This is the first time I've written such a suggestive story. I wanted to continue the 'fade to black' near the end of "Daphne Returns". I was inspired by the writer iloveromance's adorable Niles and Daphne stories.
The floor of Frasier's living room was certainly not the most comfortable nor romantic place for lovemaking, but Niles and Daphne had been swept up in a furor of passion after a frenetic fight. Neither of them had initiated this moment; it had just happened. It had happened as suddenly as a wave in the ocean—coming in slowly then crashing into shore.
"I'm so sorry I hurt you, Daphne," Niles murmured, stroking her face and embracing her tightly.
"Apology accepted," Daphne answered, kissing him deeply and massaging his shoulders. Even through his shirt she could feel the warmth of his body and it comforted her.
Niles smiled while gently tracing the curve of her lips and neck with the most delicate of touches. He felt her smile underneath his fingertips and she sighed contentedly. The moment was so right for more, but both felt suddenly shy. Who would make the first move and ask if this exchange could be taken into the bedroom at last?
Time itself seemed to be waiting. Surely any minute now one of them would take that first step forward. Instead, they began to kiss and cuddle again, as if reassessing the situation, to see who would take the initiative…
"OH, DEAR GOD!"
Frasier's voice shattered their reverie and they pulled away from each other, hastily standing up. Daphne and Niles had failed to hear the front door being unlocked, and now they saw that they had a stunned audience.
"Oh, jeez," they heard Martin saying.
Daphne hastily smoothed her hair and her crumpled blouse, as if doing so would erase from Frasier's and Martin's minds what they had just seen. Niles's face had become a very bright shade of pink.
"You're doing…that on my floor?" Frasier yelped.
"Now, it's perfectly natural," Niles defended weakly.
"I'm aware of that," Frasier said, "but most people keep some mystery in their relationship."
"Now, your brother and I were just caught up in a sudden burst of passion," Daphne said, attempting to laugh. "It's mostly me fault…I was the first one to give into me urges."
"Aw, jeez," Martin repeated, shaking his head. "Now you've made it worse."
At that moment, Frasier noticed that his favorite statuette was on the floor.
"Let me guess," Frasier said dryly, "this is your doing, too?"
"Well…we wanted each other so badly we hardly knew what was in the way!" Niles replied with sudden candor as he went to pick up the statuette.
"What are you two doing back so early, anyway?" Daphne asked more irritably than she'd intended.
"The steakhouse was closed. Apparently, it hadn't passed inspection," Martin said regretfully. "But by then, we figured you two had finished fighting and we could come back. Really, we only left to give you some room."
"We did stop fighting," Daphne said cheekily. "Unfortunately, you two came back in time to see the…aftermath."
She and Niles giggled, apparently over their embarrassment at their lack of discretion. Martin opened his mouth to say something and then changed his mind. He stalked off, muttering to himself about how he hoped Eddie hadn't seen Nile's and Daphne's "performance". Frasier escaped to the kitchen to pour himself a large sherry and try to forget what he had seen. He was glad Niles and Daphne had made up, but he prayed that he could disassociate the image of their romantic escapade from his beloved living room.
"I think Daphne and I will go to the Montana where we'll have some privacy," Niles said, stepping into the kitchen.
"I wish you had thought of that before," Frasier said dryly.
"Oh, you wouldn't understand. One minute, Daphne and I were fighting and the next we were giving in to nature's irresistible call…some things can't be helped."
"Get out," Frasier threatened
Niles returned to Daphne, whom he steered out of Frasier's apartment. Both were silent, but it was not an uncomfortable silence; they were thinking about the night ahead. Daphne cuddled against Niles when they were in the elevator and he gave her a lingering kiss as a promise of what was to come.
"Do you think we traumatized your brother and Mr. Crane?" Daphne snickered as the stepped into the lobby of Elliot Bay Towers.
"They'll get over it. Eventually," grinned Niles.
"They probably didn't think we'd make up so quickly," Daphne said.
"Or dramatically," Niles added slyly as they made their way to the parking garage.
"You know…I think we haven't finished making up yet," Daphne said suggestively, and Niles gave her a cocky grin.
"Why do you think we're going to my apartment?"
