"Good news, Frasier!" Niles called out as he hurried to the street corner in front of the Monorail station. "A cab should be here in less than five minutes…Frasier?"

The street corner was empty save for a couple of loitering teenagers, a girl and a boy, who were lounging against a light pole. But Frasier would never…Niles looked up and down the street, but his big brother was nowhere in sight.

He turned to the boy. "Excuse me, did you see a man in an Armani suit around here?"

"A what kind of suit?" the kid drawled, and then thought for a moment. "Well, I did see some balding geezer in a suit get into a cab five minutes ago."

Must have been Frasier, Niles thought angrily.

"Do you happen to know where he was heading?"

The boy shrugged. "Nuh-uh."

The girl next to him spoke up politely.

"I heard him tell the driver to go to the Space Needle."

"Thanks," Niles answered. "You've been very helpful."

He walked away to find a quiet place to think about his next move—and to process what had just happened. It was an outrage! Frasier was so obsessed over his "special day" that he would leave his little brother alone, defenseless, and without a penny on him. A fury Niles had never felt before overtook him. Of all the selfish things Frasier had done, this was the worst. Oh, he couldn't wait to tell Frasier what he thought. Well, he thought with a smirk, their dad would certainly have a lot to say, too. But now for the problem at hand…

What to do? Niles very well couldn't walk to the Space Needle, or home. He'd also need to filr a report for his stolen wallet.

There was only one choice left: to hail a cab and hope that the driver would take Niles to the Space Needle if Niles promised to pay him back. It was obvious that Frasier had been granted the same courtesy. Niles knew Martin would help him out after learning what Frasier had done.

Eerily, a cab approached at that very. Niles leapt forward, signaling wildly.

The cab pulled to a stop.

"Late for an important date?" the woman driver said.

"Yes," he panted. "Listen, I need to go to the Space Needle. My wallet got stolen and my family's there, they can help me out and I'll pay you back."

"Nice try," the woman said with a smirk. "I'm not a charity. Do you realize what a profit I'm making today? It seems everyone wants a ride because of Frasier Crane Day. You want a ride, sir?"

Her last words were spoken to a distinguished gentleman who immediately presented a wad of cash.

"Yes, and as fast as safely possible. Dr. Crane will be speaking at any moment!"

The passenger side door slammed and the driver peeled away from the curb.

Just fantastic. Was there no getting away from Frasier's fame?

Niles dug around desperately in his pockets, hoping to find cash he might have forgotten, to no avail. For a moment he was tempted to ask someone for help, but immediately pushed that idea away. He'd wait until midnight before he went so far as to beg—especially after robbing that poor homeless man, which had gone against all his ethics. Damn it, why was he always listening to Frasier?

As he dug around, his hand brushed against a small plastic object—his cell phone!

Niles groaned. Why had he forgotten he still had his phone? All of this could have been avoided…

Glancing briefly at his watch, Niles determined that Frasier must be speaking by now, completely forgetting about him as he basked in the adoration of the crowd.

Well, if Frasier would do something like leaving a family member stranded, Niles felt no obligation to attend the celebration.

Niles dialed the number of his office, where he spoke to Mrs. Woodson, his secretary, and asked her to send a cab, paying with the emergency cash he had in a safe, the combination of which he shared only with her.

"And a generous tip," he added.

When the cab finally appeared, Niles felt as if he'd never been so relieved in his life.

"Where to?" the driver inquired.

"To the Spa—to the Montana," Niles amended, and gave the address for the exclusive apartment complex.

Forget Frasier. It was obvious that his precious "Frasier Crane Day" was more important than his own flesh and blood.

(to be continued)

A/N: this is actually going to be longer than I anticipated. However it's easier to post this as a new chapter than to make it a separate story.