She closed her eyes, sighing as she leaned into his embrace.
"Thank you, Dr. Crane."
For several minutes they held each other; neither of them saying a word. And when she laid her head against his chest, she was amazed at how natural it felt.
Reluctantly, she drew back and stared at the dishes. "Well, I'll just get these cleaned up and-."
"That's all right, Daphne."
She smiled at him. He really was the kindest man she'd ever known.
"Dr Crane, you really shouldn't go to all this trouble to help me. I'm perfectly capable of cleaning up the dishes meself."
He stared at her thoughtfully, his blue eyes shining.
"Actually, I was thinking..."
"Yes?"
"Well, considering that you have so much food left, I'd be honored to try some."
Daphne couldn't believe what she was hearing. Dr. Crane hated her food; maybe even more so than his father and brother. It was so unlike him to be so enthusiastic about her cooking.
But the mere thought warmed her heart.
"Dr. Crane, you really don't have to-."
"I want to."
She was unable to hide the smile on her face; nor contain her excitement. "All right. Well, I'll just go warm it up for you and fix you a plate. You just sit down and make yourself comfortable. Would you like some wine?"
"That sounds wonderful."
When she attempted to cross the room to the wine rack he rose from the table to stop her by laying a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Allow me."
He headed for the wine rack, returning minutes later with two glasses and a bottle of white wine. However, one glimpse of the bottle caused Daphne to stop in her tracks.
"Oh..."
"Something wrong?"
"That wine..."
Niles looked at the label and then back to Daphne. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want red wine instead? Or champagne perhaps?"
"No, actually... That's your brother's favorite wine and he's bound to be upset when he sees it's been opened."
At her worried look, he smiled and removed the cork of the bottle. "Don't worry about what Frasier thinks. In all honesty, I don't really care right now."
The comment calmed her more than he could have ever imagined and she smiled warmly. "All right. I won't."
Minutes later, she returned from the kitchen with the stew; piping hot from the oven and sat it down in front of him. Still in disbelief, she watched as he helped himself and then made her a plate.
"Would you like some wine?"
"Yes, thank you but I really don't think-."
"It's my pleasure." Niles said as he poured them a glass of wine.
"Dr Crane, can I ask you something?"
"Certainly, Daphne."
"I'm flattered that you want to taste me cookin, but I thought you said you'd already eaten when you came over."
To her surprise, he blushed deeply. "Um... Well, I had, but when I saw how upset you were over Dad's comments, I hated to see your hard work go to waste."
And when he began to eat her meal, she could tell that he wasn't enjoying it at all. Yet, he continued to devour it until his plate was empty.
He laid his fork on the table and wiped his mouth with his napkin.
"Thank you, Daphne. That was..."
She stared at her own plate which she'd barely touched for looking at him and then rose from the table. "I'll just get these dishes put in the sink."
"I'll help you." He said almost instantly, helping her to carry the dishes into the kitchen. Ignoring her protests, he began to wash the dishes and then put away the leftovers.
"Now..." He said pouring her some more wine. "Why don't we watch that movie?"
The comment took her by surprise.
"Movie?"
"The one you asked Dad to watch with you. I'm appalled that he treated you so badly and then broke his promise."
Daphne sighed, remembering Martin's hurtful comments. "It's all right. I suppose I'm used to watching me romantic movies alone."
"Well, not tonight." Niles said firmly.
"What do you mean?"
With a trembling hand, he reached out and brushed a lock of hair from her face.
"You should never be alone, Daphne."