Niles's apartment at the Montana brought back a memory to Daphne as soon as they stepped into it. She scanned the richly furnished living room and her eyes lingered on the fainting couch. She sat on it, and Niles followed suit.
"Do you remember when I came here to get away from Sherry?" Daphne reminisced.
"I remember," Niles said with a grin. "You drove me crazy that night. In a good way, of course. You had never looked so tempting."
"You might have had me if I hadn't needed to take me thyroid pills," Daphne jested.
"Maybe it was just as well. I was on the verge of betraying Maris. We were still together then."
"Actually," Daphne said, her voice serious now, "I think you would have stopped before anything…happened. You've always been honorable, even when Maris was driving you away."
Niles's mood suddenly grew pensive as he looked at the woman who was in his life now. He was still getting used to being Daphne's, with no obstacles in the way. No more hesitation, no more marital loyalty to Maris or playing along with Mel's mind games. They were free. Yet that joy was suddenly tinged with a hint of regret.
"Niles, you're so quiet," Daphne said.
"I was just thinking that if I'd only had the courage to tell you how I felt sooner,we could have had this years ago. I had so many opportunities to tell you after the divorce from Maris set me free, but-,"
"Oh, Niles…" Daphne interrupted him gently. "Life is full of 'ifs', but we can't let them spoil our now. We have each other at last. That's all that matters. Us."
"Excellent analysis," Niles approved, touched by her words. "Maybe could fill in for my brother from time to time."
"Ooh, he'd never do that. Dr. Crane would probably think I'd tell anecdotes about me crazy family, or give people the wrong advice on dealing with overbearing mothers…"
"Your advice would be moving overseas, I suppose," Niles said wickedly.
"Yes," Daphne played along, winking. "And if the caller was a woman, I'd tell her to find a very sexy, blonde, blue-eyed psychiatrist from Seattle…except that there's only one, and he's mine."
"So, you're only with me for my looks?" Niles teased.
"You've got a lot going for you. A sweet nature, intelligence, sense of humor, good taste…and, yes, very good looks."
Without another word, Daphne leaned into Niles, weaving her hands into his hair. She moved her lips closer to his and could hear him draw in an eager, expectant breath. She barely, just barely, brushed her lips against his and then pulled away, leaving him with a puzzled expression.
Daphne repeated the performance at least two more times, teasing Niles, making him anticipate a kiss and then pulling away. By the way he was breathing, Daphne knew her little game was driving him wild. Penitent, she pressed close to him and kissed him—a deep, seductive, intriguing kiss. She felt him exhale and then melt against her.
"Why don't I—show—you—my—bedroom," Niles whispered breathlessly in her ear, trying to catch his breath.
"Of course," Daphne answered.
Niles helped her up the polished wooden steps that led to the second floor, and then into the sanctuary of his bedroom. He flicked a switch and a soft light flooded the room. This room was done in softer colors, with simpler furniture, but was still tasteful and classy—rather like Niles, Daphne thought.
"It's lovely in here," she said, looking around at an easy chair, shelves full of books, and walls lined with beautiful art prints.
"Not a bad job for an old bachelor, eh?" Niles agreed, smiling.
"Oh, shut up," Daphne said affectionately. "You're not old. And you're definitely not a bachelor."
Her eyes swept around the room and she finally noticed the bed. It was large, covered in a downy comforter and heaped with pillows. It looked luxurious and inviting, and not just for what had been promised earlier. Her bed at Frasier's apartment was comfortable, but compared to this…
As she looked, Niles went to the bed and turned it down, pulling back the comforter to reveal silky sheets; he plumped up the pillows and put them against the headboard.
"If I had a bed like this, I'd never get up," Daphne joked as Niles rejoined her.
"It's nice…but it's lonely," Niles said wistfully. "Even with Maris, there were so many nights she wasn't with me, and even when she was, there was something empty about it. Even when we—,"
He stopped abruptly.
"I'm probably saying too much," he said quickly.
"No, Niles. You don't need to hide things from me. This doesn't make me uncomfortable, honestly. Just sorry for you. I want you to be open and honest with me. Just like I will be with you."
Niles took a deep breath and continued. He felt a little awkward baring his soul, but Daphne wanted him to be open, so he obliged wholeheartedly.
