Three weeks later, under the dawn of a new day, the five set off to the ski resort, with Frasier driving, Martin in the front seat, and Niles, Daphne, and Joshua in the back seats. There were taking Joshua's SUV, so Niles was sitting all the way in the back by himself with a full view of the couple as they sat hand in hand and looked at each other in ways that made him want to jump out the window. Oh, why…

Daphne had had other suitors, but this was the first one she had had since Niles filed for divorce. There was no reason not to want her now, he loved her and there was no doubt about that.

Joshua spoke softly, "Frasier, how about some hot chocolate? It seems like a good day for some."

"Where would you like me to stop?"

"Oh, anywhere."

Niles sighed. He didn't want to stop; he just wanted to get there. But a hot drink did sound nice. It was cloudy and cold outside, and it would be nice to have something to keep his hands warm.

A few minutes later, they stopped at a small stand-alone coffee shop, and everyone got out and went inside. It was soft and dim on the inside, with hardwood floors and purple couches. After drinks had been ordered, Niles sat on a couch while everyone except himself and Frasier went to use the restroom. Frasier sat next to Niles and sighed. "How're you holding up?" He asked.

"Not well," said Niles.

"I'm sorry. Why did you come?"

"Because I love Daphne and I want her to be safe."

"Safe? Why wouldn't she be safe?"

"Because, I don't trust that man."

"Joshua?"

"Yes."

"Why not?"

But before he could answer, Joshua himself came and sat next to Niles. "This is a nice place. I'm glad you stopped, Frasier."

"Well, I have a knack for finding good places to wet one's whistle."

Niles rolled his eyes, and Joshua saw and laughed. "Niles, do you know how to ski?"

"I've been taught, but not really."

"I'll have to teach you myself then."

"I take it you like skiing."

"Yeah, yeah. I started when I was just a kid and I've liked it ever since." Joshua smiled again and received nothing from Niles in return. Joshua sighed and Frasier scoffed in frustration.

On the way back to the car, Frasier pulled his brother aside and whispered, "Regardless of whether you like the man or not, please try to be nice."

"Perhaps you're right. He hasn't done anything wrong, he's only…fallen helplessly for a goddess."

Niles climbed in the back and prepared to go back to the way things had been for the past few hours. He looked up at Daphne and missed her, even though she was so close. "Daphne," he said without thinking.

"Yes, Dr. Crane?"

"Oh…I just wanted to ask you…if your hot chocolate was good."

"It was, it was rich and chocolatey…"

…like your eyes? Thought Niles.

"Thank you for asking, Dr. Crane. How was your coffee?" Daphne asked.

"It was good," was all he said, thrilled for her attention. Whenever she had turned her head forward again, he stared out the window at the dreary landscape.

After they had reached the lodge, Niles went to explore his cabin. It was small, with a fireplace, a tiny kitchen, a bathroom with a large tub, and a queen-sized bed with a deep red bedspread.

He put down his bags and sat on the edge of the bed, sighing deeply. The inside of the cabin was already warm, so he took off his coat and started a fire. Everyone was meeting for dinner in a few hours, but before that nothing was planned and Niles wondered what he would do with his time until then. What were Daphne and Joshua doing right now?

He scolded himself. He had to stop thinking about them.

But they were the reason he had come, so how could he stop? He loved Daphne too much to let her be with anyone else.

There appeared to be no solution to this problem except…no, no, he couldn't. His mind filled with fear when he imagined admitting his feelings to Daphne, and what would she say? What would she do?

He decided to read a book he had brought with him to take his mind off things. He took it out of his bag, sat down in a chair near the fireplace and began tried to process the words on the page, but it was almost like all the letters were rearranging themselves to spell out Daphne, Daphne, Daphne, over and over again. Niles looked deeply into the fire and began to drift through his memories.

"Dr. Crane, we're losing the fire!"

"No we're not! It's burning with the heat of a thousand suns!" Niles spoke without thinking, not bothering to acknowledge the fire Daphne really was talking about. But it was hard not to focus on the heat only he could feel between them, the fact that her face was so close, and she was wearing that…short dress that fit around her body as tight as a glove…

Maris. Niles was slapped from the warm vision by the name and Daphne turned away from him and looked at the glowing hearth. "But it's down to its last embers…" She said, and he got off the perilous track that he had been on.

As Niles was pulled away from the memory, he mused that that incident had been four years ago, and what had changed? Hardly anything. He was still just a friend to Daphne, and the only thing he could think of that was different was Maris.

Things should have changed, then. He loved her, why couldn't he tell her?

Niles clutched his forehead. Everything was so complicated and he hated all of it. There were so many problems, so many reasons he couldn't be with Daphne but should've been. And to top it all off she was being slowly taken from him…and she loved it.

He closed the book and set it beside him, deciding to take a walk outside. It was below freezing and Niles pulled his coat closer to him as he closed the door behind him. His surroundings were peaceful and private, his quarters being surrounded with trees. He couldn't see anything beyond them, not another cabin, not a ski slope, not even smoke wafting from a chimney. Fifty feet in front of the cabin door was a path out of his small clearing with garden lights on the ground for walking back at night. Niles, scared of bears or whatever could bend out of the trees and grab him, walked as fast as he could through the path. It led onto a wide, brick sidewalk that everyone staying at the resort used. Along the sidewalk were signs with arrows indicating where the main lodge was, where the lifts and slopes were, and so on.

When he had arrived at the main lodge, he took a minute to take in its architecture from the outside; then opened the door and felt the warmth greet him. It had a stark winter feeling with an air of classiness, which Niles found perfect. As he looked around him deeper, he realized that save for the intimidating trees, he would love this place if it weren't for the sadness looming inside of him.

Niles went and stared out the window, watching the ski lifts go up and down, bearing people that seemed so tiny from where he was. He began to lose himself in his thoughts when Niles heard a voice behind him, calling his name. With an unnamed negative feeling inside of him, Niles flipped around to find himself face to face with Joshua.