Daphne awoke with a jolt; her heart thundering beneath her chest. Her mouth was dry and her cheek was throbbing so badly she could hardly bear it.

Breathing was nearly impossible as she took several deep breaths, finding it difficult to do so. The blood rushed to her head and she was hit with a dizzy spell unlike any other she'd ever imagined.

Darkness surrounded her becoming deeper and deeper and her churning stomach wasn't helping at all.

Oh God, why had she interrupted Niles wedding? He deserved his happiness and Mel was the one who made him happy, not Daphne.

At once, nausea began to surround her and she clutched her stomach in agony.

Her vision blurred and she slumped against the wall, clutching her stomach. When her eyes closed, she once again pictured Niles kissing Mel, and the tears came one right after the other, taking precedence over the waves of nausea that claimed her stomach.

"I'm back, my angel."

She waited for the sound of Mel's shrill voice, beckoning him to come closer, but none came. And minutes later she was only faintly aware of two strong arms lifting her off the ground. She clung to the figure, burying her head in his chest until she was gently placed on something soft... the sofa perhaps?

"Daphne, what's wrong?"

She recognized the voice instantly. It was him... the man she loved with all of her heart. She tried to speak but the words wouldn't come. But when the question was asked again, she forced her mouth to move.

"Ni...les..."

And then he was gone, like a beautiful dream shattered in one brief moment.

"Niles... Come back..." She said weakly.

The gentle hand brushed against her face, bringing with it a cool sensation. Something damp... a towel perhaps? The object moved slowly across her face, becoming even gentler as it reached her cheek, but slightly more pressured against her forehead.

"Niles..." She moaned.

"I'm here my love. It's all right..."

"Niles..."

When she tried to sit up, the gentle hand coaxed her back onto the sofa, stroking her hair. His handsome face blurred even further when he moved closer and softly kissed her forehead.

"Just rest..." He whispered.

"But-."

"I'll be right back. I'm just going into the kitchen."

"No... Stay here... Don't leave..."

He sighed deeply. "Daphne..."

"Please don't marry Mel... Please..."

He froze in the doorway of the kitchen and was by her side in an instant. Very gently knelt beside her and put his arm around her, but at his touch she began to whimper.

"Please, Niles... Please..."

"Sweetheart, what's happened?"

"Niles... Please... Love me..."

"Oh my angel... I do love you... so much... more than words can say..."

"Love me... please... Love..."

When he touched her tender cheek she flinched and her eyes fluttered open.

"Niles?"

"Yes, my sweet angel. It's me."

Slowly she sat up and tried to focus on her surroundings. And when Niles handsome face came into view, her hand flew to her mouth and she burst into tears.

"Daphne, Daphne..." He said, sitting down beside her. Despite her trembling body, she melted against him, sobbing into his chest.

"Oh Niles..."

He held her for a long, long time... so long in fact, that she had no idea how much time had passed until she was finally calm. But even then, her arm curled around his shoulder, drawing him as close as humanly possible. She could feel his slender fingertips as they moved through her hair and then his lips, kissing the silky strands.

"It's all right. I'm here..."

When she was certain that she had no tears left, she raised her head and looked at him tearfully.

"What happened?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing." He said, giving her a concerned smile that faded quickly.

"I... I saw... You and Mel... You... were asking her to forgive you... to marry you... you don't love me... and... She was so cruel... the things she said about me... Oh Niles... I'm so sorry!"

Once more she found herself wrapped in his embrace, and her body pressed against his so closely that in her state of dissolution she was sure that she heard his heart beating.

But that was impossible, wasn't it?

"Niles..."

"It's all right, my love. It was just a bad dream... God, now I wish I had never left you. Damn... All that time I spent trying to reason with that... that... woman..."

"Mel..."

"Yes. Damn her... I can't believe that I almost..."

"What?"

He sighed deeply and were she not so tired and weak, she would have surely known what he meant. But as it were, she had no clue.

"I almost married her." Niles said, answering her unspoken question as though he'd read her mind.

"I'm sorry..."

He kissed her lips, and the touch was like nothing she'd ever felt before. She gave into the kiss, deepening it quicker than she intended.

"Daphne... Please don't apologize."

"But that horrible woman... I can't imagine what she put you through! Did she hurt you?"

He swallowed hard and the words he didn't say resonated throughout the living room. And that's when she noticed the bruise on his eye. The sight of his injured face caused her to gasp in shock and she rose from the sofa, nearly losing her balance.

"Come on, Daphne. It's all right. Just sit down..."

But she made her way toward the kitchen, aware of his arm around her.

"All right, but go slowly."

