A/N: This is a gift for Pat2Trivia4Me in gratitude for friendship and support.

As he sat down in the seat that was normally occupied by his older brother; the popular radio psychiatrist, Niles felt a sudden sense of pride. It was ridiculous, perhaps, because he'd always found so-called "radio-psychology" demeaning to the profession that he loved so much. But he loved his brother too, and because Frasier had fallen too ill to do his own radio show, Niles was more than happy to fill in.

He'd never imagined himself giving advice over the radio, having chided Frasier about it for so long, but now the prospect excited him. The challenge of helping someone without seeing their face and without being able to read their emotions was intriguing to say the least. The unbridled enthusiasm within him increased and he slipped the headphones over his head and smiled at Roz. "Well, here we go!"

The ON AIR light glowed and he began his show. "This is Dr. Niles Crane filling in for his ailing brother Frasier Crane on KACL-780AM. Frasier's producer Roz Doyle and I are ready to take your calls, so let's get better!"

Amused at his quick thinking, he glanced at Roz who smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. This was going to be a great show; he could feel it.

"Okay, Roz… Who's our first caller?"

"We have a woman on Line One from Seattle."

His eyebrows rose. "And?"

"And that's it."

Niles tried to keep his cool. "I meant and as in and… what's her name?"

Roz shrugged. "She wouldn't tell me."

The anger in him had settled itself into his stomach and he was determined to keep it there. To explode in a burst of irritation on air could have severe consequences. No matter how sick Frasier was, he had no doubt that his older brother was listening.

"That's… not very helpful Roz, but it's all right. Just tell me what she was calling about." Niles rolled his eyes, grateful that his listeners (if in fact there were any left besides Frasier) couldn't see his expression. "Well, that's…very nice. Gee Roz; it's so nice to have a call screener to weed out legitimate calls, ISN'T IT?"

"Hey! It's not my fault that she wouldn't tell me anything! If she's that delusional maybe she should see a real shrink!"

Niles' mouth fell open in horror. "How dare you-."

Instantly Roz recoiled, surprising him. "Sorry."

The deep sigh that left him was more audible than he intended. "Fine, let's just… take another call."

"There aren't any. Just her."

"You mean she's still on the line?"

"Well yeah, what did you think?"

Niles rubbed his aching temple, suddenly having a sense of appreciation for his brother's endless stories of the headaches he endured at work from callers who wanted advice but simply refused to give any information at all. "Dear God..." He mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing, Roz. Just… send her through. But make sure she knows that the next time-."

"Here she comes."

Niles braced himself for disaster and cleared his throat, his fingers trembling as he pushed the button.

"This is Dr. Niles Crane. Let's get better!"

The line was silent and at first he thought the caller was gone. He was annoyed of course, but it was a relief of epic proportions. "Way to go Roz, she's gone. I-." A faint sound came from the phone, annoying him even further.

"Caller, are you there?" He snapped.

The sound became a bit more distinct and suddenly he regretted his harsh attitude, for it wasn't a mere sound but quiet, muffled sobs. He took a deep breath and spoke again, his voice much calmer and more sincere than before. "Caller, if you're still there, I want to help. I-I know I'm not Frasier but-." His harmless comment was meant to be funny, but it only served to make the caller-clearly a woman-cry harder. "Please… I want to help you."

"I-I don't think anyone can help me."

Had he not been sitting down, he surely might have fainted. The voice, although barely audible, was unmistakable. His imagination was playing tricks on him, because surely….

He glanced at Roz, her mouth open in disbelief. "Is that Daphne?" She mouthed through the glass booth window.

"I-I…" Niles disillusioned state was temporarily broken by the sound of sobbing. "Um look, miss… Whatever you're going through or how hopeless you think things are, there's always a way-

He heard a deep sigh and a sniffle. "I-I think I'm in love with someone and I don't know what to do about it."