This is dedicated to Iloveromance(Andrea) thanks for your support during the writing of this!
I don't know if at this point Niles and Maris were separated but this supposes they were
Daphne woke up at three in the morning wide awake trying to remember everything that had happened to her that night. It was hard because she had drank more than she had cared to, but she was drinking with Dr. Crane, and he would never let anything happen to her. She smiled. He was one person she knew she could count on, no matter what. Even when she cried during the sappy movie, he offered her his handkerchief. When she sang and the rest of the family looked at her like she was crazy, he nodded his head along in tune, as if she were conducting one of his fancy operas. She missed it because of the alcohol, but he acted as if they were the only two in the room, and she could do no wrong. Could it be that Dr. Crane had feelings for her?
No, it couldn't be. She was imagining things. A man like her couldn't be in love with someone like her. He thought of her as just a friend. That was why he was always coming over to Dr. Crane's house. Could it be that he was coming there to see her? Chills ran down her spine as the pictures of the puzzle came together. It all made sense. The visits, the way he stood a little too close to her, the way he smelled her hair, the way he looked at her, adoringly might she add, the way he noticed every little thing about her from the way she wore her hair to a new dress. If that didn't cry out a man in love she didn't know what did.
What did this mean for her? Did she return his feelings? She wouldn't be getting so bent out of shape if he meant nothing to her would she? This was crazy. This was the middle of the night and she couldn't stop thinking of her best friend. And he was too. He was always there for her, always the first person she ran to when she got her heart broke. And when she was in love it was he she turned to, and he always seemed so happy for her, but looking back that may have been just an act. How long had he had these feelings for her? She had to know.
"Dr. Crane?"
"Daphne? Is everything okay? What time is it? Is Dad okay?" a groggy Niles asked.
"Yes, he's fine. Everyone's fine. I'm sorry to have scared you so. I shouldn't have called you. Go back to sleep."
"No Daphne it's fine. You can call me anytime of the day or night, I hope you know that. I'm glad you called. What's on your mind?"
Daphne took a deep breath. "You are."
Niles dropped the phone then fell out of bed trying to reach for it.
"Dr. Crane?"
"I'm here Daphne. I couldn't believe my ears."
"Oh I shouldn't have said anything…"
"No, Daphne, you said exactly the right thing. How am I on your mind?"
"Well this is going to sound crazy but I got to thinking about how much fun I had with you tonight, and how much fun I always have with you. You were listening to me singing like you were at one of your operas."
"Well you do have a heavenly voice," Niles blurted out.
"That's just it! You're always saying things like that to me. You notice everything about me and you never let anyone hurt me. You are always watching me and I could never put two and two together before until tonight. I am going to ask you something and if the answer's no we can forget about it and never speak about it again. But what I really need to know is..Dr. Crane are you in love with me?"
Niles' jaw dropped. He didn't know what he was supposed to say. This was his moment. Everything was on the line. He could lose everything or gain everything by what he said next.
"Daphne do you believe in fate?"
"Yes."
"I believe it was fate that brought you to me. I have been in love with you since the moment I laid eyes on you. I've never seen a woman like you and I could only dream that you returned my feelings. So I've bided my time, waiting for the right time to tell you how I felt."
"But what about Maris?"
"I loved Maris. But the flames were gone out of that marriage long before you came along. Now that you know how I feel, dare I ask…how do you feel about me?"
The phone grew quiet and Niles silently berated himself for allowing himself for getting his hopes up. He would be crushed and he didn't think he could recover from this.
"I love you Niles," Daphne whispered.
"What?" Niles giddily asked.
"I love you."
"Where do we go from here?" Niles was so nervous he could hardly think.
"I believe you owe me a kiss Niles Crane."
"Now?"
"No," she laughed. "I don't think your brother would appreciate any visitors right now. How about you come over for dinner for dinner tomorrow and we can sneak out for a few minutes?"
"Daphne! I like the way you think."
After a few more minutes they said their good nights. Niles could not concentrate at work and kept getting the giggles when working with his depressives. All he could think of was getting that kiss from Daphne, and after a few more hours, he finally got it. And it was just the beginning.
The end