Heart and soul, I fell in love with you,
Heart and soul, the way a fool would do,
Madly...
Because you held me tight,
And stole a kiss in the night...
They sang. Who would have thought that chopping vegetables in the kitchen would have provoked such strong emotions in Niles? Just the very nearness of Daphne awakened feelings in him that had long laid dormant, even in his marriage to Maris. Daphne was a goddess; there was no other explanation to this simple household task bringing him such pleasure. And the way she sang- she may not have sounded like Maria Callas, but if she didn't, he didn't notice. She sounded like an angel, but that was no surprise. Everything she touched turned to gold. And she had no idea that she had that affect on him.
From everything to doing laundry to preparing meals to dancing, was there anything this woman couldn't do? Daphne had such elegance, such grace, such style. Niles had loved Maris, the way one loved his first love. But with Daphne it was different. He couldn't explain how- it just was. And he hated himself but he didn't know if he would ever have the chance to find out the difference. There was far too much at stake to take the chance.
But today was different. All day he promised himself he would ask the goddess out. And he nearly had too. But he had frozen, no surprise there. How can you look the love of your life in her eyes and tell her how you've been loving her from afar for years and would she , could she, possibly return any of those feelings? That would have been the perfect moment, but sometimes those little moments just pass you by.
And then there was the kitchen incident, when he and Frasier where discussing the love he had for Daphne. True to form, Niles went on and on about how wonderful she was (was there ever a time he was a time he was at a loss for words to describe what he was feeling for her, other than when he looked her in the eyes?). She caught him, but rather than confess it was her that he was talking about, he gave the name of a total stranger. It was easier that way. Not easier, by any means, but safer. Far be it for him to let Daphne know that she was the one he spoke the golden words about. What if she didn't feel the same way? There was no way he could face that kind of rejection. He wanted to know- he needed to know- but in this way he could still love Daphne, even if it was only in his dreams.
And then he went home, to another night alone, another night to dream of his beloved. And then she was there. True to form she wouldn't allow him to have a date the way it appeared, so she set up his house the way she would want it set for her, the way Niles would have had it prepared had it actually been her coming to his house instead of the lie he had told. Funny how a lie snowballs until you never know where it leads. Daphne said nothing but refused to take no for an answer. She made her magic in that wondrous way that she had about her, the way that captivated Niles so.
And then it was time to chop vegetables. They discussed the personalities of the vegetables, and moved together in rhythm of their cutting.
Heart and soul, I fell in love with you,
Heart and soul, the way a fool would do,
Madly...
Because you held me tight,
And stole a kiss in the night...
One playful hit in the arm by Daphne was matched by one by Niles. Not content to let that go, she swatted him, which was again met by him. She moved up and gently touched his shoulders, stirring feelings he shouldn't be feeling.. His heart raced, he wasn't sure what he should do but he knew he had to touch her again, to be near her. He flipped her hair. She laughed and flipped his in return, standing dangerously close to him. He brushed her cheek, an effort mirrored by hers. They were now standing nose to nose, feeling their breaths on each other's skin. Niles reminded himself to breathe lest he faint at this life changing moment.
"Dr. Crane…" Daphne murmured.
"Maybe you could call me Niles," he suggested.
"Niles…" she breathlessly whispered.
His mouth parted ever so slightly, an invitation even Daphne recognized. Daphne wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, ever so softly at first and then it became a deep, passionate and meaningful kiss, years in the making. Niles' hands were trembling as he wrapped them around the small of her back. Praying that this kiss would last forever, Niles leaned into the kiss.
Finally Daphne stepped back. "Dr. Crane…. Niles…."
"Daphne…"
"I don't know where that came from. I'm so sorry. Here you are expecting a date and I'm doing this to you. You must think poorly of me. I don't know what came over me. I'm so ashamed of meself at the moment," Daphne said, looking away.
Niles' heart raced as he took his hand and gently guided Daphne's chin back to where she made eye contact with him. "Daphne, there is no Phyllis."
She was confused.
"There is no date. I was home alone. I wasn't expecting any woman. I had no date lined up."
"But I heard you make a call! I heard you and Dr. Crane talking about a woman that you're madly in love with."
"That part is true. I only pretended to make a phone call. But I did talk to my brother about a woman I'm in love with. A woman I've known for years and have loved for years. A woman I've lacked the courage to tell her how I feel. Until now."
Realizing what was going on, Daphne took a deep breath and held on to the counter.
"Daphne, it's you. It's always been you. You're simply the most beautiful, amazing, …there are no words to describe what you mean to me. You're more than my best friend. I've loved you since the day I laid eyes on you, and that feeling has only grown. I've promised myself that I would wait until the time was right for me to tell you how I feel and that time just has never came around. I love everything about you, from the smell of your hair to the way you move across the room to the compassion you have for those around you to the way you make me laugh until I cry sometimes. I know how I feel. What I'm asking you is… how do you feel about me?"
Daphne began to cry. "Oh Dr. Crane… Niles. I've never had a man speak to me the way you just have. And it's not just now. You always talk to me like I'm your best friend. You don't talk down to me the way some of these hoighty-toighty other professionals do. You always make time for me. You believe in me psychic visions when I know your brother has his doubts. You listen to all of my stories about me crazy family, me mum and me brothers. They haven't scared you off," she laughed. "You don't treat me like the help. And now I see why. You don't seem me as just the help. You see me for who I am. And I love that about you. I love you, Niles Crane. It might have taken me some time to get here but I'm here, and I hope we can go on from where we're at."
It was hard to say who had more tears in their eyes, Daphne or Niles. Both had made each other's life long dreams come true. Niles had his Daphne, his goddess that he had loved from afar for five years. Daphne had the type of man who she'd dreamed about, but had stopped believing that they existed. They had always had each other's hearts, but there in that kitchen, they had given each other their souls as well. And they would cherish them for as long as they both would live.
The End