Daphne sighed as she tried to concentrate on the laundry, but she knew that she'd never be able to concentrate on anything after what happened three weeks ago. Three weeks… it seemed like forever since she'd last seen Niles. She knew that he needed his privacy but it was so hard not to pick up the phone and call him… just to make sure that he was all right.

Frasier had finally come to his senses and apologized, even going as far as to give her his blessing and reassurance that things with Niles would work out. And he promised her that Niles would be fine and that he'd check on him as often as he could. But it didn't seem like enough. She needed Niles… badly. She needed him in ways that she never realized before. She needed his touch, his kind words, his soothing hugs his soft lips against hers… the way he….

The doorbell rang, bringing her out of her thoughts and she shook her head in dismay. What was she doing, daydreaming about a man who-

The door thrust open and her heart skipped a beat. "Niles…"

She hadn't meant to call him by his first name out loud, not without asking if it was all right, but his expression told her that he'd been waiting to hear his name for a long time. It seemed so natural now, as though she'd been calling him "Niles" her whole life.

He smiled, looking so handsome that she almost melted through the floor. He was well dressed, clean-shaven and his hair was neatly trimmed. And it wasn't hard to notice the heavenly scent of his musky cologne. But what really surprised her was that he looked happier than she'd ever seen him.

"Hello, Daphne. I'm sorry I haven't come over in a while. Things have been…."

"Right… How are you?"

"Much better. In fact, I'm wonderful, Daphne. My divorce is final and I've never felt so free!"

"I'm so glad, Dr. Crane." She said, moving toward him. Impulsively she took him into her arms and held him. "I was so worried about you. I missed you so much, and…"

Now it was he who comforted her when her eyes filled with unexpected tears. But why on earth was she still so emotional? It was as though the roles had been reversed. But he was certainly the lesser off of the two and she wanted to be there for him always, even when he was so happy.

"I can't thank you enough, Daphne." He said, still holding her close as he stroked her back. "Your kindness means more to me than you'll ever know."
"Oh, but I didn't do anything out of the ordinary."

To her surprise, he took her hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. "Of course you did. The things you said… reassuring me about my practice, telling me that I'm wonderful, saying that you love me…"

She gasped in disbelief. "You-you heard that?"

"Perhaps they weren't words meant for my ears, but how could I not relish such wonderful sentiment? No one has ever treated me with such kindness or compassion and-."

She brushed away the tears that were streaming down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry Daphne. I didn't mean to upset you."

"You didn't… I just…" When she looked into his eyes, she found that no words were needed. She was in his arms in seconds, kissing him with everything she had, each kiss becoming sweeter and sweeter. His arms were around her holding her close. And when the kisses subsided, she stared into his eyes.

He grinned shyly. "I brought you something, Daphne."

"For me? But…"

"Wait here."

She watched as he opened the door and stepped into the hallway, returning with a colorful painting in his hand.

"What's this?"

"This is for you." He said, smiling with pride as he handed her the painting.

"Niles, you didn't have to buy me anything."

"Actually, I made this… for you."

She gasped in disbelief at the painting. It was no masterpiece by any means and in fact it didn't resemble anything at all. But the fact that he'd painted it just for her brought tears to her eyes.

"This is beautiful…" She sighed, unable to take her eyes off of the unusual display of every color of the rainbow. "… but why would you paint this for me?"

He smiled and took the painting from her, cradling her face in his hands. "Because I love you. I know that my divorce just became final and I don't want to rush things, but I've wanted to tell you how I felt for so long. And what better way to tell you than this?"

Worry crept into her chest, making it impossible to push away. "I don't understand. How did you manage to-."

"In my Painting With Feeling class!" He said excitedly. "I had no idea that painting could be so therapeutic or that it could unleash so many emotions."

But she found that she couldn't readily share his enthusiasm. "You're still taking that class? But I thought…"

"I'm fine." He said quietly, kissing her hand. "In fact, I'm happier than I've ever been in my life… Thanks to you."

She glanced at the painting, her heart so full of love that she was sure it might burst. "I love it, Niles. Thank you so much. But you know what would make me even happier?"

"What's that, my love?"

"Hold me, for a little while longer?"

"Of course, Daphne, there's nothing I'd rather do." He moved to take her into his arms, but then drew back suddenly. "I have a better idea."

She watched him in surprise as he sat the painting down and then walked over to Frasier's stereo system. He thumbed through Frasier's CD's and with a smile on his face inserted it into the player and hit PLAY. And then the most romantic music she'd ever heard filled the room. It was a slow jazz song, one that she wasn't at all familiar with, but nothing could have been more perfect.

He smiled and returned to her side, taking her hands where he led her to the large picture window. And it was there that he took her into his arms and they began to dance. Their fingers entwined, she rested her head against his chest and looked into his eyes. They were so lost in the magical moment that neither of them heard Frasier and Martin come through the door.

"Fras, I'm not going to lie to you. I'm worried about Niles. He hasn't been over in weeks and-."

"He'll be fine, Dad. Don't worry about-what's that noise?" Frasier asked, looking around in surprise. "And what's this? True love prevails, by Niles Crane?" he read at the bottom of Niles' painting. "What's going on?"

It was then that he noticed his father's proud smile and his eyes followed Martin's to where Niles and Daphne were dancing in each other's arms.

"I take that back, Fras… I think both of them are going to be fine."

Frasier smiled as he watched the happy couple sharing a kiss. "I think you're right, Dad."

THE END