(Niles 'POV)

When Niles found himself alone in Frasier's condo, he couldn't help but feel a strong sense of relief. He loved his brother but sometimes…

He looked up to see Daphne walk into the living room. In her pink sweater she took his breath away.

"Here's your wife's necklace, Dr. Crane."

With trembling fingers, he took the emerald necklace from her, remembering how beautiful she looked wearing it. And when she was smiling at him, it made her even more so.

"I'm sorry for dropping the necklace down me blouse, but it was quite funny, the look on your brother's face, wasn't it?"

She laughed and had it not been for the ache in his heart, he might have laughed along with her, for the faux paus was certainly unexpected. She'd asked to try on the necklace that he bought for Maris and he'd gladly obliged, but when she lifted her hair to allow him to fasten the necklace, the scent of her shampoo made him dizzy and he dropped the necklace, sending it, to his horror, into her blouse. And he had to admit that it was quite humorous, after the initial shock wore off. But now he looked away, pained by the conversation that he'd had with Frasier while Daphne was in her room; the conversation in which Frasier had implied that Maris was unattractive, even if his older brother hadn't said a word. When he sighed deeply, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you all right, Dr. Crane?"

"Yes, of course, Daphne. I'm perfectly fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

She gasped lightly at the sight of him. "Oh, Dr. Crane, your nose! It's bleeding!"
Horrified, he reached for his handkerchief and held it to his nose. "Oh…"

"May I?"

When he looked at her in surprise, she gently took the handkerchief from his hand and carefully blotted the base of his nose. The gesture, although small, touched him deeply. Her soft skin brushed against his jawline, making his heart skip a beat. And when she was finished, she frowned. "You're not all right, are you?"

He hung his head low and sighed once more.

"What happened?"

"Dad's chair. I was just making a joke, saying that at least I didn't have to live with something unattractive. I was referring to the chair, Daphne! I didn't mean-." He glanced at her, expecting her to think him crazy, but to his amazement, she watched him with genuine concern.

"It's all right, Dr. Crane."

"No, it's not all right, Daphne! Don't you see? Frasier thought I was talking about Maris!"

"Oh…"

"I fell in love with Maris because… well, it certainly wasn't because of her looks and… well, frankly I can't remember what drew me to her, but that doesn't mean… I can't help it if she's not…"

Daphne was rubbing his back now, the soothing gesture calming his irrational anger.

"Is that what's bothering you? That your brother doesn't find Mrs. Crane attractive?"

Niles said nothing in response. But he didn't have to. She knew what he was thinking, he was sure of it. Gently she took his hand and his heart skipped a beat.

"Don't you worry about what your brother thinks, Dr. Crane! All that matters is that you and Mrs. Crane love each other. To tell you the truth, I envy-."

He looked up startled when she was suddenly silent. "You what?"

She smiled shyly and he could have sworn he saw tears glistening in her eyes.

"Nothing, Dr. Crane. Thanks for taking care of me the other night after the Sea Bee Awards. I was so touched by your kindness and your beautiful note."

"I was happy to do it, Daphne. You're my friend and I care about you."

She blinked back tears and hugged him warmly, holding him for a long moment. When she let go she smiled at him. "Dr. Crane, what were you going to say before about Mrs. Crane? You said, I can't help it if she's not…"

He swallowed hard, torn between being grateful that he hadn't finished his thought and wishing he'd told her how he felt about her. "Daphne, I-."

"It's all right. It's none of me business anyway." She smiled at him and carefully took the emerald necklace from him, placing it into the velvet box. "Why don't you give this to Mrs. Crane right now and tell her how much you love her?"

He smiled and took the box from her. He hated to leave Daphne, but he knew that she was right. He also knew that he could never tell her what he had been thinking earlier, for it was much too awkward. What what would she think of him?

However his heart would never forget what he longed to say to her, but instead kept it locked away in his soul. And perhaps one day he'd be able to say the words to her, the way they were meant to be said.

And then his silent words came back to him, the words he wanted so much to say:

"I can't help it if Maris isn't beautiful like you, Daphne. But there's no one on earth who could possibly match your beauty, inside or out."