Breathtaking didn't even begin to describe it.
Niles gave Daphne the grand tour of his cottage - which in her opinion bordered on mansion-like. From the living room with the grandiose fireplace, to the master bedroom with an almost panoramic view of the evening sky, and the wine cellar suited for hundreds of bottles of wine, the place was nothing short of spectacular. And just when she thought there couldn't possibly be any more rooms, Niles managed to surprise her with two others. Then came the room that he thought was the most impressive of all: the kitchen. It was filled with state of the art appliances, porcelain countertops and an oven that even the best of homes and restaurant would be envious of. A chef's dream, as Daphne put it.
But they were also starving so they decided on getting that out of the way before doing any more exploring. Daphne's Sheppard's pie - a favorite of her employer's - was on the menu. Niles might like it, she thought. Most Americans grimaced at the mere mention of English cuisine, but as Niles had proven before, he was more open-minded than he appeared to be.
Later that evening while they cleaned up after dinner, Daphne observed Niles as he washed the dishes in a quiet, pensive state. "What are you thinking about?"
He hadn't even noticed she'd been watching him. "Just how perfect this weekend will be. You and me here, now." He sighed, looking around the kitchen, out the window and back at her. "I fell in love with this place the moment Maris and I saw it in a real estate magazine."
"Did you come here often?"
"We'd visit at least once a year. I wanted to come more often - at least every other weekend - but Maris... Well-"
"We don't have to talk about your ex-wife if you don't want to. This is our weekend and she's part of the past."
Niles smiled and took Daphne's hand. "You're right, and I'd like to show you something." They walked hand in hand up the stairs, down the corridor and to the master bedroom. As they walked in, she made sure to point out they had been in there before. Unless she had missed something, there was nothing much to see. Then Niles started running around the room, turning off every lamp until they were shrouded in pitch black darkness.
"Niles, what exactly are you doing?" He didn't say a word. Instead he took her hand, leading her to what she assumed was a window - it was similar to the one he'd shown her before with the breathtaking view of the sunset. Drawing the curtains, he revealed a glass sliding door and a balcony that overlooked the lake.
Daphne's eyes widened in awe as she stepped out. "This is breathtaking," she gasped. "How come I didn't notice it before?"
Niles walked up behind her, inhaling the aroma of her hair, and wrapped his arms around her. "I wanted to surprise you so I closed the curtains." Kissing her neck, he added, "I knew you'd love it."
They stood on the balcony, swaying from side to side, dancing to a tune only they could hear. Daphne played with the crescent moon pendant that hung around her neck, while her free hand caressed Niles' cheek. From time to time he would trail kisses from her ear to her neck, noticing the sparkling diamond at the center of the pendant.
"You know, Daphne, I have another surprise for you. Wait right here." He reluctantly let go of her and walked out of the room. Daphne leaned up against the banister, breathing in the fresh air that only a secluded cottage in the middle of the forest could provide. She loved living in the city - it was freeing in a way - but every once in a while a little peace and quiet with the person she loved most went a long way. Closing her eyes for a moment, she listened. She could hear crickets chirping in the distance, reminding her of a childhood game she and Stephen used to play during warm spring nights.
They would leave home around dusk with a glass jar in hand, and walked a short distance to a large field. Nearly every blade of grass had a cricket resting and chirping away the song of the night. Daphne and Stephen's mission: capture as many as they could in the jar, bring them home, place them in Simon's bed and scare the living hell out of him.
It wasn't as if he didn't deserve it. He was constantly wrecking Daphne's toys and playing practical jokes on her. Stephen would have none of it, though. He was fiercely protective of his little sister and he always found a way to make Simon pay for Daphne's tears. One of the reasons why he was her favorite brother. Good old Stephen.
Whenever those memories surfaced, they always made her smile but they also made her homesick. Seattle was her home now and the view from the balcony made her want to stay in that cottage just a little bit longer. She sighed contently. Perfect.
Niles walked into the room, mesmerized by the silhouette standing on his balcony. But he couldn't just stand there gawking. Closing the door louder than he was accustomed to, Niles made his presence known. She turned around flashing that radiant smile of hers.
