He winced in pain as he carried the flowers and chocolate to his car, doing his best to ignore the stares of passersby. He supposed he couldn't blame them. It was, after all, Valentine's Day and not at all uncommon for a man to purchase such items.

However he doubted that few men looked as he did; their hair disheveled, clothes tattered and torn and on their face, a look of despair.

But he did his best to ignore them and stared straight ahead as he made his way to his car. It took some doing, what with his decrepit appearance and slow pace. He was winded by the time he arrived at his car, feeling as though he'd run a marathon after being run over by a truck. And the simple act of climbing into his car took a multitude of effort, but he hoped and prayed that by the time he reached his destination that the pain and humiliation would be worth it.

The car started easily, a godsend after what he'd been through, and within seconds he was making his way toward Russano's Restaurant. He was taking a huge risk coming here, especially in his current state of dishevelment. But wasn't life about taking risks? And when it came to love, this was a risk worth taking, even if it ended badly.

He shuddered at the thought.

No. He wouldn't let it end badly. He absolutely refused to.

Without giving it another thought, he walked into the front door of Russano's painfully aware of the horrified glances that he received. Ordinarily he wouldn't be caught dead-or at least looking as though he were already dead-in any public place, but this was his last chance.

The maître d eyed him curiously, obviously appalled at Niles' appearance. Well that made two of them.

"Sir, do you have a reservation?"

He looked down at the carpeted floor; the one that needed a thorough cleaning. The nerve of this place, leaving it in such a shoddy state on Valentine's Day of all-

"SIR!"

He looked up sharply. "What?"

"Do you have a reservation?"

"Um… no, I-."

"I'm sorry. It's Valentine's Day and we're only taking diners who have made prior reservations and who are-." The man wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Appropriately dressed."

Niles sighed deeply. "I know, and I don't normally look like this. I just-there's someone I need to see and then I promise I'll leave."

"But sir-."

"Just give me a minute-or ten-and I'll be out of your way-."

"But sir, you can't-."

Niles was no longer listening. He moved slowly, pushing his way past the man into the dining room where at least twenty pairs of eyes were staring at him, turning to each other with hushed whispers. His own eyes scanned the restaurant and he was about to give up hope when he saw a familiar sight; a slightly faded blue and black plaid flannel shirt and a head of gray hair. His father.

Niles' heart began beating rapidly with anticipation when he noticed the female figure sitting next to him. Wearing a strapless dress and her hair piled atop her head, it could only be one person…

"Daphne."

But as he moved closer, his heart began to sink. This couldn't be Daphne, for this angel was far too beautiful. He took a few more steps forward, trying his best to ignore the murmurs of disapproval around him. He was certain that he'd be thrown out but he was determined not to let that happen; not until he'd done what he came here to do.

Daringly he walked closer, until he was so close that he could hear the woman and his father talking. And his heart nearly shattered. The woman sitting next to his father, the woman he loved so deeply, was indeed Daphne. And she was crying.

He wanted so much to go to her and take her into his arms, but he didn't dare; not until he found out why she was so unhappy. He tilted his head to one side, turning his body slightly, allowing him to eavesdrop on their conversation. They were holding menus in their hands, about to order.

"What happened?" His father was asking.

Daphne began to sob, breaking Niles' heart even further. "Well, look around you! Nothing but couples in love! It's never going to be me!"

Niles could no longer stay as he was and went to her side, amazingly unnoticed by his father or his angel.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Crane!" Daphne was sobbing now. "I don't know what's wrong with me! I haven't cried like this since… New Year's Eve!"

"Daphne, please don't cry."

She looked up gasping at the sight of him. "Dr. Crane?"

"Yes… Um…"

"Niles, what in the hell are you doing here? And what in the hell happened to you?"

Daphne was on her feet at once. "You're hurt! Sit down here; let me take care of you! What happened?"

"Um, nothing. Look, Daphne there's something I need to say."

