By the time Niles had reached what he hoped and prayed was the nineteenth floor, he was exhausted. Struggling once more for breath, he wearily grabbed the flashlight, aiming it around the darkness in front of him. His relief increased in ten-fold when he realized that his mental calculations were indeed correct and he had reached the nineteenth floor. Fortunately his father's birthday gift (and his own sanity) were still in tact. He pushed the door open, letting the flashlight guide him through the pitch-black hallway until miraculously the beam illuminated the numbers of his brother's front door.
Carefully he walked foreword, feeling a little like a zombie until he reached his destination. He was certain that the doorbell wasn't working and so he chose to knock loudly.
"Who is it?" called his brother's muffled and hesitant voice.
"It's me,Niles!" He shouted. "I'm here for Dad's... party!"
The door opened and despite the darkness, he didn't have to ask who it was. The heavenly scent gave her presence away. When a warm hand slipped into his he was certain that his burning cheeks were visible to her. "H-hello, Daphne!"
"Hello, Dr. Crane. It was nice of you come. Your father's a bit upsst about his party being tarnished-."
"What in the hell you talking about, tarnished? Martin shouted. "It's completely ruined, damn it! I'm never going to turn this age again and I'm just going to get older and older and more and more crippled as the days go by!"
"Dad, for God's sake, you are not at all cripppled!" Frasier said out of nowhere. "It's just a power outage that happened to occur on your birthday!"
"Yeah? Well it's-what do you mean I'm not crippled? I've got a bullet in my hip, don't I?"
"But Dad, that doesn't mean-."
"God, do you two ever shut up?"
Roz was also in attendance, it seemed. Niles rolled his eyes. He and Roz certainly weren't friends and the way this night was progressing so far, he'd much rather not see her at all. Still, he knew that he had to be cordial. He was making a concerted effort to be kinder, even to those whom he didn't much care for. Like Roz Doyle.
Niles spoke clearly, willing his voice to sound cheerful. "Hello, Roz! I didn't expect to see you here."
Her sigh was so loud that he heard it clearly. "Well, duh, Niles! It's pitch black!" She snapped. "Of course you don't see me! And believe me, I prefer it that way!"
"Fine." he muttered. Who needed her anyway? He certainly didn't. But he recpected her, only becuase she was Daphne's friend and Frasier's producer.
In the blackness, he crashed into someone.
"OW! Geez, watch it!"
He gasped in horror at what he had done. "Dear God, I'm so sorry Daphne! Are you all right?"
"Damn it, Niles it's me, Roz! And no, I'm not all right!"
"Um... where is Daphne anyway? She was just-."
"Well, how should I know?It's not like I can see anything anyway!"
"But she was just here!" He shouted, feeling a wave of panic. "Sh-she opended the door for me! She took my hand! She-."
"Calm down, Niles! Daphne's around here somewhere!" Martin yelled. "But if you want the truth, I don't care where she is! She was being a real pain in the-."
"Dad, can we just try to have an enjoyable evening despite this... set back?" Frasier pleaded.
"Setback, Fras?It's more like pitch-black!" Martin shouted. "I can't see my hand in front of my face!"
"Well, excuse me for trying to make sure that you had a pleasant celebration!"
"I've got news for you, Fras! I'm not enjoying it, so -."
The bickering went on and on with Roz chiming in with her lame opinions until Niles' blood began to boil and his heart raced until he couldn't take it any longer.
"SHUT UP!"
The room fell silent and the lack of sound made the darkness seem eerier. He could almost see the preturbed and furious faces of his father and brother, glaring at him through flamed eyes. And when he was certain that he had their attention, Niles spoke softly and slowly. "Has anyone seen Daphne?"
"She's around here somewhere, Niles. She's probably in her room reading one of those dumb romance novels that she always has her nose in!"
Nile was appalled at his older brother's insensitivity, and he had a right mind to say something that he knew he'd regret. The last thing that he wanted was for Roz to find out about his feelings for Daphne. He'd never be able to deal with Roz's reaction, not to mention the ridicule of which he'd be the brink of.
"Fine, I'll go and look for her." He stated, not caring what anyone thought.
He grasped the flashlight in his hand once again and then as slowly and as carefully as possible, he crept into the hallway and began looking for his angel. He moved discreetly, keeping the flashlightt low, nearly tripping over Eddie in the process. The beam moved across the plush carpet and when he'd found the door his heart beat faster. He'd finally reached Daphne's room.
He knocked quietly, listening for soft sounds of footsteps. But there was only silence. He tried again, a bit louder, but he was once again met with silence.
The flashlight trembled in his hand as he found the doorknob and turned it slowly, thrusting the door open. It was wrong to invade her personal space like this. He'd done it before, with disaterous results. Nervousness washed over him as he entered the room, moving the flashlight around. Perhaps he would find her, lying on her bed, reading a romance novel, as Frasier so harshly suggested. It was true that Niles always found the books silly. After all they were nothing more than fairy tales as far as he was concerned, but the idea that Daphne read them to fill a void of romantic love in her life pained him. If only she knew that someone loved her... someone who was not a character in a beloved romance novel.
That thought... that one simple (and perhaps ridiculous) thought worried him to the core. Her room, as he was beginning to realize, was empty. If she wasn't here, then...
The worry within him increased and he tried to rid himself of the fear that consumed him as he moved round the darkness. But the effort was pointless.
Tears filled his eyes and he made no effort to brush them away. He had to find Daphne. He simply had to. He couldn't live without her. Even if she had no idea.