"Where'd you go off to?" she asked.
Niles kept the grey velvet box hidden behind his back. "To get your surprise," he replied. "Close your eyes." And so she did. Niles, taking her hand, opened the box and placed it on her palm. "You can open them now."
Daphne opened her eyes looking down at the box, at Niles, then back at the box. "Niles, what is this?" Inside was an elegant tear drop shaped pendant with her birthstone set in the center surrounded by tiny circular diamonds. Her eyes began to well up. "It's beautiful."
"Allow me." He took the precious gift and placed it around her neck. "There," he said. "It looks stunning." Daphne threw her arms around his neck, letting her actions speak louder than words. They stumbled inside for the first of three memorable nights in his cottage.
OooooOooooOooooO
"I can't believe it's Sunday night already." They were sitting on the porch swing. "This weekend has been incredible, Niles."
"It sure has, my love." There was something he'd been meaning to ask since the first day he saw her again. He figured now was as good a time as ever. "Why did you keep that necklace all those years?"
"Perhaps I should start from the time you left." He nodded and she took a deep breath. "I was also devastated by what I had done. But I never forgot about you, or wanted to, because you meant so much to me." Daphne reached for her necklace. "This felt like a part of you was still with me, especially when..."
"When what?"
Daphne had no idea how Niles would react to what she was about to say. "I had a bit of a... scare." There. That wasn't too hard.
"What kind of scare?" He asked, clearly unaware of what she meant.
"Pregnancy scare."
If he had been standing, Niles would have fainted. "H-h-how? I m-m-mean I know h-how but-"
"A little over a month after you left and we slept together, I- I was 'running' late, really late if you get my meaning." His breathing became shallow and she hoped he wouldn't pass out or have an anxiety attack like the one he had in Mrs. Berlington's apartment. "Niles, are you sure you can handle the rest?"
"I'm fine." He wasn't. "Go on."
"Well, I bought a pregnancy test and..." She could see him holding his breath. "It came out positive." Niles began to full on hyperventilate. Perhaps she should've waited until they were back in the city, but she had already opened her mouth. "Niles, try to stay calm."
"What happened?" he asked gasping for air. Fortunately they had plenty of it. And fresh, no less.
"I was as shocked as you are right now and I couldn't, wouldn't, believe it. I never forgot to take my pill... but with everything going through my head - your leaving and all that - I had forgotten to take it that morning. And then we..."
"What did you do?" He needed to know more.
"I guess I must've been in denial because after buying a second test - which came out iffy - I made a doctor's appointment. I needed to know one way or another."
"And?"
"I wasn't." Immediate relief spread across his face. "Turned out to be stress that was... delaying things."
"But Daphne, why didn't you call me? I left you my contact information."
She'd been dreading that question as well. "I was going to," she began. "But I didn't see the point of worrying you when I wasn't sure myself."
Niles let out a long exasperated breath. "What if you had been pregnant?"
Daphne shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know."
His jaw fell open in outrage. "Would you have at least called me at some point to let me know?"
"Niles, you were thousands of miles away," she countered. "You had this career ahead of you. What would you have done if I had called you and said, 'Hey Niles, I'm pregnant. You're the father'?"
The answer came easily. "Boarded the first plane back to England to be by your side."
"Then what?"
"I know it sounds old-fashioned but I would have asked you to marry me."
"At 23? What about your career?"
"Daphne, I loved you then as much as I do now." Niles faced Daphne and placed his hand over her flat belly. "If you had been pregnant, our child would've come first. The rest wouldn't have mattered; my career could have waited."
"I wouldn't have let you do that." She removed his hand from her belly and took it her warm hands. "Even if it was only temporarily."
He sighed. "This would've been our child and I wasn't going to desert you. Never."
Daphne sighed, tilting her head back and looking up at the cloudy sky. Now, more than ever she was sure of her love for this man. He would do anything for her. Turning back to Niles, she said, "Well, I wasn't pregnant after all." She wrapped her arms around him and they held each other close. "But I'm glad you would've been there for me."
"For you my angel, always."
A/N: What do you think of this little revelation? Oh, and enjoy the fluff while it last ;) R&R PLEASE :)