"Come in," Niles said, smiling at Daphne. "Dinner's nearly ready."

"Hi Niles," she said. "I'm glad you invited me over tonight, things at home have been a bit tense lately."

"Oh, why is that?"

"Well, your brother is still looking for a job, you know, and he's been home all the time, and Mr. Crane is getting a bit tired of it I think. They've been bickering more and more, and I just try to stay out of the middle." She gave an exasperated sigh and sank onto the couch.

Niles made a sympathetic tsk sound and handed her a glass of wine. Sitting beside her, he took a sip from his own glass and asked, "I thought KACL was going to drop the salsa format? Frasier was telling me that their ratings came in quite low."

She shrugged. "He said that to me too, but apparently he heard that the station owner wanted to stick with that format anyway. He came home in a foul mood this afternoon, yelled at Mr. Crane for ten minutes about Eddie running into the balcony door and leaving marks on it, and then turned on me because I didn't put his wine back in order after I dusted the shelf."

"That's terrible," Niles said. "I'll talk to him, it's completely unfair of him to take this out on you. It's certainly not your fault."

"Oh, don't do that," she said, shaking her head. "That'll only make it worse. I can certainly put up with a bit of scolding now and then. Compared to me mother, Doctor Crane is a sweetheart."

"No, I mean it," Niles insisted. "When I was staying with him, I realized how much you do around there. I don't think they appreciate you enough."

She gave him a grateful smile. "You're so kind but please, don't rock the boat. To be honest, I'm a bit worried that he's going to…" Daphne trailed off and fiddled with her glass of wine, frowning down at it.

"Going to what?"

"Well, going to let me go," she admitted. "He's not working, his savings won't last forever, and if he starts trimming the budget a bit, I'll probably be the first to go."

"Daphne, he would never do that," Niles said. He put an arm around her and she leaned into him immediately, resting her head on his shoulder. He took a deep breath of her familiar scent and smiled. "Frasier would be lost without you, and so would Dad. So would I."

She laughed softly. "You? You don't even live there anymore."

"I'd be lost anyway," Niles replied quietly. She didn't say anything, but he could feel her grow still at his side, and his stomach flipped nervously. "Um, well," he said, and hurried to his feet. "I should check on that chicken, excuse me."

He pulled the chicken out of the oven, and made a pleased hum as the rich, garlicky scent wafted up. Daphne opened a cupboard beside him and pulled out plates. She set the table while he carved slices of roast chicken, and then dished up the salad. The grilled potato slices sizzled invitingly when he took the lid off, and the carrots were steamed to perfection.

"This is lovely," Daphne said when they'd sat down to eat. "I did miss your cooking."

"I missed having someone to cook for," Niles replied. "I do enjoy it, but never got much practice at it before."

"Well you must have cooked all the time for Mrs. Crane," Daphne said.

Niles shook his head with a wry smile. "No, the closest I ever got to that was bringing her a bottle of mineral water and a handful of pills."

"Oh." Daphne gave him a sympathetic look, then brightened. "But now you can cook for yourself. It's important to have hobbies like that when you live alone. You and your brother have such good taste and a real appreciation for fine food. I bet you're always trying out new recipes."

"Mmm," Niles said noncommittally, and poured her a little more wine.

"Niles," she said, and he looked up, meeting her concerned gaze. "You do make yourself meals, right?"

"Of course," he said. "Well… usually. Sometimes."

She sighed and shook her head. "I thought so. You're looking too thin. You haven't been sleeping enough either, have you?"

Niles lifted his hands, palms out. "Daphne, please, there's nothing to worry about. I'm perfectly fine. I've only been living here a couple weeks, that's hardly enough time to have an effect anyway."

Daphne gave him a hard, assessing look. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," he replied. His nose gave a warning tickle and he pressed a napkin below it, then gave her a sheepish look. "Well, okay," he admitted. "It is a little hard to get used to sleeping here. The bed is too hard and the walls are too thin and my neighbor Jim seems to be fond of country music at all hours. There's nothing quite like the mournful sound of a banjo at two in the morning."

"Oh, Niles," she said, and patted his hand. "Now listen, I want you to promise you'll take better care of yourself. No skipping meals, and go get some earplugs or something."

"All right," he agreed. "I'll work on it."

"Good." She smiled at him over the rim of her wineglass. "I brought a movie for us to watch, is that all right? I'd just as soon give Doctor Crane time to mellow out a bit before I go home."

"Of course," Niles said. "Stay as long as you like." Stay tonight, and tomorrow, and every day after that.

After they'd had dinner and cleaned up, Daphne put in the movie, which turned out to be Ghost. Niles raised a curious eyebrow at her, and she smiled and shrugged. "I like it," she said. "Call me a hopeless romantic if you want, but I've always had a soft spot for it."

"I've never seen it," Niles said.

"Oh, then you're in for a treat," she assured him. "Better get a box of tissues, this one always makes me cry."

"Okay," he said, a little uncertainly.

Before the movie was even half over, she was curled into his side, his arm around her while she sniffled into a tissue. He rested his cheek on her hair and sighed happily. The steady rhythm of her breathing was soothing, and he found himself dozing, the wine and big dinner making him sleepy. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, they had slid lower on the couch, her back against his chest and her arm tucked under his. Niles smiled and stretched out his legs. Daphne mumbled something and moved with him, her body relaxed and pliant in his arms.

The next time he opened his eyes the credits were rolling, and the soft notes of Unchained Melody filled the room. Daphne was fast asleep, and Niles reached over her for the remote. He turned the TV off, then looked down at her. The apartment was dim, the only light coming from a lamp in the corner, and in the shadows her face was a beautiful, subtle study of curves and lines. He ran careful fingertips over her cheekbone, and tucked a bit of hair behind her ear. Then he pressed a soft kiss to her neck, lingering long enough to taste a faint hint of her skin.

She smiled and sighed in her sleep, and he settled more comfortably against her. With his back against the couch and her pressed close, he felt anchored and present, soothed by the simple nearness of someone he cared about. It had been too long.

Then he closed his eyes and drifted off for the night.

TBC