Tears blurred the sweet words he'd written as they fell onto the blue stationery and just when she was about to return the letter to its envelope, something fell out, fluttering to her feet. She leaned to retrieve it, bringing more tears at the sight.
It was a photo; taken when they had arrived back at Frasier's on the day she was to have married Donny. Daphne was still in her wedding dress and Niles, in his dark suit and gold tie, was incredibly handsome. They looked, ironically, every bit the married couple. Despite the guilt she felt over leaving Donny at the altar, it was the happiest moment of her life.
She was sobbing now, no longer caring about the reactions of the passengers around her, although she was surprised at how restless they seemed. It was then that she realized that the plane had yet to take off. And suddenly a voice sounded over the PA.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the captain regrets to inform you that due to the heavy snow and low visibility, this flight has been canceled and will be grounded until further notice. Please gather your belongings and make your way into the terminal. The airline will assist you in finding another flight and will do so at no cost to you. We apologize for the inconvenience and…"
The flight attendant's voice was drowned out by the shouts of the angry passengers, but Daphne took the opportunity to grab her belongings and pushed her way through the angry crowd and through the tunnel until she found herself back in the terminal. Her eyes moved around the swarms of people who had gathered in the waiting area and she went to find a seat in the back. No sense in trying to do anything now.
But she'd barely set her bags down when she caught a distant glimpse of a blonde haired man. Her heart began to race and she left the empty chair, running to the tiled floor. As if by fate, the crowds parted, revealing the man she loved.
"Niles…"
An expression of astonishment was on his face as he looked up and they ran toward each other, melding together in a tight embrace. Neither of them said a word, and instead held onto each other, each of them crying softly. Oh, how she prayed that this wasn't a dream. She had no idea how he had possibly come to be here, nor did she care. He was there, holding her in his arms, his fingers stroking her hair as they cried against one another.
When they finally parted, he looked at her through worried, pained, tear-filled eyes. "Daphne, I-."
She kissed him with everything she had, relishing the feeling of his lips against hers, saying his name over and over, trying to make the moment real. And when she was breathless from kissing him, she drew back, reaching to brush the tears from his face, while tears of her own were still sliding down her cheeks.
"Don't cry, my darling. Don't cry. It's all right."
Her desperate, whispered words were eclipsed by his lips on her cheeks, her chin, her forehead, her mouth.
"I'm so sorry, Daphne… I'm so sorry…"
"No, it was me, Niles. If I hadn't been late…"
"Daphne, no…"
"But I didn't trust you and I should have! I should have…"
"Daphne, I swear I will never hurt you again as long as I live. I swear it, I-."
Her kisses stopped anything more he might have said and as they made up for lost time, the crowds around them seemed to disappear, leaving them in their own private world.