(Niles' POV)
Niles stood at Frasier's front door, unable to imagine why his dad had insisted that he come over right away. He tried not to make a hasty assumption, that something terrible had happened, but he simply couldn't help it.
Dad had been through so much, losing Mom and then getting shot in the hip. And the thought made his chest ache with worry. Worry, that only grew stronger the closer he came to the Elliot Bay Towers. With a heavy heart he rang the doorbell as he tried not to think of what might be happening on the other side of the door.
Please God… Please, let everyone be okay…. He said silently.
Miraculously the door opened and his jaw dropped at the sight of his dad, wearing a huge smile and the most ridiculous pink knit hat that Niles had ever seen. "Hey, Niles! Good to see you!"
Clearly the man was not of sound mind. But Niles merely smiled nervously and entered his father's home. Something was definitely amiss.
"What's going on?"
"Merry Christmas, Son!" Martin shouted.
But before Niles could even begin to process what his father had said he heard;
"Merry Christmas, Dr. Crane!" The smile on Daphne's face could have lit up a thousand Christmas trees. And the green and white striped stocking cap she wore made her look completely adorable, even more so than usual.
"Merry Christmas?" he repeated. "But it's…." He looked around, completely baffled. The apartment was decorated from top to bottom, completely transformed into a Christmas wonderland, complete with a tree, decorations, lights, tinsel and even stockings. "…only October 21st, so why…"
"Daphne's going to take our picture for our Christmas card!" his dad said. "So grab a hat and get over here!"
"Yes, Niles! Join us! It'll be fun!" Frasier said, with the thickest sarcasm that Niles had ever hear. He started to protest, especially when he saw the atrocious stocking cap with snowflakes that Frasier handed him.
But it was the look in Daphne's warm, brown eyes that changed his mind. "All right, where do I stand?"
"Well, first put this hat on." Daphne said, taking the hat from him. She placed it on his head, causing her fingertips to brush against his cheek. If it hadn't been for the nearness of Frasier's sofa that was clutched in Niles' hand, he would have surely fainted.
"There!" She said, smiling at him. "Don't you look nice? This will be a wonderful family photo. Now, go and stand next to your brother and father."
Niles did as she asked, albeit somewhat reluctantly. If Maris ever caught wind of this humiliation, he would never hear the end of it, and he had a right mind to protest the situation. But when he saw the happiness and excitement in Daphne's eyes, he couldn't do it.
"All right." She said, peering into the camera lens. "Everyone smile! Hey! Where's…"
At that moment, Eddie bounded into the living room, wearing a red felt nose and a pair of antlers. The sight made everyone laugh.
"Okay, is everyone finally ready to take the family photo?"
Niles moved closer to Frasier and his father, feeling a bit silly to be posing for a Christmas card picture in October. But the smile he wore was genuine. How could it not be, when he was looking at someone so angelic?
"All right now, everyone look this way! One, two…"
"Daphne, wait." Niles interjected.
As expected, his father groaned. "Oh geez Niles, what now? I want to get this over with!"
Without taking his eyes off of Daphne, he sighed deeply. "I just…. Daphne,. You should be in the picture, too."
Daphne smiled, her cheeks flushing once more. "Dr. Crane, I couldn't! This is a family picture! I couldn't possibly-."
"But you are family, Daphne."
She straightened the green and red striped hat on her head and then set up the camera to take an automatic picture before joining Niles, Frasier and their father.
The bulb flashed, capturing a moment that Niles would always remember. But it wasn't just the smiling faces and the festive atmosphere that he'd remember. It was the tears in Daphne's eyes, indicating how happy he'd made her with just one simple request.
And he'd wanted nothing more than to make her happy.