They walked hand in hand, following the path that she'd taken to get to the restaurant. They crossed the street and then turned left, making their way to his building with the blue awning. When they reached the front door, he turned to her.

"So where-."

She smiled. "Me luggage? The doorman has it. That is what you were going to ask, wasn't it?"

Her comment made him laugh. "Ah… I… yes, actually."

When they reached the doorman, Daphne recognized him from before. And she was pleased to see that he recognized her too.

Ron smiled at her. "Ah, Miss Daphne, I see that you found Dr. Crane."

Daphne hugged Niles, unable to stop smiling, despite herself. "I certainly did. And I really appreciate your help, Ron."

Niles handed Ron a twenty dollar bill. "Yes, thank you, Ron."

Amazingly, Ron seemed hesitant to take Niles' money. "I-." When he tried to return the bill, Niles gently pushed it away.

"Keep it, Ron. I insist. It's the least I can do."

Ron still seemed uneasy but then he smiled. "Well, all right. Thank you, Dr. Crane. This means a lot to me."

"I can't thank you enough for telling Daphne where to find me. This is…. Such a wonderful surprise."

Daphne blushed once more. The attention and compliments that she didn't deserve were almost too much. "I'll just take these bags up to my apartment."

But before Daphne could protest and insist that she carry her own bags, Niles picked up her belongings and led her to the elevator. For the first time she took a good long look around the lobby of his building. "This is a beautiful building. Even more so than the Montana."

He nodded. "I agree. When I was researching places online to live, I knew this building was perfect the moment I saw it. But this is even more wonderful than I ever dreamed that it would be. I bought it immediately, without having seen it until I was about to move in. And Rhonda is-."

Daphne's smile disappeared and she started to look away, but she saw Niles' take notice of her unease.

"What's wrong?"

She felt guilty. "I shouldn't say anything because I can see that she's your friend and all, but-."

"Are you talking about Rhonda?"

"I-."

"What happened?"

She was hesitant to answer and she wished that she hadn't said anything at all, even though, ironically, she hadn't said a word. But if she wanted this relationship, if that's what they were calling it, to work out, she had to be completely honest with him. She loved him too much to be anything less. "I'm sorry, Niles. I'm sure that she's very nice, but-."

"Daphne…"

"Well, when I arrived and asked to see you, she seemed kind of… Overprotective."

His eyebrows rose. "Overprotective?"

"I guess suspicious would be a better word. I think she thought that I wanted to hurt you, Niles! You know I would never-."

He drew her into his arms and kissed her. "Of course I know that. And I hope you know that I would never hurt you, Daphne."

"I do…" she said, starting to cry again.

He drew back and brushed the tears from her cheeks. "I'm sorry Daphne. I'm afraid that I'm the one to blame for Rhonda's behavior."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You? But Niles-."

"This building, although wonderful, is even more exclusive than the Elliot Bay Towers or The Montana. They take unannounced visitors very seriously."

She wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. "Niles, I'm sorry. I know I should have called, but-."

"Nonsense. Seeing you standing in the restaurant was the most wonderful surprise of my life. I'll never forget it as long as I live. And hearing you say that you love me…"

She placed her hands flat against his chest and kissed him. "I do love you, Niles Crane. And I'm sorry."

"I do love you, Niles Crane. I'll never stop."

His fingers pressed lightly against her lips. "Come on, let's go upstairs." He whispered.

Seconds after he pushed the call button, the elevator doors opened and they stepped inside. She looked around in amazement. Even the elevator was beautiful. After a surprisingly fast ride (Much faster than the ride to the nineteenth floor of the Elliott Bay Towers), they arrived on the twelfth floor. As soon as the doors opened, she looked around the carpeted hallway in awe. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before.

"Oh my…"

Niles grinned. "I'm down the hall."

Eagerly she followed him down the hallway, her heart filled with excitement. They stopped at the corner and he pulled out a white card from his wallet. To her amazement he slid the card into a slot in the door and turned the knob. Yes, New York was worlds away from Seattle in every sense of the word.

But nothing could have prepared her for when he opened the door. She gasped in wonderment. His apartment was the most incredible thing imaginable. It was much bigger than his apartment at the Montana and surprisingly more modern in style. And yet, his furniture blended perfectly with the décor.

In a daze, she moved about the apartment, taking notice of the carpet, which was a shade of cream so light that it was almost white. A memory of Niles and his brother discussing carpet shades made her smile.

"So what do you think?"

She sighed and wrapped her arms around him. "It's beautiful, Niles. Absolutely wonderful. I love it."

He kissed her then. "I'm glad. Why don't I put your things in your room?"

"All right."

Together they walked down the hallway where two bedrooms were side by side. One was much larger than the other. The larger, she supposed, was most likely his bedroom.

"Which room would you prefer?"

She turned to him in surprise. "I-I thought…"

His face reddened and he grinned shyly. "Oh… O-of course. You-you're welcome to stay with me. I-In my room."

She grinned at his boyishness, hoping that she hadn't made him feel uneasy. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean…. I just… Either room is fine. The smaller room will work."

"Are you sure?"

Suddenly she felt nervous as well, but she tried not to let it show. "Of course I'm sure. I don't want to impose."

"You could never be an imposition."

""Think you, Niles."

As it turned out, the smaller room was more than fine. It was absolutely perfect. It had warm furnishings of cherry wood and a large bed in the center of the room. And when she had her things unpacked, she went to his bedroom to find him.

"Is everything all right?"

"I love it."

Their lips met once more and he smiled. "And I love you."