"Hush, now." She said, gently loosening his tie. Her fingertips brushed against his neck, making him feel like he might faint. "Let's get this tie off of you. Oh what happened to you, Dr. Crane?"

"Well, I-."

"You look like you've been hit by an eighteen wheeler!" Martin said, causing Daphne to glare at him.

"Go home, old man!" She yelled "I've had more than enough of you for one night!"

"Fine, I will! But how are you going to get home?"

"W-we'll take my car." Niles said.

"There, it's all settled! Now, go home!" Daphne yelled.

"Dad, before you go, there's something you should know."

"What is it?"

"It's about Frasier's condo, you see…"

"Is this about your date at Frasier's?"

Niles sighed. "Well, yes actually. You see she never showed up and then-."

"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it."

"But you don't even know what-."

"Look, whatever wine or food you spilled on the floor, I'll clean it up. In fact, I'll tell him that I did it."

Niles was shocked. "But, you can't! Frasier will kill you!"

"The hell he will!"

"But Dad, I really-."

"Niles, I said that I'll take care of it. Frasier won't be home for hours and that gives me plenty of time to go to McGinty's. Should have gone there in the first place. If I had known that Daphne was going to break down like a blubbering idiot-."

Daphne gasped. "Mr. Crane! I am not a-."

"Dad, it's fine. I'll take her home. Just… go and get your beer."

"All right son. And Daphne, for what it's worth, I enjoyed not having dinner with you."

"Thank you, Mr. Crane."

"Dad when you get home-."

"Niles, don't worry about it! Whatever it is, I can handle it."

"A-are you sure?"

"I've been around dead bodies and seen plenty of blood on murder victims so whatever it is-."

Niles put his fingers over his lips to keep from getting sick.

"Dr. Crane, you're turning green, are you sure you're all right?"

"I-I…"

"Oh dear, you said your date never arrived, didn't you? I'm so sorry. You must be starving."

"Well, I-."

"Now don't worry, Just sit down and our food should be here any minute."

"Our-our…."

"That's right. Since your father is leaving there's no sense in letting his food go to waste. And it's my treat, so don't even think about arguing that point."

"I-I…"

Her hands were on his shoulders (gently of course) guiding him to the table where she coaxed him to sit. He looked around nervously at the crowd that was speaking in hushed whispers. "M-maybe this isn't a good idea. Everyone is looking at us."

"Nonsense. Now our food should be here any minute and then when we're finished, I'll take you home. But we really should stop at the drugstore for something for those… Oh, Dr. Crane… you're hurt badly! What happened?"

He shook his head. "I-I don't want to talk about it."

She smile warmly and brushed his shoulder with her hand. "Oh, your nice suit! That woman who deserted you should be ashamed of herself! I bet you had a nice romantic dinner waiting for her, and soft music, didn't you, Dr. Crane?"

He stared at her in astonishment. "A-actually as a matter of fact-."

"I thought so. Oh, look. Our food is here."

"Your dinner, miss. And…" The waiter froze when he saw Niles. "Um sir, we have a dress code here."

Niles rose from the table. "I know… and I'll just be leaving."

Daphne grabbed his arm and coaxed him back into his chair. "You'll do no such thing!" And then she turned to the waiter. "What is wrong with you? Don't you have any heart at all? Can't you see that this man went through hell to meet me here for Valentine's Day? Put his plate on the table, now!"

The waiter was startled by her outburst and sat the steaming plate down immediately. "I-I'm, sorry, Ma'am."

"You should be! And just so you know, you've lost your tip, but you'd better treat us like royalty or you'll be losing your job as well! I'll make sure of that"

"Um… Okay, will there be anything else?"

"I'll let you know. Now just leave us alone!"

When the waiter turned on his heels to leave, the restaurant guests applauded. But Daphne was unfazed by the attention. She turned to Niles and took his hand. "The nerve of that man! And here I was blushing earlier because he said I was attractive!"

