"I wish I would have known." Daphne said quietly.
"Known what?"
"That Martin was in a Christmas pageant! Niles, I thought he was dying!"
"Daphne-."
"What if he had died, Niles? I love Martin so much and if he was gone, he'd never know how wonderful David is and-."
When her voice broke, Niles drew her close, letting her cry against his shoulder.
"Shhh..." he whispered. "It's all right, my angel. Dad's just fine and he's not going anywhere. To tell you the truth, I never really told Dad how grateful I am."
"Oh Niles..." Daphne sniffled, moving closer to him. "Martin knows how much you love him."
"Yes, but had he not been so adamant about Frasier hiring you, we never would have met. And I couldn't bear the thought. I love you, Daphne."
Daphne kissed him deeply and when they drew back from one another, they realized that the sermon was over and everyone around them was now standing, singing
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman."
As casually as possible, they joined in, stealing glances at one another. And when the Father gave his final blessing, the crowd began to disburse, eager to spend the
rest of Christmas Eve with their families.