"I… I was thinking about a patient." He said, willing his voice unsuccessfully to steady itself. "I… don't usually become so emotional at work, but…"

The wheels in his head turned quickly, trying to come up with yet another lie as he tried to conjure up a fictitious patient. Given the fact that he adamantly refused to discuss his patients with her, she was sure to see through the impending lie. But there was no other way. He couldn't…

Her lips met his neck followed by the touch of her cheek against his. "Sweetheart I'm sorry you're hurting. If you don't want to talk about it, I understand."

And then another lie came. "This patient… she was saying things that reminded me so much of my relationship with my mother that I…"

"You miss her." She whispered, kneeling to kiss him.

He swallowed hard, knowing it was the truth and a lie, the latter like a knife to his heart. "Yes..." He whispered hoarsely.

"I'm so sorry, Darling. Is that why you spilled your drink?"

He looked up in amazement, having forgotten all about the faux paus he'd created just moments before. "How did you-."

She smiled then. "The sound of breaking glass, remember? I could hear it shatter from our bedroom and I came down here as fast as I could. I was so worried."

"I-I'm sorry. A-about the carpet." He said, sounding much like his son when the young boy had done something wrong.

But Daphne only smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "It's all right. Don't be sorry. Besides, if the stain won't come out, we'll just get new carpet. Isn't that what Frasier did? I still remember how angry he was after that mishap with his bloody hardwood floor!"

Her laugh was even more beautiful than the opening strands of his favorite concerto, but he tried to ignore it.

"Oh, I'll never forget that night as long as I live!"

"Y-you won't?"

She kissed him softly. "Not in this lifetime."

He looked at her in utter disbelief. Surely she couldn't be remembering ….

"Wh-why not?" He dared to ask.

"Well, I had a silly crush on that man who came over to fix the floor. What was his name?"

"Joe." Niles said, more sharply than he intended. Thankfully she didn't notice.

"That's right. Joe. Oh, I certainly had a crush on him, but it was truly wonderful the way-."

A surge of anger began to rise within him and he clinched his fist as he cut her off. "Daphne, I'd rather not talk about Joe right now. Or any other man for that matter."

She drew back, clearly hurt by his comment. But he made no attempt to make amends.

"Well… all right. But I was talking about you." She said quietly. "I couldn't believe that you told Joe that I was a goddess and an angel and that you liked the way me hair smells. And then to make sure I knew the truth about him. That was the most wonderful thing you could have ever done."

"Daphne-."

"Thank you Niles."

"But Daphne-."

Her lips met his in a fiery embrace of which there was no escape. He fell deeper and deeper into the kiss, unable to pull away. And he would have been a fool to even consider it. But before he was submerged into pure ecstasy, their lips parted and he fought to catch his breath.

"Daphne… that was…."

"Only the beginning." She finished in a seductive voice as she brushed a lingering tear from his cheek... Her lips grazed against his and he resisted his urges for more.

"There's more where that came from, Niles; a lot more. It's just a preview of how much I love you. Come upstairs with me and I'll show you exactly what I mean."

He wanted to give into the urges that raged inside of him with every fiber of his being. But like a flash (or a vision, he wasn't sure), the painful reminder of why he had risen from his bed and retreated to the solitude of his office return. And in a gesture that even he couldn't believe, he rose from his chair, gently pushing her away.

"Not now, Daphne. It's late and I need to get some sleep. Goodnight."

Wordlessly he moved past her and out of his office, unable to bear the thought of seeing her hurt and confused expression. The excuse had been an impromptu one and once again he hated himself for lying to the woman he loved so deeply.

But to his dismay, the impending nosebleed was non-existent.