"Well, even when we were…intimate, it was just a shallow kind of pleasure, but I took what I could get. And with Mel…she was more accommodating, but it felt empty, too. I didn't have a connection with her. I pretended there was, because I was trying to convince myself I was over you. I thought I had lost you, and—,"
To Daphne's distress, Niles's voice broke slightly and tears had suddenly come into his eyes. She pulled him into her arms and held him close, gently massaging his back.
"Oh, sweetheart, it's all right," she said softly. "You have me now, and always will. You have my whole heart and soul."
"And you have mine," Niles murmured, nuzzling Daphne's cheek and taking in the scent of her hair (cherry bark and almonds, of course), something he loved so much to do. "Enough of the past. Let's do what you said and concentrate on now. On us."
"That's better," Daphne approved before adding in a more seductive tone: "Besides, you forget why I came with you. To make your bed a little less lonely."
Niles didn't respond, but he gave her a look of pure delight. She made the first move, giving him a kiss like they'd never shared before. The kisses they had experienced in Frasier's apartment had been exciting, but this was something else entirely. Daphne's mouth was full on Niles's, taking his lips with an intensity that left them both breathless.
"Wow," Niles breathed, feeling as if he was in a dream. Perhaps it was a dream, for it almost seemed impossible that he should have the woman he adored in his arms like this. He had waited for her for so long…
"Feeling better now?" Daphne said brightly, breaking Niles out of the trance she seemed to have put him under.
"Much better."
Emboldened by the kisses, Niles gently tugged at the sleeve of Daphne's blouse, revealing just a hint of her soft shoulder.
"Daphne…may I…?"
Daphne caught the meaning of the gesture and the question that followed it. All she did was nod, but Niles knew she had given him the answer he was hoping for. She put her arms up willingly, and he gently removed her blouse, casting it gently aside. The rest of her clothing quickly followed, and Niles gazed at her silently. The silence worried Daphne a little. What was he thinking? Did he still find her attractive, now that she had revealed all of herself?
She got her answer.
"Oh, Daphne," Niles almost whispered. "You're so beautiful."
"You think so?" Daphne asked, pleased.
"I do. And I'll always find you beautiful."
"Aw, you flatter me. Now, you just stand still and let me get these clothes off you."
Slowly, teasingly, Daphne undressed Niles, caressing him as she did so. She heard him draw in an eager breath, and she teased him by making her movements slower and lazier. She desperately wanted him but loved drawing out the process of undressing him, watching as Niles shivered in anticipation.
"You're gorgeous," Daphne said as soon as she had finished, causing Niles to smile broadly.
Without ceremony, she pulled him into her arms and led him into the bed. She felt incredibly bold, but she wanted him so much and knew he wanted her as badly. They fell into bed; Niles immediately pulled Daphne against himself and they slowly, sweetly, took their relationship to the next level.
When they had finished, they were sated and supremely blissful. The sheets were a tangled mess around them, and they were equally as entwined in each other's arms, their bodies still melded together.
"Niles," Daphne said hesitantly after she was able to catch her breath.
"Hmm?"
"Did you…like that?" she asked, still hesitant.
Niles looked at her worriedly. "Didn't it feel like I was enjoying it?"
Daphne gave him a small smile. He had certainly been enthusiastic, reacting to and reciprocating her moves and touches with an alacrity that had increased her pleasure. Yes, he had enjoyed it…but how much? There was still a nagging voice in Daphne's subconscious that wondered if her lovemaking had met Niles's expectations. And as irrational as it was…
"It did feel like you were enjoying it," she said timidly, "but I know you've been waiting for me for so long…"
"Oh, Daphne," Niles soothingly responded. "I forgot how worried you were about satisfying me. I'm sorry if I ever made you feel pressured. Yes, I thought of you and dreamed of you for so long, but this was far beyond even my sweetest imaginations. You were incredible. I'm still thrilled. The way you seem to instinctively know how and where I like to be touched…I didn't think I'd ever feel anything like that."
"Do you want to feel it again?" Daphne said flirtatiously, a flood of relief and delight flooding through her.
"Again…and again and again," Niles flirted back before Daphne began to caress him with sensitive hands. Her lips moved to his as soon as he finished speaking and they kissed passionately.
Long into the night they expressed their love and their newfound bond.