She turned in surprise to find not Frasier, but Niles standing beside her. And even more surprising, he didn't look angry at all. In fact, he appeared compassionate and concerned.

"Dr. Crane..."

"May I?" He asked, gesturing to her for permission to enter the room. He was always such a gentleman.

"Of course."

Slowly he stepped into the room and she motioned for him to sit down beside her on the bed. She could feel the weight of the mattress shift slightly beneath his slim frame and the warmth that radiated from his body was strangely comforting. But it was his soft blue eyes that pulled her in.

"Dr. Crane, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to come home without any money or the groceries that I had bought. I really did go to the store and I'm, sorry I lied to your brother and went against his wishes, but when I left the store, something happened… something terrible."

"Daphne..."

"I'm sorry. I know I should have told you the truth when I got home instead of lying, but I was just so scared! I…"

He was holding onto her shoulders, a gentle touch but one that let her know that he was there. And the sincerity in his eyes gave her the strength she needed to explain.

"Daphne, I can see that something frightening happened to you and if you want to talk about it, I'm here for you."

She nodded, staring down at the floor, barely aware of the way he was rubbing her back. But she felt the warmth of his hand and it was all she could do to keep from breaking down completely.

"What happened?" He whispered, his hand moving in circles across her back.

New tears began to fall as a flash of memories filled her mind. "I-I was so scared!" she sobbed. "That man… he…"

His hand stilled on her back and he stared at her in disbelief. "What man, Daphne?"

"There was a man… in the parking lot… I thought he wanted me parking space but he kept saying something I didn't understand. And then I stupidly said okay, not even realizing what he was sayin'. The next thing I knew he was climbing into me car! I started screaming and even grabbed him to toss him out of the car. But after he fell and got back on his feet he took all of me packages and ran off! Oh, Dr. Crane, it was horrible!"

When she dared to look at him, she was stunned to see tears in his eyes. His fingertips touched her hair, smoothing the strands away from her face. He swallowed hard, watching her with an unreadable expression.

"Dr. Crane?"

"D-did he hurt you?"

Tears spilled from her eyes and she shook her head. "No, but… Oh bloody hell! How could I have been so stupid?"

He took her into his arms and held her while she cried. She clung to him, taking comfort in his warm embrace and gentle touch.

"You're not stupid, Daphne. You're wonderful. You were frightened and-."

"But what if he'd had a gun, Dr. Crane? Or a knife? He could have killed me!"

He drew her closer and rubbed her back. "You were frightened. "He said again. "And everyone does things that they wouldn't normally do when they're put in scary situations. You went through a terrifying ordeal and I can't even imagine… if anything had happened to you, I…"

She hugged him tighter and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Dr. Crane…. For caring about me so much. It means the world to me."

"I've always cared about you, Daphne; since the moment I first saw you, although maybe a little more than I should."

"Nonsense. You couldn't possibly-." Her voice trailed away and she sighed deeply, knowing that this could be the last conversation that she would ever have with the man who, in the years that she'd known him, become her best friend. She brushed away her tears and forced a smile. "Well… I suppose I should start packing… or at least call the employment agency."

"Daphne, wait…"

She turned to find Frasier and Martin standing in the doorway. "Oh… Dr. Crane… I'm sorry. Your brother was just..."

"Daphne, we need to talk."