When her eyes slowly opened, she noticed that the blue sky had faded into darkness. She woke with a start as her heart began to race. The clock beside her bed indicated that it was much later than she had expected.

Oh no… David…

As quickly as possible, she pulled on her robe and dashed out of the master bedroom.

"Mommy's coming, sweetheart!"

By the time she reached the hallway, she was almost in tears, fearing the worst as all new mothers most likely did from time to time. But she doubted that most new mothers neglected their children. She didn't like what she was feeling. She didn't like it at all. Once the decision had been made, she and Niles had tried hard to created a child of their own and the fact that it proved to be difficult pained them to the core. Although she would never admit it to Niles, there were times that she felt that their dream of becoming parents would never come true. The moment they realized that they were finally pregnant was one of the most wonderful moments of her life. And then nine months later, her dream... their dream finally came true. She would never forget the feeling of holding her son for the first time. It didn't matter if they were in a veternarian's office and not in a hospital. They could have been in a jungle and it wouldn't have made her any less happy. David Martin Crane was the most beautiful son that two parents could ask for.

The thought was comforting but only for a moment. How could she have done something so horrible, neglecting her son? It had been hours since she'd left Ronee and Martin's which meant that David was long overdue for a feeding. Her heart pounded as she entered the nursery and she could almost imagine him showing his anger toward her. But that was a ridiculous thought. Still, it did little to quell the pain in her chest. She crept over to his crib and she sighed with relief when she realized he was sound asleep. But she could have sworn that she'd heard him crying. Curious, she checked his diaper, becoming even more confused when she realized he was completely fact that he was all right should have calmed her but as before it did nothing.

She leaned to kiss his cheek. "I love you, sweetheart." When she paused at the door she smiled. But then a picture caught her eye. It was a picture of David and Eddie that Martin had framed for them and given them for Christmas. Eddie was kissing David as he laughed in his grandfarther's arms. That was all it took for her tears to start to flow.

She was still brushing away tears as she returned to the master bedroom. In the darkness she could see the outline of her loving husband under the covers. She climbed into bed beside him and fit her body against his as close as possible. It was difficult to resist the urge to kiss his cheek, and her lips trailed down to his neck. When she reached his mouth, she felt his response as the kiss deepened.

Fully awake, his hands began to explore her body.

"Niles…"

Suddenly she wanted him so badly she could hardly breathe. She didn't ask him why David was sound asleep and content. She knew the reason. Her loving and wonderful husband had taken care of everything, including feeding David his bottle when she had been asleep.

In a completely spontaneous moment, she and Niles made love like never before and as the sky began to turn purple, she lay in his arms, her heart beating against his.

"I don't know what I did to deserve this, but it's wonderful." Niles said. "I-."

She sniffled, causing Niles to raise his head. "Daphne, are you all right?"

"I'm fine." She said, hoping that he wouldn't notice the quivering in her voice.

"You're crying." He whispered kissing her lips.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. What's wrong? Are you still upset about Eddie?"

"No... I mean yes, of course, but-."

"What is it?"

"I'm a terrible mother!"

He pulled her close. "Daphne, no. You're wonderful."

"I forgot to feed him, Niles!"

"It's all right. You weren't feeling well."

"I know, but-."

"I took care of it. I changed him and made sure that he had his bottle. He was a little anxious; most likely because he wanted you, but I read him a story and rocked him to sleep."

She kissed him with everything she had and when the passionate kisses ended, he brushed the hair from her face.

"What was that for? Not that I mind of course."

"Because I love you so much. If it weren't for you, David-."

"Shh… it's all right. David knows that you love him, but I was more than happy to spend time with him."

"You're a wonderful father." She said caressing his cheek.

Suddenly she sat upright. "Oh no!"

"What is it?"

"Your father. Oh Niles, we were going to see him, weren't we? He was so upset yesterday when-." She began to cry, thinking about Eddie. "Oh, I'm going to miss him so much!"

"I know. I'm going to miss him too. But when I talked to Ronee earlier-."

"You talked to her? Oh Niles, she's going to think that I-."

"It's all right. She understands."

"But-."

"While you were asleep, I called her. I wanted to come over last night but she said that Dad had gone to sleep. Ronee and I had a nice talk, however. She didn't know Eddie like you and I did, so it was nice to talk about him and share memories. It helped. I told her that I'd come over tomorrow and see Dad."

"I'll come with you."

"Actually why don't you stay here?"

"Why, Niles? I loved Eddie too!" She sounded like a child, but she didn't care.

"I know, but you need your rest. I won't be gone long. I'm sure Dad wants to be alone to process things."

"I hope he's not angry with me."

"Angry with you? What would possibly make you think such a thing?"

"Because, Niles, he..."

Niles stopped her with a kiss. "Dad loves you. And I love you. Dad's just in shock right now and it will take a while for him to open up. Ronee said they were so grateful to you for what you did for them."

"But I didn't do anything."

"According to Ronee you did a lot."

Daphne sighed. "He was so… Is he all right?"

"Well, the fact that he's sleeping is a good thing. He needs his rest. And so do you. Losing someone is draining both physically and emotionally."

She nodded as new tears spilled down her cheeks. I know. I mean, this is completely different but I remember when Grammy Moon passed… I didn't want to speak to anyone for months."

He gently rubbed her bare arm. "I wish I could have been there for you."

"Thank you, Niles. I wish you could have met her. I miss her terribly. I loved her so much."

"I know you did. I feel like I know her from the things you've told me. I'm glad you had her in your life."

A long but comfortable silence passed before she spoke again. "Niles, I'm glad you came home early yesterday. I don't know what I woudl have done if you hadn't been here. I know that Eddie was just a dog, but..."

His arms went around her and he held her close. "He was more than just a dog. He was a member of the family and we'll never forget him. I hope he knew how much we all loved him."

Briefly she pulled out of his arms and cradled his face in her hands. "I hope you know how much I love you. I promise to tell you every day."

He smiled and brought his lips to hers. "And I love you."