Author's Note: Jane Leeves recently tweeted about the 21st anniversary of the Frasier premiere. I realized that it had also been 21 years since N/D's fateful meeting, and that gave me an idea. This is my way of celebrating one of the greatest sitcoms in TV history (of course, that's my opinion!).
Daphne smiled at Niles as she slowly descended the stairs into the living room.
Niles gasped when he saw her. He truly believed she'd never looked more beautiful. Which was funny, considering what they were celebrating tonight.
"So, what is this surprise you and David have for me?" Daphne asked.
"You look beautiful," Niles replied, for the moment too stunned to answer her question. The simple black dress she wore looked as if it'd been made specifically for her.
"Thank you," Daphne said with a slightly embarrassed smile.
"The surprise is that Dad and Ronee just left with David. I wanted to have you to myself, for tonight is a very special night."
Daphne looked at him in slight confusion. It wasn't their anniversary, nor her birthday.
"It was twenty-one years ago tonight that I first walked into Frasier's new apartment and an angel standing there." He gently caressed her cheek.
"How do you know it was tonight?" Daphne asked. Their first meeting hadn't been particularly memorable, at the time.
"Frasier called me a couple of weeks ago and he mentioned that it was twenty-one years to the day that Dad first moved in with him. That led me to start going through some of my old diaries. I can still recall what I wrote that night. 'Tonight, I went over to Frasier's, planning to take Dad for a real dinner out. I met the new healthcare worker he's hired to help with Dad's therapy. Until tonight, I've never believed that angels could really exist, but there she was. I sigh every time I speak her name: Daphne.'"
"You really wrote that about me?" Daphne asked. She slipped her hand into his.
Niles nodded. "It might seem strange that I would put my feelings for another woman in writing while I still remained married to Maris. But I had no fear that she would read my words. She rarely ventured into my bedroom." He sighed. His first marriage was ancient history now, but the pain never completely went away.
It was Daphne's turn to gently touch his face. Their unusual path to becoming a couple hadn't been easy for either of them. Many times, they'd discussed the "if only's" of their story.
For a moment, Niles allowed himself to get lost in her eyes. "Well, the last thing I want to do is remember my lonely past. Not when I've reserved a very special table at Le Cigar Volante. It's right near the window, with an exquisite view of the Pacific. It's simply breathtaking. Although I can hardly imagine anything more breathtaking than what I'm seeing right now."
Daphne could only smile at him. She knew she could never be nearly as beautiful as Niles always insisted she was. Often, she had to pinch herself, simply because a poor girl from Manchester could never have dreamed of ending up here.
"Let's go, my love," Niles said, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek.
It was just a short drive to Niles' favorite five-star restaurant. Seattle was well known for its fine dining, and the Crane brothers would never accept anything less than the best. On a night like tonight, this was especially true. The waiter quickly escorted them to the table Niles had picked out. True to his word, the view was spectacular. Soft candlelight made the spot even more romantic.
"Niles, this is perfect!" Daphne exclaimed as soon as the waiter had left.
"I'm glad you think so," Niles replied. "That's what you deserve." Niles picked up her hand, kissing the back of it.
Despite how perfect this moment was, Daphne couldn't help thinking of what had started twenty-one years ago. If she'd known then what she knew now, things would definitely have gone differently. "How could I not see how sweet you are?" she asked.
"My love, a large part of the blame for the wrong turns in our relationship is mine. I stayed in a doomed marriage simply because it was easier. The thought of you rejecting me literally hurt too much." He placed his hand on his heart.
"Yes," Daphne said, smiling sadly. "But you were always such a good friend. You were there every time I needed help, or even just someone to listen. And what did I do? I accepted another man's proposal right in front of you."
Even now, Niles could picture the night Donny asked for Daphne's hand. He'd wondered if it was actually possible to die of a broken heart. Grief and loneliness had led him to make an extremely bad decision: getting involved with Seattle's top plastic surgeon, Dr. Mel Karnofsky. When Daphne finally began to return Niles' feelings, Mel's reaction gave new meaning to the word vindictive. "As painful as that experience was, I would go through it a hundred times over to end up here."
Daphne thought about their lives now. Not only did she have a husband she adored, who loved her more than she could ever deserve, but their love had created the most incredible son. David was now ten years old. He certainly wasn't perfect, but he'd somehow managed to inherit each of their best qualities. Though he wasn't in high school yet, Niles already planned to send his offspring to an Ivy League college one day, where he would no doubt be successful in any field he chose. "Our path might have taken a few...detours, but maybe that was for the best," Daphne said. "If it had been easy, we wouldn't appreciate all that we have now."
"Perhaps you're right, my love. Before I was given the opportunity to love you as you deserved, I could never have imagined I'd have a son as wonderful as David. Fatherhood was nothing more than an impossible fantasy. Even if I'd had a child with someone else, I know he or she would not be as special as the child we've been blessed with. David is truly lucky to have a mother as loving and gentle as you are."
His compliment warmed Daphne's heart. "I'm not so gentle when he refuses to pick up after himself!" She laughed.
Niles smiled. "I think it was that side of you I noticed first. I was used to women who always spoke of trivial things, afraid to upset someone who'd ruin their lives with vicious gossip. But your words were spoken without fear. You and Dad have had your share of arguments."
"He's always been a lazy old man. If it weren't for Ronee and me, he'd sit in that chair of his, watching bloody sports all day! But he reminds me a bit of me own father. It's no wonder he and Simon get along so well."
Niles knew that no matter how his father and Daphne fought, she loved him as her own flesh and blood. She was simply the most caring person he'd ever known. "None of us can ever forget when you came into our lives. Fate must surely have been looking out for all of us."
Daphne kissed her husband. She thought back to her first days working for the Crane family. She wasn't sure if moving all the way to America had been the right choice. People never quite seemed to open up to her and make her feel as if she belonged. But it wasn't long after she'd moved into Elliot Bay Towers that she realized she'd found her home. At the time, however, she would never have believed she'd be living a fairytale.
The End