Book in hand; I stared at Daphne wondering if I was in fact still in bed asleep. After all I'd had a terrible; tossing and turning, dreaming of finding the perfect woman, only to have Maris tell me it would never happen.

But it was clear that I was wide awake.

And there was no mistaking what I'd just heard. I knew the words weren't meant for my ears, but I'd heard them, nonetheless.

Still I wanted to be sure. I went to her, careful not to upset her even further. It was apparent that she was distressed over having done something wrong; worried even, that in his anger, my brother would send her to the unemployment line.

Well, that's where she was wrong, because I simply wouldn't allow it.

"Dr. Crane!" She said, staring at me in shock.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you, Daphne. I just came to see Frasier. I guess I shouldn't have let myself in."

She smiled then. "It's all right. I was just... expecting your brother. I suppose now is as good of a time as any to say that I've enjoyed meeting you and I wish you the best of luck. I know you'll find someone to love again."

"I already have." I said without thinking.

"Oh... Well I'm happy for you." She said, clearly on the verge of tears.

Silently I cursed myself. Why did I always manage to upset people? Maybe Maris was right all along.

"Daphne, what has you so upset?" I asked.

She looked away, as though ashamed of what she'd done. "Well, I'm afraid I've done something terrible."

"I hardly think a kind person such as you is capable of doing anything terrible." I said, meaning it with my whole being.

"Thank you, Dr. Crane but your brother will be quite cross with me when he finds out what I've done."

"Frasier can be a bit unreasonable but I know he's quite fond of you, as is Dad."

She blushed, making her soft smile even more beautiful.

"May I ask what you've done that you feel is so terrible."

She hesitated and for a moment I regretted asking the question.

"Daphne, I'm sorry. It's none of my business and-."

"No, it's okay. I'll show you."

Confused, I followed her to the wine rack where she pulled out a bottle of my favorite wine; a 1989 Zinfandel. How in the world had Frasier managed to get such a coveted item? I'd been looking for that for years!

I was about to ask this very question when Daphne began to cry.

Quickly I reached into my suit pocket and handed her my handkerchief.

"Daphne, please don't cry. I can't bear to see you hurting like this."

"I'm sorry Dr. Crane. I'm afraid that your brother will be cross with me when he finds out that I opened his wine without permission! You see, I only wanted a taste of it, and... Well I didn't expect to enjoy it quite so much."

I was so stunned; I didn't know what to say.

"You're probably cross with me as well, and you have every right to be." She said, blotting her eyes and then handing me back my handkerchief.

"Daphne-."

"So I think I'll just get me things and leave. Will you explain things to him?"

"No. You can't leave." I said putting my hand on her forearm.

She sighed. "But he'll be so cross with me! Oh, I knew I should have tried the chardonnay or the mer-low! "

I stared at the label, grinning slightly at the way she correctly pronounced merlot.

"But this one was giving the highest ratings in the wine magazines. Why even Wine for Dummies mentioned it!"

"Wine magazines? But I thought-."

She looked away and then back at me. "I went to the library and researched every wine I could find."

I stared at her in disbelief. "But why?"

"I just wanted us to have something in common." She said quietly.

At that moment I thought I would faint. "You mean... you did this for me?"

"Yes." She said her voice barely a whisper.

I was touched beyond words. Never had a woman with whom I had absolutely nothing in common gone to such great length. The idea that she'd researched wines merely to have an interest to share with me warmed my heart.

"Daphne..." I said. "I-."

"Good morning everyone!"

I turned to find Frasier and Dad walking into the living room. When I returned my gaze to Daphne, the look on her face was one of sheer panic. I gave her what I hoped and prayed was a smile that told her everything would be all right.

"Hey Frasier. Hey Dad!" I said.

"What are you doing here so early, Niles? And more importantly how did you get in here?" Frasier asked.

I reached into my pocket. "Oh, spare key." I said showing him the shiny key he'd given me for emergencies.

"Niles, how many times do I have to tell you? Just call first!" Frasier said.

"Ah, leave him alone, Fras." Martin said. "Hey Niles, you staying for breakfast?"

"Oh, that sounds great." I said, stealing a glance at Daphne who was hurrying like mad to prepare the meal. It seems that my unexpected presence in the kitchen caused her to forget what she'd been doing.

Quickly she handed me a mug. "Here's your coffee, Dr. Crane."

"Thank you Daphne. Do you need some help with anything?"

"No, I can manage quite well, thank you." She said, bringing the other cups and handing them to Frasier and Dad.

I rose to help her but was stopped by my brother's glare. "Niles, if she says she doesn't need any help, then she doesn't need any help, okay?"

Feeling defeated, I sat down.

"Here we are! French toast and eggs for everyone." Daphne said, bringing the plates of food to the table.

"Oh my God, would you look at this?" Dad said in a disgusted voice.

"What's that, Dad?" I asked, feigning interest.

"The Seahawks traded Williams! I can't believe it! They'll never find another player as good as he was! Well, that's just great! Now the season's ruined!"

"And to think that they could have gone to the World Series!" I said, wondering why Dad rolled his eyes.

We ate our meal in silence, and I have to admit that Daphne's cooking was far from the best I'd ever eaten. But I didn't dare show my dissatisfaction.

After what seemed like only a few minutes, breakfast was over.

"Thank you Daphne. That was delicious." Frasier said, rising from his chair.

"You're welcome Dr. Crane, but all I did was pour your oatmeal into your bowl and add some hot water." Daphne explained.

"And you did it brilliantly." Frasier said with a smile.

"Well, I'm done." Dad said. "I'm headin' over to Duke's."

"Now?" Frasier asked.

"Oh sure! He says he wants to show me his new fishing tackle collection. Says its great!"

Again Frasier rolled his eyes. "Sounds great, Dad. I better get going myself. I have a busy day ahead of me. Lots of meetings at the studio before I even go on the air."

"Well I'm off." Dad said. "See you later, Niles."

"Bye, Dad."

"Come on, Niles. I'll walk you out." Frasier said.

I glanced at the beautiful woman beside me. "Actually Dad, I think I'm going to stay here and keep Daphne company. I'm sure she doesn't want to clean the breakfast dishes all by herself."

As expected, Frasier glared at me. "Niles? What are you doing?"

I gave an exasperated sigh. "Must everything I do be construed as a problem? I'm merely keeping Daphne company. We are friends, you know."

"Very well." Frasier said, echoing my sigh.

"Well, Niles I just don't think it's such a good idea." Frasier said.

"It's a great idea! Now come on and let's go!" Dad said, pulling Frasier out the door.

I'd never been more grateful to my father than at that moment.