She expected him to be angry and he had every right to be. After all, barely any time had passed since they'd confessed their love for each other and here she was, carrying on about a man that she was sure she no longer loved. But his eyes, when they met hers, were amazingly sympathetic. It was a sight that made her love him even more.
"What happened?" He was asking now.
She took a deep shuddering breath. "I-I'm not sure. I-I mean one moment Donny and I were just living our lives and the next…" Her voice became breathy, broken and unsteady, but somehow she found the strength to continue.
Niles' hands were soft and warm in hers, the touch of his skin soothing her in the strangest, most wonderful way.
"What happened?" he asked again.
"We had a horrible fight. The worst one I could ever imagine, and it was about nothing, nothing at all. I'm the one who started it, for no reason whatsoever! I-I was upset and… Oh Dr. Crane, I didn't mean the things that I said! I was cruel to Donny but I'm sure that your father must hate me too!"
His eyebrows rose. "Dad? Daphne, no. Dad could never hate you. He loves you!"
She tried to smile at the words that warmed her heart, but she knew that they couldn't possibly be true. How could Mr. Crane love someone who had treated him so cruelly for no reason at all?
"He was so hurt by the things that I said."
"Wait a minute, I thought you had a fight with Donny."
"I-I did... and I should have just... put me anger out of me mind. But when I got over here I had every intention of forgetting all about it. But when I told your father that we needed to do his exercises, he brushed me off. Normally I wouldn't mind, and in fact I'm used to it, but this time I..."
She was quiet for a long time, her mind scrambling to find the right words to go on.
"It was terrible. I never... I was upset with Donny and I should have just… I should have put me anger out of me mind! But no, instead I took it out on your father! If it weren't for him, I wouldn't even be here now! Sure, your father and I have had a million disagreements, but I've never seen him so hurt! I never thought that I was capable of hurting him like that. And quite honestly, I didn't think I could hurt anyone the way I hurt Donny and your father."
"Daphne-."
"I… I just wanted him to do his exercises. I care about him so much!"
He drew her close and kissed her hair. "I'm sorry..." she breathed against his neck.
"It's all right, Daphne. Dad can be… difficult at times."
His words were not at all what she expected to hear. "Please don't blame him! It was my fault! I'm the one who-."
"You're upset about something else, aren't you?"
"No, I..." She wanted to lie, to fabricate the truth, but when she looked into Niles' beautiful sympatric blue eyes; she knew that she couldn't lie, not now and perhaps not ever again. She loved him too much to hurt him. "I-I guess I'm just afraid."
"Of what?"
"Facing Donny again! Things are… Well, they're different now and -."
"Daphne, if you truly love him, and I can see in your eyes that you do, then..." He paused, swallowing hard. "You should go to him."