Author's Note: Many thanks to Leigh Ann (leighann415) for suggesting I do this story, and allowing me to "borrow" Isabella from her story, "The Best Birthday."
Niles woke up and knew immediately that he couldn't wait to start the day. Daphne kissed him, which made it a good day before he'd even got out of bed. But she had plans. David needed new clothes for school, so they would be spending the day shopping. Roz was planning to meet Daphne later for lunch. That meant Niles could spend all of Saturday with his favorite girl.
That, of course, was Isabella. She was just a couple of months shy of her first birthday, but she'd already stolen her Daddy's heart. Niles often said that he'd fallen in love with her the same way he'd fallen for Daphne: instantly. And, though she wasn't quite talking yet, it was obvious Isabella knew how much her father loved her.
Daphne quickly got dressed, then went to wake her son. Niles eagerly set off toward the nursery. Isabella was already awake. When her father entered the room, she looked up at him, as if to say, "What took you so long?"
Niles smiled at the sight of her. He picked her up, kissing her cheek. Nothing would ever compare to the feeling of holding his daughter in his arms. Since they had the whole day, Niles was in no particular rush. He turned around to leave the room. But when Bella saw the rocking chair in the corner, she began pointing toward it. "OK, we can sit for a while if you want." He sat down, holding Bella on his lap. As he did, he noticed her hair. She was somewhere in between her mother's dark hair and Niles' own blonde. If Niles had had his choice, he would've wanted her to look exactly like Daphne. But now, he couldn't imagine a more beautiful girl. For a few minutes, Niles merely sat and rocked his daughter on his lap. But she began to get a bit restless, so Niles picked out a picture book. There weren't very many words on the pages, but Niles softly read to her anyway.
The quiet moment ended when Daphne and David appeared in the doorway. "Well, we're off to go shopping." David looked as if he'd rather be doing just about anything. Seeing the look of dread on her son's face, Daphne couldn't help smiling. "A few hours at the mall will not kill you. I took your grandfather shopping lots of times, and he's still here!"
David let out a sigh of defeat. Daphne walked into the room to say goodbye to Niles and Bella. "We won't be too late. You two have fun." She kissed Niles, and then softly kissed the top of her daughter's head.
"Of course we're going to have fun. Right?" Niles asked, turning to Bella. She nodded enthusiastically.
A moment later, Daphne and David were gone. It was just an ordinary shopping trip, but Niles felt Daphne's absence. He never seemed to feel complete being here without her. But he couldn't stay sad for long, not when he had his daughter with him. He turned to her, melting when he saw her smile. "So, what would you like to do today?"
But of course Bella didn't answer. Niles would have to figure out what they could do on his own. He thought again of his daughter's beautiful hair. It was rather long, and Daphne had mentioned that she should probably get a haircut soon. But between doing Martin's therapy and keeping up with David's school activities, she hadn't gotten around to actually having it done.
Niles thought of how much of his children's lives he missed. He tried his best to be available for all of David's school plays and such, but there were other things he missed. The ordinary moments when his son came home from school, eager to tell his parents what he'd learned. And Bella was growing up, too. There were so many moments he wanted to experience with her. He knew that when Bella became a teenager, she would start to turn toward Daphne for advice and support. As a psychiatrist, he understood that all of this was a natural part of the growing-up process. But as a father, he wanted to hold on to her for as long as possible. Slowly, an idea began to form. He could help ease Daphne's load, and spend time with his daughter at the same time.
He got Bella dressed and got her breakfast. Then he let her sit on the floor with a few toys for a while. As his daughter played contentedly, Niles sat at the family computer. After a few clicks, he'd found a hair salon not too far from where they lived. Within minutes, he had Bella safely strapped into her car seat.
Normally, when Niles drove back and forth to work, he would listen to classical music, or sometimes tune in to KACL. But for Bella, he put on a children's CD that he knew she loved. It was clear right away that she was enjoying the ride, although she clearly did not know where they were headed.
They reached the salon in no time, and Niles lifted his bewildered daughter from her seat. When they entered the salon, Isabella immediately attracted attention. "Who is this?!" The receptionist let out a gasp upon seeing her.
Niles beamed proudly. "This is Isabella, and we're here to surprise her mommy by getting her first haircut."
Upon hearing that, the receptionist wasted no time in finding a stylist who was free. Niles carried Bella back to where she would receive her first haircut. This all happened so quickly that poor Bella had no idea what was going on. But she found herself seated in a large chair, as a woman approached her with a pair of scissors. Before a single hair could be cut, Bella began hyperventilating, and she was on the verge of tears. Fortunately, the stylist knew what to do. "Dad, why don't you hold her?"
Niles nodded gratefully. He lifted Bella up and took her place in the chair. This seemed to calm her a bit, but she still looked ready to cry. "Sh, it's OK, no one's going to hurt you. We're just going to get rid of some of this hair. I promise when we're done, you're going to look as beautiful as Mommy." He kissed her cheek. Then, just to make sure she wasn't going to get upset again, he slipped his hand underneath her shirt, tickling her stomach. She giggled at that, and it provided a perfect opportunity for the stylist to do her job.
Before long, there was more than a little hair on the floor, but Bella barely even noticed. Niles sighed when he saw the final result. His already-adorable daughter was now even more beautiful than he'd imagined. He quickly paid the bill, promising to come back. It seemed his daughter was a hit even among strangers.
Soon they arrived back at home. He set Bella down the couch, intending to put on some cartoons for her. But before he could turn the TV on, she curled herself into a ball, going to sleep at once. Niles had planned on going into his study to take care of a few things. But there was something about the way Bella looked, lying there so peacefully. It seemed as if her tiredness were contagious. After bending down to kiss his daughter's cheek, Niles felt himself yawn. He decided to lay down beside her.
The next thing he knew, Daphne was kissing him again. "Wake up, darling. We're home. We got David lots of school clothes. I daresay he'll be the most handsome boy in his class!"
A look of utter embarrassment came on David's face.
Niles awoke, feeling a bit confused. He hadn't meant to sleep for so long.
"Well, what did we miss?" Daphne asked. Then she noticed Bella, who was just stirring. She looked at Niles, wanting an explanation.
"My love, I got to thinking that I so rarely get these moments alone with Bella. She's growing up so fast, and I just wanted to spend some time with her. She was a bit scared at first, but I told her that she would look just as beautiful as her mommy." Niles took her hand and brought it to his lips, gently kissing it.
Daphne knew she couldn't stay angry at him after that. She kissed him, and for a long moment, they forgot the children were even in the room. When the kiss ended, Daphne smiled at him. "Thank you. She looks beautiful."
Without missing a beat, Niles caressed her cheek. "She gets that from you."
Once again, they kissed. Suddenly, Daphne realized they had an audience. David was watching, looking like he was a little sick. "Well, now that me son has such nice new clothes, and my little girl has had her first haircut, I think maybe we should do something to celebrate."
Niles knew at once what she was thinking. Daphne was fanatical about wanting to preserve the family's memories. Every vacation, every birthday, every Christmas. She knew that, years from now, the photographs would remind everyone of the special moments the family shared. "A family portrait. That sounds like a wonderful idea, my love."
Daphne grinned. She knew without a doubt that this was a moment she would want to remember forever, because it was like so many other times over the years. Times when Niles went out of his way to let her know how much she meant to him. She loved Niles so much, not just for the things he did for her, but also the time he took to be a good father. And that was something Daphne knew she could never forget.
The End