"But you are attractive, Daphne. You're beautiful..."

To his astonishment she brought his hand to her lips. "That's very sweet and so nice to hear. You're much better company than your father. But I know you're hurting so let's eat and get out of here."

They ate in comfortable silence and to her credit, she didn't ask him to tell her what had happened. Instead they talked about everything else, and soon he found himself laughing; laughing! After all that he'd been through it was a complete miracle.

All too soon the meal ended and despite his insistence Daphne paid the bill, a gesture that made him love her even more. And then he realized that he had to do something about it. It was Valentine's Day after all and if he didn't tell her now, he never would.

And so still holding her hand, he took a deep breath. "Daphne, there's something-."

She gasped. "Oh sod, I can't believe I almost forgot! Come on Dr. Crane, let's go and get something for those cuts. Oh dear… I wonder if we should go to the hospital?"

"That's not necessary, Daphne, really."

"Well, all right. But let's go to the store and we'll get some things to fix you right up."

They were still holding hands as they walked out of the restaurant. And when they got to his car, she paused. "It's not my place to ask and I would never do so, but would you like me to drive? You don't look very well."

"That sounds absolutely wonderful, Daphne. Thank you."

"I promise I'll be very careful."

"It's all right. I trust you completely."

Even in the darkness he could see her cheeks flush. "Dr. Crane…"

She helped him into the car, apologizing when he winced in pain. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?"

"I'm fine… or I will be."

"Are you sure? I'm worried."

His heart soared. "Thank you Daphne. But if I experience any discomfort, I'll go. Right now I just want to go home. "

"Of course you do. Now come on, let's get something to fix you up."

They drove to the nearest all-night drugstore where she hurried to the first aid aisle. It was there that she bought bandages, gauze, and antiseptic. And then right there in the parking lot, she tended to him as best she could. "Now I know it's not great but once we get you home, we'll take care of you some more, all right?"

"Thank you, Daphne. I can't…"

Once again her fingers were on his lips. "Just rest… We'll be home soon."

He did just that, allowing himself to lean his head back against the seat and closed his eyes while she drove to his embarrassingly shoddy apartment at the Shangri-La. Had he been more coherent, he would have insisted that they go back to Frasier's. But as it were he was actually glad to get home.

Suddenly he felt her fingers on his cheek. "We're home, Dr. Crane."

He opened his eyes and looked around, slightly disoriented. "Daphne…"

She got out of the car and went around to the passenger side, opening his door for him, and then in the sweetest gesture imaginable, she began to walk him to his apartment. But then he turned around. "Oh, wait… I've forgotten something."

"Oh… all right."

He winced as he leaned into the backseat of the car and retrieved the chocolates and flowers, which were amazingly intact. And then he smiled at her. "Okay. Now we can go."

Very slowly, with her arm in his, she led him to his apartment (The dreadful Shangri-La; had he not been in so much pain, he would have insisted that they return to Frasier's, where he was certain to face his brother's wrath, but at least it would be done in style) and when they arrived he retrieved his key and opened the door. His first thought was repulsion and embarrassment for the living arrangements he was forced to reside in, but she paid it no mind whatsoever and began gently removing his tattered coat. When she reached for his tie, he gasped. "I'm sorry. I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"Um… no…"

"Good, this won't take long. I just want to get these clothes off of you."

His eyes widened, and then she laughed. "Oh Dear, that came out wrong, didn't it? I'm sorry, Dr. Crane. But it feels good to laugh, doesn't it?"

He smiled weakly. "I-."

"I'm sorry; it's not funny, is it? Oh I wish I knew how this happened! But we can talk about that later. Right now I want to make sure you're all better. How are you feeling?"

"Oh… I'm…"

"Well don't worry. Let me just get this shirt off of you and then we'll get you settled on the couch. Or do you prefer your bedroom?"