When they reached the kitchen, she paused at the refrigerator and removed the ice pack.

"Come on, Sweetheart."

His arm still around her, they returned to the sofa where she encouraged him to sit down. Gently she put the ice pack over his eye, which was quickly turning purple.

"What happened?"

There was a long pause before he answered. "Well... Let's just say that Mel wasn't satisfied with my explanation of why I decided not to go through with the wedding."

Daphne's hand trembled as she slowly moved the ice pack and gently kissed his cheek.

"I'm so sorry... I love you so much and... This was Roz's idea, I swear! I never meant to hurt you... I just... "

The sobs returned, choking her voice and she was painfully aware of his gentle hand rubbing her back in a circular motion as he tried his best to calm her.

But she couldn't seem to stop. "I- wasn't going to go to your wedding at all, but you were so happy to see me and so sweet. I wanted to support you because... You're me friend and you've done so much for me that I... wanted to be there for you."

"And I appreciate it more than you know."

The sweet words only served to make her cry harder.

"But when I saw you, standing there with her... I couldn't help meself. I had to say something... because if I didn't... Oh God..."

He pulled her into his arms once more, moving back and forth as she cried onto his expensive dress shirt.

"I-I didn't mean to ruin your life. I just wanted you to love me..."

He stroked her hair, and his eyes were filled with more love than she ever thought a person could hold.

"I love you so much, Daphne. And had I married Mel, I would have never known how you felt about me. When you said those words to me, I was happier than I ever dreamed. You... didn't ruin anything, my love. Far from it. My life is a thousand times richer because you're in it. Because I had the pleasure of meeting you right here in this living room."

As filled her eyes, he brushed them away before they could reach the bridge of her nose.

"And since that time..." He continued, "I dreamed every night that you would come to me and say that you love me. Perhaps it was wrong, thinking about such a goddess and an angel when I was married to someone else and then later engaged to another. But somewhere, deep inside of me, I hoped and prayed that my dreams would come true. And they have, Daphne. Because of you."

Once more his face was blurred by her tears and when she reached out to touch his cheek, she found that it was damp with tears; tears that she couldn't resist kissing away.

"I love you..." She whispered.

The kisses that followed were passionate and urgent, filled with memories of so many years spent getting to know one another and perhaps unbeknownst to either of them, falling deeply in love.

They were so drawn to one another that neither of them noticed when the door opened. Nor did they notice the surprised glances they received or the looks on the two men's faces.

All they cared about was one another and how their love was so long in coming.

But had they been even slightly less in love, they would have seen the smiles that appeared on the faces as they watched the happy couple embracing and kissing.

"Would you look at that?" Martin said with a chuckle.

Frasier crossed his arms, unable to stop looking at his brother and the woman that Niles loved so deeply.

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it."

"It was Roz who persuaded Daphne to go to the wedding right?"

"Amazingly yes. And that reminds me."

"What's that, Fras?"

"First thing Monday morning, I'm going straight to the station manager and demand that Roz get a raise. She's done an extraordinary thing."

"She sure has." Martin said.

"Maybe we should take them out to dinner. You know, to celebrate and get their minds off of things. They deserve it."

"They sure do." Martin agreed. His son and the woman he thought of as a daughter had stopped kissing and were now holding each other, oblivious to the fact that they weren't alone. "But maybe we should wait and take them to dinner tomorrow night. It looks like they've already stared celebrating without us. And that's the way it should be."

"You're absolutely right, Dad. Let's go into my bedroom and see if there's a good movie on. You know, I think there's a Jean Claude Van Damme movie scheduled to air."

Martin's eyes lit up. "Really? Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

They walked into the hallway and as Martin made his way to Frasier's room; his eldest son paused and turned around.

As quietly as possible, he returned to the living room and made himself a drink. When he turned around, he smiled at the sight before him.

Niles and Daphne were still on the sofa, wrapped in each other's arms, sound asleep.

Almost as an afterthought, he grabbed the blanket from the ottoman and unfolded it, laying it gently across his brother and the woman Niles loved so deeply.

For a moment, he stared at them, strangely jealous of what they shared.

"Well Niles, this morning when I woke up, I was sure that your wedding day was going to be the happiest day of your life. And I'm so glad that I was right."

THE END

A/N: For those of you who have been reading this story from the beginning, thank you. That being said, the synopsis for this story was originally very different and I only realized that I had veered off into a completely different direction after I posted the final chapter. I think the end result is better than I intended, even though it made for a much shorter story. I have also changed the synopsis to better fit the premise of the story, as well as a few minor details in chapters 4-6. Hope I haven't caused any confusion by doing so. Please review if you feel so inclined. All comments are always appreciated!