoa, sounds like you have the hots for the doc!" Bulldog said with a laugh.
"What?" Daphne said, feeling her cheeks start to burn. "I do not! I-I was just wondering where he was! I'd think he'd want to be here to support his brother. So
where is he?"
"Well while Niles was inside Westlake Mall calling a cab, a nice young man offered me a ride. We had a wonderful conversation. In fact I-."
"You left your brother alone in downtown Seattle?" Daphne asked in horror. "Are you crazy?"
"He'll be fine, Daphne! He has street smarts!"
"Oh God..." Daphne said, knowing that nothing could be further from the truth. She shuddered remembering how distraught Niles was after he'd searched the
city late at night when Frasier turned up missing. "I should be gettin' home meself, but I want to stop at the market first." She lied, not caring that no one was really
listening. She grabbed her purse, unable to hide her dismay over the complete disregard that Niles was wandering the streets of Seattle alone.
Running as fast as she could (an almost impossible act considering the shoes she was wearing), Daphne was breathless by the time she reached the Seattle Center
monorail station. The one minute monorail trip to Westlake Center seemed to take forever, but in that one minute, her fears increased
dramatically.
The doors had barely slid open before Daphne rushed out, looking everywhere she could. When she saw no sign of Niles, she ran out the door and onto Fifth
Avenue in a state of panic.
Oh God, what if something terrible happened to him?
He certainly wasn't the bravest man in the world, but he was definitely one of the sweetest. And finding a man as sweet as Niles was extremely rare. The idea that he
was in danger was completely ridiculous. However, the more she tried to rid herself of the irrational thoughts swirling in her head, the more they came.
Tears blurred her vision as she briskly walked down Fifth Avenue, ignoring the stares of passersby. Why can't people mind their own bloody business?
"Daphne?"
She turned around, overcome with relief when she saw Niles looking at her in amazement.
"Dr. Crane!"
"Daphne what are you doing here. I thought you were with-."
Without answering him, she ran toward him, throwing herself into his arms, sobbing.
"Dear God, what's happened?" He said, stroking her hair.
"I was so worried!" She said brushing the tears from her face.
Niles stared at her. "You-you were worried about me?"
"When your brother showed up at the rally by himself, I thought..."
"You were really worried about me?" Niles asked again.
"Yes... I was." She said, hugging him tightly.
"Oh... Daphne... I... I don't know what to say."
"Don't say anything. Just hold me. I want to make sure I'm not dreaming." She said.
"That makes two of us." Niles said, holding her closer.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Daphne asked.
"I'm fine, no thanks to Frasier. It's bad enough that he left me at the monorail station but I missed the entire rally at the Space Needle! Even though I think he's
taking his fame much too seriously, I still wanted to be there to support him. Guess that makes me a poor excuse for a brother."
Daphne's heart ached at the sadness in his voice.
"You're a wonderful brother." She said, staring into his gorgeous eyes.
Niles smiled at the compliment. "Thank you, Daphne."
"Did you really get mugged?" She asked, softly.
"Sadly, yes and I just cannot believe that-."
"Oh, Dr. Crane... I'm so sorry." She said as she reached out and touched his cheek. "Did they hurt you?"
"Um... Not too much." Niles said, swallowing hard as his face reddened. "I think he was mainly interested in our watches and-."
Still caressing his cheek, Daphne moved closer and kissed him tenderly on the mouth.
"... my phone." Niles finished. "Daphne..."
"Yes?" she asked, sighing at the way he'd said her name.
He put his arm around her neck and kissed her again, his lips lingering on hers.
When the kisses ended, they stared at each other once more. How had she not noticed his gorgeous eyes before now?
"I guess we should be gettin' back to your brother and your father." Daphne said, brushing a lock of hair from his forehead.
"I have a better idea." Niles said.
"And what might that be, Dr. Crane?"
"Daphne, would you do me the honor of letting me buy you dinner?"
"I'd love that." Daphne answered with a smile.
She slipped her hand into his; their fingers interlocking as they headed down Fifth Avenue in search of what would surely be the most wonderful meal she'd
ever have.
Because she'd already found the most wonderful man.
The End