Here was Daphne, locked in Dr. Crane's arms. She never wanted the music to end. True, she had told the other Dr. Crane that she was not in love with Niles, but nothing could be further than the truth. All of those years, the signs were there. How could she have been so oblivious? Niles Crane was a good, honest, decent man, but then again, so was Donny. What was a woman to do?
All she knew was that it was heaven in his arms. Her heart never raced with Donny the way it did when she was dancing with Dr. Crane. He really was handsome wasn't he? She didn't know how long she could keep up the pretense if he continued to cling to her the way he was.
Frasier watched the scene knowingly, wondering what in the world his brother was thinking. He'd never seemed so happy, and he was a newlywed! Frasier didn't care for Mel, but there was no denying no one could hold a candle in his brother's eyes to Daphne. How many times had Niles declared her a goddess? Frasier knew that he'd often chastised his brother for his feelings, but there were no denying them now. His brother was a man in love, and he was holding the object of his feelings in his arms.
Niles knew that he could die a happy man and have no regrets, now that he had Daphne in his arms. Who was he kidding? He loved Daphne, and if all he could have her was for this moment, then so be it. She was beautiful, a goddess, and deserved all the love and happiness that a man could provide. So fate had other plans in store for them, but at least she was happy, and he could die knowing that.
The music played, and all eyes were on Daphne and Niles. They looked every inch the couple in love, even though Niles had no idea what she was thinking or feeling. Everything seemed right- save for the fact in twelve hours Daphne would be Mrs. Donny Douglas.
This wasn't right, Frasier decided. He had to tell his brother about Daphne. He couldn't let this charade go on any longer than he had. If he were Niles he'd want to know. Niles deserved the truth for goodness' sake. Who knew what the outcome might be. At least for the moment, they had the dance, and after that, all bets were off. So Frasier, even more than Daphne and Niles, savored the moment, because he knew that tonight would be just the beginning. Of what, he wasn't sure, but everything was about to change. Could he live with himself if he didn't tell Niles? He didn't think so. So in just a minute, the rules were going to change, and for that, he lifted his glass and toasted to himself. To Niles and Daphne. To love. Hopefully anyways.
TBC