Chapter 28: Daphne


Daphne busied herself with dusting and straightening up. She hadn't seen Niles for about 2 weeks, and she felt nervous. And guilty about the situation.

I've not been able to give him any sort of answer yet, and now I'm asking him to keep on pretending everything is okay.

She had tried to will herself to have an answer, but none was clear to her yet. Daphne felt like she only just started to sort out her feelings for Niles, and now she had to live with him for who knows how long.

A few days? A few weeks?

Roz told Daphne that she has delivered the message that she didn't want to even acknowledge anything between the two of them. Roz also said Niles understood and was planning to give Daphne that space. This reassured her. Despite everything, despite how hard it must be on Niles, he was willing to allow Daphne to take the time she needed.

I still feel guilty about it though.

Frasier and Martin had returned a couple of hours ago, and mentioned that Niles was on his way. From the sound of things, it seemed like he would be sharing a room with Martin. The door opened. Daphne turned around and saw Niles. He smiled at everyone. If he was nervous or uneasy about staying in the same apartment as Daphne, it didn't show.

"Hello, all. Dad, Frasier; thank you so much for your help today." Frasier had already started pouring a drink.
"Sherry, Niles?"
"Please."

Niles walked across the room towards Frasier, passing Daphne. She was standing near the dining table dusting the statues on the shelf there, watching him. Niles turned to her and smiled, his face giving nothing away.

"Hello, Daphne."

Daphne managed to give a reply that didn't sound entirely stilted.

"Hello, Dr Crane. Get everything sorted?"
"Yes, thank you. I don't think I could have done it without Dad and Frasier." He took his sherry from Frasier, and sipped it. "I just finished meeting with the tenant subleasing my apartment and handed over the keys. At least I'll be saving a bit of money there. My lawyers are bleeding me dry at the moment."

Daphne nodded. He seemed to be handling everything okay, and was acting as natural as he could, like she requested. She relaxed.

Maybe this will be easier than we thought...

"Niles, we've set a cot up in Dad's room. We've also moved your clothes in as well." Frasier gave Niles the lay of the land.
"Thanks again, Dad."
"Oh, no trouble, Son. Happy to help." Martin smiled at his son, before turning his attention back to the TV.

Daphne went back to cleaning. Dusting was somewhat meditative to her, and she was able to tune out a lot of what was going on - drowning out the conversation as she cleaned, lost in her own thoughts. Lately, she had felt like she needed to be wary of how she acted, cautious about not giving anything away. She thought about Niles, and how they acted together before she knew; before they slept together. Niles used to come over to his brother's home all the time, almost a guarantee that he would drop by at some point. Daphne thought of the times they spent together, mentally noting all the little gestures which showed his affection for her; once completely missed, but now glaringly obvious. Niles had always been willing to lend a hand, listen or make her day a little brighter. So many times that they just spent time together alone, relaxed in each other's company. Laughing about some story or another, or sharing a drink or a meal. Until Frasier or Martin returned home, and things became a bit more formal again.

I miss that...

Later, Daphne went to make dinner, announcing it to the household as she crossed the room to the kitchen. Niles was almost immediate in responding.

"Would you like a hand, Daphne?"

A month ago, this would have been a normal request, something she would have happily accepted. Cooking with Niles was fun, and they enjoyed each other's company. But now...

"It's okay Dr Crane, I can manage. You can just relax." He looked slightly disappointed, but hid it well.
"All right, but I insist on cooking tomorrow night."

Daphne hesitated for a moment. She didn't see the harm in accepting, and it would give her a night off.

"Deal."


Several days had passed mostly uneventfully.

Niles, true to his word, didn't try to approach Daphne about their situation, although she was sure it was eating him up inside. Daphne could see it when she looked at him, an almost pained longing behind his eyes. She hated herself for hurting him like that, but Daphne was still feeling so unsure of herself. She had always said she wouldn't get involved with someone married. And four years of treating anything other than platonic friendship with Niles Crane as off limits wasn't easy to overcome. This was a whole new light she was seeing him in, and it was like Daphne was learning who Niles really was for the first time.

Beyond that, Niles offered to help out where he could; taking over the cooking for the most part, or washing up on the nights Daphne cooked. He wanted to help out to return the kindness his family had shown by opening up their home to him. As a result, Niles got underfoot in general, irritating Frasier and Martin unintentionally. It wasn't really through fault of his own, but the lack of space contributed to shortened tempers with his father and brother.

Daphne also noticed that Niles made sure they didn't spend any extended time alone. Previously, Niles would have taken any opportunity for one on one time with Daphne. Now, it was like Niles was actively gauging her comfort, and exiting as discreetly as possible when he could. This was something Daphne appreciated greatly, for good reason. Her intense attraction and lust for Niles hadn't dissipated at all. If anything, it had gotten stronger. Daphne knew her current resolve wouldn't last if she was alone with Niles. Because of this, the most difficult part of living in the same apartment with Niles was at night, when Daphne was alone in bed. That was when her longing for Niles was strongest. Wanting to sneak him away to her room to fulfil her desires, and to return the favour to him. She sometimes found herself just staring at Niles, lost in thought as her mind went over the things she wanted to do with that man. It was distracting, to say the least.

And this was a huge driving force behind her confusion - did Daphne only feel an animalistic lust towards Niles, or was there something deeper. She had hoped by providing distance and time, she would be able to work it out. What she was feeling was unlike anything she had felt before. It didn't feel like the love she was familiar with. But so far, time and distance didn't seem to help matters at all.

If anything, I'm more confused. I want him more than ever.

Daphne wanted to give in and just give Niles an answer. But sex at the moment would just confuse things further.

That afternoon when Frasier and Niles returned home, Niles looked depressed, while Frasier seemed pleased. They had finally found Niles a new apartment.