As soon as Niles awoke, he thought immediately of Daphne. Although he was tired from his night of little sleep, he got dressed as quickly as ever and went in to the kitchen, where Martin was frying bacon. "Mornin' son," he said, leaning on his cane.

"Good morning, Dad."

"Didja get a good night's sleep?"

"Not especially."

"Still thinking about that girl, huh?"

"Well, yes, I was, until I went for a walk and I found her." He leaned against a counter.

"Oh, that's great, Niles."

"Daphne and I are meeting at the pier at noon today."

"For a date?"

"Well...to tell you the truth, I'm not altogether sure. She said there was something she wanted to show me."

"Did she look interested in you?"

"I don't really know. It seemed like she wanted to see me again..."

"Well, I wouldn't worry about it." He took the bacon out of the pan and set it on a plate.

"Of course not," said Niles. Of course, he worried. He had assumed Daphne had wanted to meet with him today, but perhaps she was only being polite. During breakfast, he told Frasier about what had happened and then got lost in troublesome thoughts of her yet again, keeping quiet.

At noon, a cloud cover had surfaced, but Daphne was still waiting by the pier when Niles arrived, a gleaming grin on his face. "Good afternoon, Daphne."

"Hello, Niles. Are you ready?"

"Quite."

"Well, come along then."

"Where are we going?"

"I—it's a little difficult to explain."

"All right, then," said Niles, and they began to walk in silence.

Daphne led him through the resort, alongside the lake and the eventually on a small, rocky path probably used for hiking. He wished he had worn different shoes, but he followed on, not neglecting to notice Daphne's smell and way of walking, as well as the gentle cadence of her breathing. She seemed so mysterious to him, yet perfectly comfortable at the same time. Watching her, he almost felt something sad and dry. Her face to him seemed like a beautifully colored leaf in the fall—vibrant, and yet brittle, hollow, and weak in spirit.

"Here it is," she said, turning a corner and showing Niles where a bronze statue had fallen sideways into a shallow, slow-moving creek. "I was walking around yesterday and I found this. How do you supposed it got here?"

Niles was slightly perplexed. This was definitely a sight, but it wasn't exactly the sight he had been expecting. "I've no idea," he said. "Perhaps it was knocked over by a windstorm."

Daphne laughed. "Look at me, bringing you here when I barely know you! You poor sod." She grabbed his hand and Niles was not quite himself until she let go a few seconds later as they set off again. "It's just that I'm not very good with people these days. I suppose I should get to know you a little bit more. Where are you from?"

"Seattle."

"I lived in Seattle for a little while last year, and then I moved to Redmond. I'm a physical therapist."

"Really?" He said.

"Yes, and I really do like it."

"I'm a psychiatrist."

"I suppose I should have known you were a doctor, judging by those fancy shoes."

She gave him a look that made his heart simmer. "Yes, well..."

"I don't mean to be rude, or anything, I just..."

"Of course not," he said.

Again, there was silence. Niles scolded himself silently.

It began to rain, suddenly, and they began to run as it came down harder. Without warning, Daphne stopped. Niles was convinced his shoes were ruined, and his clothes weren't far behind if he didn't get inside soon. Daphne closed her eyes and stood there for a minute, her flawless brown hair beginning to drip. He stopped too, watching her, not concerned about his clothing all of a sudden.

"I'm sorry!" She yelled. "You should go back on home, Niles."

"It's all right!" He yelled back. She held her hand out and the water slipped through her fingers, and he marveled at her. How could any one thing in the entire universe possibly be so beautiful?

She began to run, and he did his best to keep up with her. They ran back to Niles' cabin, which came first on their way. As he came in through the back door, he kept eyes on her, standing there without a care in the world, dripping wet. At the last minute, Niles yelled, "When should we meet again?"

"Tomorrow!" She said. "I'll come here tomorrow morning!"

She didn't say when, but Niles didn't care.

As he closed the door, Martin was ready to fire a comment. "Woah, you are wet. I guess whatever that girl wanted to show you was outside, huh?"

"Yes, Dad," he said, taking off his shoes and socks.

Frasier walked in. "My goodness, Niles! Your calfskin loafers!"

"I know, I know," he said flatly. The last hour hadn't really sunken in yet. Silently, he shut the door to his room and changed his clothes, thinking with every movement of Daphne, and seeing her over and over again in the rain.

She was like no woman he had ever fallen for.