Niles felt a wave of relief as his brother opened the door. "Is Daphne around?"
Frasier shook his head. "She's in Dad's room, doing his exercises there for a change. She thinks that will make him more willing." He rolled his eyes, showing what he thought of her idea.
"Good," Niles replied. "Frasier, I need your advice. Please."
Frasier smiled and stepped back, allowing Niles to enter. "You know my slogan. I'm listening."
Niles resisted the urge to make a wisecrack about his brother's radio show. "I'm a mess. I can't concentrate in sessions with my patients. I can't even focus enough to get a coffee at Nervosa. What am I going to do?"
"Well, what is on your mind so much?" Even as Frasier asked the question, he was almost certain he knew the answer.
"It's Daphne, of course," Niles said, confirming his brother's suspicion. "Even when I try to sleep, she's there. When I close my eyes, I see her in that red sequined gown from the Snow Ball."
Frasier couldn't remember ever seeing his brother so distraught. He'd known Niles was interested in her, of course. It seemed the only person who didn't know was Daphne herself. Unrequited love could be painful. He'd heard it countless times from callers. He usually gave trite advice, find a hobby, or limit one's contact with the object of their affection. But, for his own flesh and blood, he knew those words would be useless. All he could do was shake his head.
"Aren't you even going to say something?" Niles asked. "Give me your usual speech about Maris?"
"I don't know what to say," Frasier admitted. "I don't really approve of the way you feel about her, but I also hate seeing you like this."
"I know. I've been thinking that the only way out is to tell Daphne how I feel. I can't go on like this."
Daphne walked out of Mr. Crane's room, appalled at how stubborn her patient could be. Apparently, hearing all the boring details of Duke's recent fishing trip was more exciting than doing his daily therapy. She'd tried to reason with him, but it hadn't worked. She gave up. She had better things to do than argue with an old man. She'd been about to go to her room and maybe relax for a bit, but then she heard her boss and his brother talking in the living room. She stopped at once, knowing she shouldn't eavesdrop. But what could she do?
Before she could even think about that, she heard the younger Dr. Crane say something that made her heart stop. Tell Daphne how he feels? Her head was spinning. She wasn't even supposed to be listening, and now she'd heard her own name mentioned. Her heart began to race. Her head spun as she tried to make sense of what she'd heard. But, before she'd even begun to really think about any of it, she let out an involuntary gasp. The sound alerted the two brothers to her presence at once.
"Daphne," Niles said.
Frasier quickly realized he wasn't wanted here. "You know, now might be a good time for a walk around the block. I'll be back in a few minutes." He smiled at Niles, silently praying that whatever happened in the next few minutes would be in Niles' favor.
Niles watched Frasier leave. He had been planning to tell Daphne how he felt, but this wasn't the way it was supposed to go.
"I'm sorry for eavesdropping. I didn't do it on purpose. I was just coming out of your father's room, and I saw you two talking."
"It's quite all right. This is your home, too. I just wasn't ready for you to find out like this. I wanted to do it better."
"So then it's true, what you said to your brother? That you have….feelings for me?"
Niles nodded at once. "From the moment I saw you."
Daphne couldn't help smiling at that. She walked more fully into the living room. "That's very sweet. But how can you have felt this way for so long?"
"I don't know," Niles admitted. "But I have. I love being friends with you, and hearing all of your stories. That's why I've kept quiet. And there's Maris. But, lately, it's been hard. I keep thinking about you all the time."
"I'm hardly worthy of so much attention." Daphne blushed. She looked at the ground, unsure of what to say.
Niles crossed the room, no longer able to control the urge to hold her. "You are," he said emphatically. He put his arms around her. To his surprise, she did not pull away.
When Daphne looked in his eyes, she saw something there she'd never seen before, although she couldn't quite say what it was. But she knew she was safe here, in his arms. The idea that he had loved her for so long was still overwhelming. She thought about his wife, and the many ways she'd tried to make him feel worthless. No wonder he was hesitant to reveal his heart to her. She'd done what she could to help. After all, helping hurting people was her job. But, somewhere along the way, she went beyond simply doing what was expected. She cared about him, just as she did for his brother and father.
"You're not scared, are you?" Niles asked. She hadn't said anything, and that made him nervous.
"I am, a bit. I still don't know what you see in me. But it's flattering. I know that Mrs. Crane has hurt you. No wonder you've been so shy."
"Well, my divorce certainly hasn't been a picnic, but it's in the past, and I'd rather not think about that right now. I want to think about….the future. If I have one, that is."
Daphne knew that was his way of asking how she felt, if she was willing to take a chance on him. The logical part of her mind said no. A man like him couldn't be interested in her for long, once he got to know her. But the look in his eyes was making her think something else entirely. "You definitely have a future," she finally said, embracing him.
Niles' heart soared. Up until now, his life had been filled with loneliness and pain. But suddenly, everything seemed much brighter. The future would be wonderful, and he could hardly wait for it to begin.
The End