Daphne could hardly believe she'd just gotten off a plane, and was now back in the air again. The entire flight, she kept wishing Niles were with her. But, of course, if he were, this trip would be unnecessary. It was still unbelievable that he'd taken off like this, all for her. Niles loved her as no man ever had, and for seven years, she'd ignored his feelings. She would regret that as long as she lived.

After landing in Manchester, Daphne's first stop was her father's favorite pub. She remembered when she was a little girl, and her brothers would have to fetch her father from the bar, because he was too drunk to come home.

But none of that mattered now. She'd escaped her family and found a life in Seattle. It was better than she'd ever dreamed possible. Suddenly, she saw him. He was about to walk into the pub, with a very determined look on his face. He hadn't even noticed she was there. "Niles!"

The sound of Daphne's voice made Niles look up. He couldn't believe his eyes. She was here. "Daphne..."

The rest of his sentence was lost, as Daphne's lips were on his. Niles forgot everything, his unsuccessful attempts to find Mr. Moon, how he'd been thrown out of this place for the last three nights, none of it mattered now. All he could think about was the feeling of Daphne's lips on his. It was a reminder of why he loved her so much, as if he needed one.

When the kiss finally ended, Daphne smiled at him. "Your brother told me you were here. I couldn't believe it. I turned right around and got meself a flight here. I love you so much for going to all this trouble, but it isn't necessary."

Niles caressed her cheek. "But it is. You made all my dreams come true when you agreed to become my wife. The least I can do is give you your heart's desire."

"Niles, my heart's desire is you. That's all I want. To spend the rest of my life by your side. The wedding doesn't matter. It's a piece of paper. What matters is what's in our hearts."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to regret this, years from now. You're the most wonderful person I know, and you deserve to have everything you want in life."

Daphne nodded vigorously. "I think this is the most beautiful thing anyone's ever done for me. I love you so much, Niles." She kissed him again.

When the kiss ended, it took Niles several moments to catch his breath. "You've come all this way. Are you sure you wouldn't like to at least see your father? He's right in there." He pointed to the door of the pub.

"It would be nice to see Dad again. And we will. But tonight, the only person I want to see is you."

Niles sighed at the thought. "Does that mean you want to stay here, then?"

Daphne nodded. "I could use a break from Mum. Hawaii wasn't exactly to her liking."

"I'm sorry," Niles said, hanging his head. "I thought maybe a vacation would help you two relax."

"It's all right. All that matters now is that we're together. And maybe, while we're here, I could show you where I grew up. I know this isn't very fancy, but I do have a lot of memories here."

"Why not?" Niles asked, taking her hand. "For the past eight years or so, you've seen my world. I think it's about time I saw yours. This is a long way from Seattle, but Manchester does have one very important thing going for it."

"What's that?"

"You grew up here. It's what made you who you are, so I imagine this place must be pretty special."

Daphne kissed Niles one more time. It didn't really matter if her father came to her wedding or not. She saw now that having her father give her away had been the fantasy of a little girl, something that was far too good to be true. But Niles wasn't, and she could hardly wait to spend the rest of her life with him.

The End