"I'm… I think I can manage…"

"Oh… all right. Well, be careful, okay? I'll get the things ready. Just take your time."

"Okay…"

As quickly as he could-which wasn't quick at all-he walked to his room and began slowly undressing himself. He found a pair of sweatpants and a worn t-shirt, clothes he'd normally never in a million years let Daphne see him wear, and attempted to put them on, wincing at the excruciating pain.

"Dr. Crane, are you all right?" She called from the living room.

"Y-yes, I'm… Oh…"

She was beside him in an instant, not caring that he was half dressed in front of her. It was as though she was used to it. She helped him remove his pants and shirt and then helped him put on his pajama pants and shirt, even buttoning it for him. Had he not been so disillusioned, he would have found the whole scenario completely suggestive. But he knew that she was only helping him get dressed out of friendship and concern. And she was a physical therapist. She'd dressed his father, she could certainly dress him. But even so, the romantic thoughts wouldn't leave his mind.

"There, now I bet you feel better, right?"

"Yes, thank you."

"I'm glad. Now come with me, and I'll get you all fixed up."

She took his hand and led him into the living room where she gently tended to each cut, scrape and bruise. And when she was finished she stroked his hair. "There. I'm sorry this happened to you, Dr. Crane. What a horrible thing to go through. But you'll be better soon. We'll watch those injuries and make sure they're all right in a few days."

"Thank you, Daphne."

"Now, you're probably exhausted so I bet you'll want to go to sleep now. I know I'm tired. Perhaps I should call your brother to come and get me-."

"No, absolutely not."

"But your brother isn't-."

"No, I mean… I can't let you leave now. It's late. Please… stay here. I insist. It's the least I can do."

"Stay here?"

"Well, if you don't want to…"

"No, it's… all right. I'll just sleep here on the sofa."

"I'll get you some bedding."

He moved to go into the hall closet but she stopped him. "No, Dr. Crane. Just rest. I'll get it."

"All right, but Daphne, there's something I need to talk to you about. Can we go into the living room?"

"Oh… of course."

He followed her out of his bedroom and into the living room where they sat on the sofa. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing… I just… Daphne there's something I need to tell you. Something I've been trying to tell you for some time now, but I just haven't found the courage."

"Dr. Crane, don't be silly. You can tell me anything."

He nodded. "I-I know, but I'm afraid…"

"Afraid of what?"

"Of how you'll react. You see, I'm pretty sure you won't be expecting what I have to say."

"I see…"

Her expression turned to one of apprehension and he realized that he was frightening her. And so he turned to retrieve the chocolates and flowers handing them to her.

"These are for you."

The apprehension melted from her face and her lower lip trembled. "Dr. Crane, these are beautiful, but…what..."

"Well for Valentine's Day, but also to tell you that…."

"Yes?"

He took a deep breath, feeling bolder than he'd ever felt before. "I love you, Daphne."

"You-you what?"

"I love you. I'm in love with you. I felt it the first time we met, but I never acted on my feelings. I was with Maris and I thought it was just infatuation. That's what Dad and Frasier said. But now I know that it's far beyond that. It's far beyond anything I've ever imagined. I think about you all the time and I'm never going to stop thinking about you."

She began to cry. "Dr. Crane…"

"Please Daphne… Even if you can't tell me that you love me in return… I'll understand. But can you do me one favor?"

She nodded wordlessly as the tears streamed down her cheeks. "Anything."

"Call me Niles."

"A-all right, Niles…"

He started to say something else but he realized that here was nothing more he could say. He moved forward to kiss her but then the most amazing thing happened.

She drew him into her arms and kissed him with everything she had. It was fare beyond anything he'd ever dreamed before. And when the heavenly kisses ended, he drew back. But only for a moment, for her lips were on his again.

And then he realized that he didn't need to hear her say that she loved him back. Not at the moment anyway.

Her kisses told him everything he needed to know.

THE END