At the sound of the door opening, Niles whirled around to find himself looking at a breathtaking sight. His mouth fell open and it took every ounce of strength that he had inside of him not to take the vision into his arms and ravish her right then and there. But even if he'd wanted to (and oh, how he wanted to), his feet simply wouldn't move.
He was completely frozen, captivated, mesmerized by the sight of her.
"Daphne…"
She looked down at her floral dress; it was one that he'd never seen before, with a cream background and tiny blue and yellow flowers. And when her eyes returned to his, her beautiful smile faded, like a flower closing for the winter. "Oh, I didn't realize…"
"Realize what? God, Daphne, you look…."
Her smile returned and she went to him, her fingers lightly touching his cheek. "You look so handsome."
His cheek burned, but he couldn't tell whether it was from her touch or from the compliment and he covered her hand with his, moving his head slightly to kiss her fingers.
"Thank you, Daphne."
"Perhaps I should change me clothes."
The suggested surprised him. "What? Why? No, don't do that. Please don't change your clothes. Wh-why would you-."
"Because you look so handsome in your blue blazer and khaki pants; you always have. And I'm just-."
He took her into his arms and kissed her in much the same way that he'd kissed her earlier. And once again the kiss left them both dizzy. But this time he kept his hands firmly around her, not about to let her fall. "You're stunning Daphne. You're absolutely beautiful. A vision. I've never seen anything more beautiful in my life."
She laughed melodically. "Niles, you always say things like that!"
His lips met hers. "Because it's always true."
Now it was she who blushed. "Niles…"
He took her hand in his and caressed it. "Come with me, my love. There's something I want to show you."
Together they walked to the living room where he removed her coat from the coat rack and then slipped on his own coat. "It might be a bit chilly."
"Niles, where are we going?"
He smiled and kissed her softly. "You'll see."
The elevator doors opened and they stepped inside, sharing more sweet, passionate kisses as they were whisked to the top floor. The doors opened revealing the entry to the rooftop and his heart pounded with eagerness. He grasped her fingers in his. This was the moment he'd been waiting for.
They walked out onto the brick-tiled rooftop, the one that was much more elaborate than Frasier's balcony at the Elliott Bay Towers (Although that particular rooftop held fond memories of its own. And as soon as they moved to the center of the rooftop, Daphne gasped. "Oh Niles, what have you done?"
He smiled in satisfaction, for everything was just the way he'd imagined it to be. George was sure to get an extra-special tip for all of his hard work and he made a mental note to do something special for his dad, his father and for Roz. They'd all done so much more than he could have ever imagined. He was so deep in thought that he barely noticed the soft pair of lips against his cheek and the warm breath in his ear. "Niles, did you hear me?" She whispered. "What is all of this?"
He took in the sight before him; the tiny white lights were strung across the rooftop, softly illuminating a table adorned with candles and a crisp white tablecloth. And the aroma of the carefully prepared food wafted under his nose.
"Dinner is served." He said, escorting Daphne to the table. "May I?"
She smiled and nodded. "Yes, please. Thank you."
When she was seated, her cloth napkin in her lap, he poured her some wine and then sat down opposite her. Almost on cue, Henri, the waiter from one of his favorite restaurants, Chez Henri appeared with a large tray. "Here you are, Dr. and Mrs. Crane."
"Oh, that smells wonderful." Daphne said.
As soon as they were served, they both began devouring their dinner. "Oh, Niles this is delicious. I know you're a wonderful cook, but I didn't realize that you could make things like this."
His smile disappeared and he felt a little unease. "I-I'm sorry Daphne. This is catered from Chez Henri. Y-you don't mind do you?"
She stood and went to him, softly kissing his lips. "Niles, sweetheart, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Of course it's all right. It's wonderful but what's the occasion?"
He smiled, watching her return to her seat and poured her another glass of wine. "I propose a toast."
"All right. What shall we toast to?"
"To us, and the most wonderful three-hundred and sixty five days of my life."
"Niles, it's not our anniversary today. Our anniversary is-."
"In May, I know. But tonight is very special to me, Daphne. And I did all of this for you to say I'm sorry. I am sorry, Daphne. Truly and deeply sorry. I hope you can forgive me."
She was looking at him in confusion and he knew that he should explain. But at that moment, all he wanted to do was cry.
A/N: Thank you for reading Ch 3. Reviews are appreciated.
