"Are you sure that there's nothing that I can get you, Dr. Crane?"

He smiled. "Actually now that you mention it, some coffee would be nice."

"Right away, Dr. Crane."

"Let me help you."

"No, I... Just make yourself at home. I won't be long." She smiled, grateful to do something to make him smile, even if it was something she'd done for him a hundred times before.

She retreated into the kitchen and prepared the coffee maker. Within moments, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air. A smile came over her as she reached for a coffee cup and began preparing his coffee. She'd been making his coffee for so long that she knew exactly how he liked it. Cream and one teaspoon of sugar. It wasn't much, but just making his coffee made her feel like she was helping him in some way.

Minutes later she returned to the living room and handed him the steaming cup. As always he accepted it with a warm smile. "Thank you, Daphne."

She returned the smile and put her hand on his shoulder. "It was nice of you to come by. I'm sorry that your brother wasn't able to see you. He's quite upset about Frederick not coming."

"I can't say that I blame him."

His eyes met hers and that feeling came back; the feeling that she was trying so hard to get rid of. But the way he was looking at her made it almost impossible. And truthfully she began to feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. "I-Is something wrong?"

He averted his eyes as though realizing that he'd been caught. "I'm sorry, Daphne. I didn't mean to stare." His eyes moved to the photo albums that were strewn across the coffee table. With a curious expression, he picked up an album and opened it. Daphne drew in a breath, afraid of what seeing those pictures again-the pictures of Disneyland might do to her.

"Ah yes, I remember this quite well." Niles said, smiling as he flipped through the pages.

His comment surprised her. "Really? Oh, I didn't realize that you were there. Your brother made it sound like a trip that was just himself, Frederick and Lilith."

"Yes, that's right." Niles replied. "I wasn't there but believe me, I heard all about it from Freddie. Frasier told me that the moment the cab dropped them off at home that

Freddie ran into the kitchen to call me."

Daphne's heart warmed. "Well, isn't that sweet?"

"Yes, I suppose it was, now that I think about it. Oh, he was so excited! When Frasier told me that he and Lilith were planning on splurging to take Freddie to Disneyland, I was surprised. I mean it's hardly the place that I expected a boy like Frederick to choose but I offered to share in the cost."

Daphne smiled. He really was the sweetest man. "I'm sure your brother appreciated that very much."

"He was grateful of course, but he would have none of it. However, after hearing from Freddie about what a wonderful time they had, I admit that I was a bit jealous that I hadn't joined them."

He chuckled, and then continued to flip through the album pages. "Oh look, there's the famed Sleeping Beauty castle. It was modeled after the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. Did you know that?"

She couldn't stop smiling. "No, I didn't."

"Actually I didn't either come to think of it. Not until Freddie told me. In fact, he told me every detail he could think of about Disneyland."

"That doesn't surprise me."

"We had a wonderful conversation; the best we've ever had! We talked were on the phone for over an hour and it was magical. I immediately sent Frasier the money to cover the expense of the phone call because I knew that the bill was going to be incredibly expensive. It was the least that I could do." His eyes moved back to the photo album. "Oh, there's Lilith standing by Freddy's favorite ride; It's a Small World. And there's Freddy standing next to Mickey Mouse. Who says that Disney doesn't have celebrities, right?"

"It looks like fun." She remarked, glancing at the colorful boats in front of a very whimsical clock that had a smiling face. Behind it, in the same shades of white and gold were buildings that looked like they had been shaken and were now tilted.

Niles looked at the photograph again. "It does, doesn't it?" When he laughed, the sound was like music to Daphne's ears. It had been a long time since she'd heard him laugh in such a manner. He had such a wonderful laugh and she realized how much she'd missed it. "Oh, Frasier had an absolute field day with that ride!" He went on. "He said that there was nothing in the world that could get him on that ride again."

Daphne was baffled. "But why?"

"I don't know." Niles shrugged. "It looks like a sweet little children's ride. And adults could learn something from it too. All of those different countries, cultures, languages."

He continued to talk but her mind began to wander. It wasn't until a few minutes later that she realized that she was now holding the photo album, with no recollection of how it came to be in her hands. She stared at the pictures, unable to tear her eyes away, and barely aware that her friend was still talking.

The colorful, faded pictures had forever captured what must have been a wonderful family vacation. From the way that Lilith and Frasier were smiling, it was impossible to imagine that only a few short years later, their marriage would end bitterly.

But in the photos, Daphne saw something else; something more than just Frederick, Lilith and Frasier. She saw herself. And the childhood dream that had been shattered beyond belief. Her eyes filled with tears and she fought to bite back a sob. But it came a moment too late. She closed the photo album and returned it to the coffee table.

Another sob escaped and she felt Niles' hand on her shoulder.

"Daphne? What is it? What's wrong?"

Ashamed to be crying, she turned to him. "I'm sorry, Dr. Crane. Go on with your story, please."

He hesitated for a moment. "All right, well, as I was saying… Freddy-."

Another sob escaped, and then another. The hot tears unleashed themselves, running in rivers down her cheeks.

As expected he handed her his handkerchief. "Daphne, are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine." She lied. "I-."

Her eyes met his once more and the sight of his them, the eyes that were the same deep blue as Puget Sound on a sunny summer day, made her cry even harder.