Don't tell Frasier pt 2

Daphne turned and rushed out of the office , she'd gotten as far as the elevator when Niles caught up with her .

"Daphne stop , please let me explain"

"Look Dr Crane , I don't think it's me you need to be explaining to , what is your brother going to say when this all comes out , have you thought about that ? My God he'll never speak to you again , and that's if you're lucky!"

The elevator doors opened and she got in , Niles followed her .

"Pleases Daphne , you can't tell him , it isn't serious , you know she's only here until the six month research project she's working on is finished , she has none nothing but argue with Frasier since she got here , and I promise you if there was anything lasting between us I'd tell him immediately!"

"Oh I don't know Dr Crane there are some things you just don't do , and sleeping with your brothers ex wife is one of them ."

"I know , I know but it just happened , I just ....."

"Now don't start giving me excuses , how would you feel if the boot was on the other foot , if Dr Crane started an affair with Maris? Huh?"

"I know , Daphne I promise I'll end it just don't tell him!"

"Look when it comes right down to it , it's not up to me to tell him , but if you want my advice you'll tell him before it gets out of hand . I mean are you sure Dr Sternin agrees that it's not serious . I mean what if she doesn't ?. Wait she's ben here 5 months already , how long has this been going on ?"

"Just two weeks , you see it's not serious . I know I'm not in love with her..." Niles looked at Daphne wanting to say , but I am in love with you but instead he said " And I'm pretty sure she has no feelings for me !"

"Well you best hope not , but right now hadn't you best get back up there" Daphne said as she got out of the elevator in the parking garage . Niles watched her walking back to the car until the doors closed and he was on his way back up .

When he got into the office Lilith was sitting at the desk , she'd picked up the books and papers on from the floor and was reading the paper he'd been working on

"This is good" She said "When are you submitting it I don't think I've ever seen a case study of someone with such complex confidence problems that they would cause him to spend six years completely in love with some one they seen every day with out telling them . Where on earth did you find you're research subject ?"

"Well" Niles laughed "you know him quite well actually" He slumped in the big leather chair normally reserved for his patients , and before he knew it he was telling her the whole story . About the number of times he'd come within inches of telling Daphne how he felt , about the Snow ball and Phillis and about the deep resentment he had built up over the years toward Frasier and the way he constantly dismissed his feelings and the way he was always putting him off when he felt ready to tell her . It was like she was his psychiatrist for that short period of time and he felt like a weight had been lifted of his mind , he'd never spoken to anyone about it outside of Frasier and Martin and Martin didn't really count . He told her of how he'd fought to save a marriage he knew was long over because the thought of being alone had so frightened him because it would take away his last good excuse for not telling her and then he would have to admit that really he was just frightened and when it comes down to it why would she want him? Lilith listened and was understanding , they agreed that it was a good idea for them not to see each other again and she'd repeated the words he'd said to her the first night after her argument with Frasier ;

"Never mind you over inflated wind bag brother , do what feels right to you , you know as well as I do that if the roles were reversed he wouldn't be listening to you !"

The two weeks until she was due to leave passed quickly , for Lilith , she checked in with Niles every now and then she knew things weren't going well with Daphne , she hadn't told Frasier but she was virtually ignoring Niles and it was crushing him . She was finishing her packing the morning day before she was due to leave when the phone rang , it was Frasier , he knew she was due to leave and he had some gifts for Freddie , he wondered if she'd come for a drink that night and pick them up he was playing squash with Niles at 6.30 but if she could make it about 8 he'd be back . She accepted , but not to collect presents she decided it was time she and Daphne had a little conversation . She remembered that Thursday was Martin's poker night and as she'd been invited it obviously wasn't to be held at Frasier's. So at 7 she left and headed for the apartment , she went up in the elevator and rang the door bell

"Oh it you." Daphne said answering the door "They're not back yet , Dr Crane told me you weren't coming till 8 , I was planning to be out"

"I'm not here to see Frasier , I'm here because we need to talk"

"I don't think there is anything I want to say to you"

"Well then I think it's time you did some listening" By this time they were both in the Kitchen

"I don't see why I should listen to anything you have to say ! I'm not the one who's been sleeping with my ex husbands brother . What was it some twisted type of payback . You make me sick!"

"Now look here , firstly what Niles and I do is none of your business but the way your treating him now is , do you realise what having you ignore him is doing to him ?"

"Look I don't know what Dr Crane has told you but I used to think he was a man of integrity nd then I find out this and well I'm just not sure I want him in my circle of friends anymore."

"My God woman you are just as blind to his feelings as he said you were , I came here sure that no intelligent woman could be so short sighted but I guess I was wrong ."

"What rubbish are you talking now? His feelings for me ? He obviously has no feelings for me if he was so quick to jump into bed with you" Daphne and Lilith were facing each other now over the kitchen island and they were shouting so loud they didn't hear the door open and Frasier and Niles arrive home from their squash game

"Oh you are so infuriating" Lilith shouted "He didn't feel anything for me just the same way he hasn't felt anything for anyone else including his wife since he laid eyes on you . Do you realise that every romantic mistake he has made over the last six years , including sleeping with me could have been prevented if you'd offered him one grain of hope that you could ever have feelings for him ! He's head over heels in love with you , you fool"

Daphne stood stock still staring at Lilith , "I don't believe you , he didn't look head over heels in love with me when he was doing a little horizontal filing with you when I walked in on you . And another thing , not that it's any of your business but I happen to have pretty strong feelings for him too ,as a matter of fact that's why I was there so late that night , I don't usually make a habit of wondering around office building at 9 o'clock of an evening . But now I don't know what to think !"

In the living room Frasier was staring at Niles

"What's going on?" He asked in measured tones "What I'm getting here is you were having sex with Lilith and were caught by Daphne who is now claiming to have feelings for you like you o for her. Did I get that right?"

"Well yeah" Niles said quietly

"Well congratulations Daphne loves you too , that's great , there's only one thing I'm having a problem with"

"Yes?"

"What the hell were you doing having sex with my ex wife"

Frasier had raised his voice to such a pitch that it stopped the argument in the kitchen and Lilith and Daphne appeared at the door