Quietly she got dressed and gathered her belongings, taking a moment to straighten Niles' bedroom back to its original state. She looked around, absorbing her surroundings; really absorbing them, for the first time as the room slowly brightened in the morning light. It certainly was a beautiful room, in a masculine sort of way. Everything was neat as a pin. Not that she expected any less. But the sight made her smile just the same.

Even though Niles was downstairs sleeping in the guest room, his presence in this, his bedroom, could be felt everywhere. And again she smiled.

She crept downstairs, moving as quietly as possible. She didn't want to wake him. She'd already caused enough trouble, showing up unannounced in the middle of the night. Niles was a morning person, but he must have been exhausted. He worked so hard and his divorce, although some time had passed, had taken a toll on him. She'd never comment on it of course, not even to his brother or father, but she could see it in his eyes and her heart went out to him.

But as she reached the front door she paused, taking a moment to move toward the guest room. Surprisingly he'd left the door ajar, affording her a small glimpse of him as he slept soundly. Smiling, she blew him a kiss.

"Sweet dreams, Dr. Crane." She whispered.

Careful to remain as quiet as a mouse, she moved toward the front door. A glance at the impressive grandfather clock that stood in the corner was a silent reminder that she really needed to get going. Frasier and Martin were most likely worried about her and it wasn't fair to keep them waiting. She had duties and obligations at home, and she had to remember that.

But suddenly she remembered why she'd come to Niles' in the first place. The thought of facing Sherry again was not something that she wanted to deal with, but there was no other choice. She'd simply have to endure whatever unwanted comments Sherry chose to inflict upon her.

She couldn't hide out at Niles' forever. Even if she wanted to. But the truth was... she wanted to.

But seconds away from leaving the apartment, she paused, feeling remorse. She looked around the vast living room. It simply wasn't right leaving this way. It felt so… abrupt. She considered waking Niles to tell him that she was leaving, but that was out of the question. And so there was only one alternative.

Quietly she dropped her bags to the floor and moved to the kitchen where she found a notepad sitting on the counter. Perfect.

Dear Dr. Crane.

I can't thank you enough for your hospitality last night. I know me visit was unexpected, but I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful friend. Thank you, thank you.

Love and kisses,

Daphne.

Seconds after she'd written it, she realized what she'd done. She'd signed it love and kisses... What was wrong with her? How could she sign a note in such a romantic way? It wasn't a bloody love letter! She knew that she should rewrite it, but there was simply no time. She had to get back home.

The clock struck, indicating that it was forty-five after. She'd best move quickly if she was going to get home in time to do her chores; and that included taking care of Mr. Crane.

But at the last minute, she gathered a few things from the cupboards and the refrigerator and made a quick breakfast, placing it on its own shelf in the huge Sub-Zero refrigerator. It wasn't much, but she hoped that he would take it as a small token of gratitude. On the bottom of the note she wrote;

P.S: Your breakfast is in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf. It's not much but I hope you enjoy it.

As she returned to the living room, she smiled at the sight of Niles' little bird that was fast asleep on her perch. Amazingly Baby was oblivious to the goings on around her. Or perhaps, like her owner, she was simply exhausted.

"Bye, Baby." She whispered. "Goodbye Niles." She added, blowing another kiss toward the guestroom.

And then she quietly slipped out of his apartment. Her overnight stay at Niles was just a memory. And she knew that she would hold that memory in her heart forever. For she feared that things at home would be far less pleasant.