They stared at each other for several seconds; lost in each other's eyes. Neither of them said a word but they were both thinking the same thing.
Daringly he brushed the hair from her face and kissed her cheek before drawing her close to him once more.
"Daphne, please don't be afraid. If you want to go home, then by all means I'll take you home right now. But I meant what I said. I'll never let anyone or anything hurt you."
"I'm just so worried!" She said, frantically looking around his car.
"What's wrong? Do you need something? Just say the word and I'll get it for you, anything at all."
"Me documents... what if they're not enough? What if they won't accept them? What if-."
"Come here."
Once more he found himself holding her; the intoxicating scent of her hair making him dizzy. And then an irrational thought followed; one that mirrored her own fears. He was dangerously close to being disoriented and that would certainly not go well with the Custom's officers.
But now he had to focus on keeping Daphne calm and reassuring her that everything will be okay.
He held her hands, squeezing gently and giving her a smile. "Look, you have your work visa, right? And your driver's license and birth certificate, right?"
"Yes, I have all those things in me purse." Daphne replied, pointing to the well worn leather purse that sat on the backseat. It looked like it had gone through much wear and tear.
Niles made a mental note to buy her a new one as soon as possible. He's always meant to but the gesture seemed pointless... until now...
"When we get to the border, just tell the customs agent that you work for Frasier and show him your birth certificate and visa. We'll explain everything."
"But-."
"Daphne I'm here for you and you don't need to worry about a thing. I'll make sure that nothing happens to you. Because..."
He stared at her lips, wondering what it would be like to kiss her again. But she seemed unaware of what had just happened between them and he didn't want anything to ruin that beautiful moment.
"Yes?"
He said nothing and continued to stare at her lips; they looked so soft, warm... beautiful, and...
"Are you all right, Dr. Crane?"
Snapping out of his trance his eyes met hers.
"Yes, I'm fine. We'd better get going. I'd feel terrible if you missed the fireworks."
And they drove on toward the border, as Niles silently reprimanded himself for not being honest with his feelings. But he was determined to tell her how he felt by night's end...
He simply had to know if she felt the same way; even if the truth hurt him more than he could bear.
