He stood in the kitchen, staring at the pieces of glass that littered the linoleum floor. It was funny how such an insignificant thing, like glass shattering, could have such a profound affect. His angel had been hurt both physically and emotionally. She'd cut her hand on the broken glass but most likely the pain wasn't as intense as the pain in her heart.

Damn… How could he have been so stupid? Daphne would never…. From his stance in the kitchen he could hear her crying faintly, breaking his heart once more. As quickly as possible he swept up the glass and tossed the shards into the trash can. And then he took a deep breath and walked into the darkened bedroom.

At the doorway, he watched her, his heart clinching in his chest. She sat on Roz's bed, staring at the marina, sobbing. He had no right to be here, and he knew that he should just leave, but he couldn't pull himself away. She was hurting, and he would do anything in his power to soothe her pain.

Swallowing hard, he walked into the room and sat down beside her on the bed, feeling the mattress shift under the weight of his body. The marina before him certainly was breathtaking. It was still early morning but the sunshine and cloudless sky held the promise of a beautiful day.

"Daphne, I'm so sorry." He said willing his voice to remain steady. "I –I don't even know how to begin to-."

"Then don't."

He flinched at her words, which cut him deeper than a piece of glass might. But he deserved it, and so much more. In the uncomfortable silence that followed, he gathered his thoughts, planning his words carefully.

"I know that I hurt you and for that I am so sorry. I'm sure my attempt at an apology will mean little or nothing to you and it won't even begin to convey-."
When he heard her sigh deeply, he moved his hand toward her unbandanged one, stunned when she allowed him to touch her.

And then he continued.

"I did a terrible thing, Daphne. It was something that I would never do. I jumped to a horrible conclusion and I don't know what possessed me to…. When I heard you talking in your sleep and you said that man's name, all I could think of was how he'd hurt you so badly. That night that you came over to the mansion, the generous and kind person that you are, to make dinner for Maris and I. But when I saw how distraught you were and you told me about how he'd broken your heart, I felt so helpless. I just wanted to hold you in my arms and comfort you. But truth be told, I'd wanted to do that since the day I laid eyes on you."

To his amazement, he felt her thumb, moving slowly across his hand. But he didn't look over. He didn't have to see her face to know that she was still angry with him.

"Daphne, the reason I got so angry is because when I walked into the bedroom and saw that you were asleep, you looked so beautiful. And then you started talking. I thought you were talking to me. But when you said Eric, I… I just assumed… I couldn't fathom why, after that… man had hurt you so deeply, that you'd ever consider seeing him again. But somehow I felt that you had. "

"H-How could you think…"

The sound of her voice surprised him and when he looked over, the sight of her tears pained his heart. And that's when his own eyes filled with tears; tears that spilled onto his cheeks. He'd never been a man who cried, but this very real scenario, knowing that he could lose the woman that he loved, was more than he could bear.

"I-don't know…" He finally said his voice hoarse and unsteady. "I guess I… All I could think of was Maris and how she'd hurt me so many times, never giving me a second thought when she'd run off to Europe with another man. I had no idea how much a betrayal like that could wound me until I found out about her affair with Schenkman, our marriage counselor! And when I thought that you…. A rage came over me, a rage that even I didn't understand. I'm not proud of my actions, not at all, and quite frankly I'm appalled by them. I can't believe that I… ordered you out of the house the way I did, forbidding you to see our son. I'm…. There's no way I can even begin to apologize for my actions! What I've done is… unforgivable! I'm a marriage counselor and a psychiatrist for God's sake! I should know how to handle these situations! I encounter them every day! But to think that it was happening to me was… It was like a part of me was dying. I should have… confronted you and brought my concerns out into the open. Instead I received a well-deserved lecture from Frasier. If it weren't for him, I…."

He was sobbing now, unable to control his shattered emotions. "Oh God, Daphne, I've ruined things between us! I know that… and I have no idea how to mend them!"

"Niles…"

The sound of his name stunned him and he looked over to see her crying as well. He squeezed her hand and gazed into her eyes, which were red and puffy from unfathomable sadness. "I'm so sorry. I…"

"I'm not Maris or Mel, Niles. And I would never-."

He hung his head in shame. "I know, Daphne. I know… and-."

"How could you think-."

"I'm so sorry, my angel. I'm so sorry! I know you can't possibly forgive me, but I will spend the rest of my life, staring this second, trying to earn your forgiveness and trust."

"I love you."

Her words stunned him and he gasped, turning toward her at the same time she looked at him. "Oh, Daphne…"

A sob escaped her lips and he took her into his arms, both of them crying openly. "I'm so sorry, baby. I'm so sorry." He whispered again and again.

"Niles…"

He held her trembling body closer and stroked her back, his tears splashing onto his fingertips.

"Just let it out, baby. Let it out. I'm here."

She cried in his arms until the tears subsided into soft shudders. He rocked her back and forth, doing his best to calm her. And when she finally drew back, he looked into her eyes, brushing the hair from her face.

"I love you so much, Daphne. There are no words to describe-."

Her lips met his and the touch filled him with pure euphoria. He gave into the kiss quickly and soon the kisses became rushed, more passionate and demanding. He found that he couldn't get enough of her no matter how hard he tried.

She was his angel, the love of his life, the woman who had fallen in love with him while engaged to another man. And when he'd pledged his life to her, on their wedding day, she'd given him the most wonderful and perfect gift imaginable; a son that he loved unconditionally, because he was part of them both.

And now Niles wanted nothing more than to show Daphne how much he loved her.