(Niles POV)
Daphne rose from the table and turned to Bebe, Niles, Martin and Frasier. "Well, I smoked for years, but I never got addicted. To this day I can light up a cigarette, toss the pack in the drawer and never give it another thought for months!"
"There's a word for people like you." Bebe said. "What is it? Oh, right… Bitch."
Niles' jaw dropped. "Now just a minute!" He began. "Just because you're having trouble with a… filthy, disgusting habit doesn't mean…" He rose from his chair and stormed into the kitchen, where Daphne had disappeared seconds before.
"Daphne…"
She whirled around, her hand on her chest. "Oh, Dr. Crane… you startled me."
"I'm sorry, I-."
"Did you need something? Some more potatoes, perhaps?"
"No, I'm okay, but-."
"But what?"
He sighed deeply, not really knowing how to begin. Perhaps it was best to just be truthful. "Daphne, I'm sorry that Bebe insulted you."
"What?"
"She shouldn't have called you a… Um…" He couldn't even bring himself to say the word. "Well, anyway, it was rude and uncalled for and… I'm sorry."
Daphne smiled and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Dr. Crane. That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."
"I certainly hope not." Niles said. "Because you should be showered with nice words."
"Aren't you sweet? Thank you."
"Actually I should be thanking you."
"Me? For what?"
"For teaching me about coupons. I never dreamed that tiny pieces of paper could be worth so much money. Although I'm still in the learning stages. I'm not as good at it as
I'd hoped I'd be."
"Oh that's no problem at all. It's easy to fix!"
"It is?"
"Sure! The next time I go to the store, I'll tell you ahead of time and we can go together. How does that sound?"
He gasped, unable to believe what he was hearing. Dare he imagine that she was asking him out on a date? "Wonderful." He managed to say. "And, Daphne… I will have more potatoes."
She grinned. "Coming right up."
As he returned to the living room, his heart was, as always, filled with love.