She sighed deeply, the hot tears rising to the surface. She knew that he loved her, of that she was certain. After the tribulations he'd been through with Maris, he would never joke about such a powerful emotion. But she also knew that he was disappointed about his party. How could he not be? Months of planning, making detailed decisions and the guests he'd invited. It was quite possible that those people might never accept an invitation from him again. It was completely her fault.

If only she'd listened to Frasier and accepted his ride downtown, none of this would have happened. She wouldn't have lost track of time, and ended up stranded. And Niles…

She glanced over to find him deep in thought. Most likely he was thinking of the money that he'd wasted, not to mention the time, which to a man such as he was probably even more precious. How could she even begin to make it up to him? Saying I love you, buying him silk ties, silver pens and cologne just didn't feel like enough. It would never be enough. But she was at a complete loss for what to do.

She pulled out of his arms and rose to her feet, watching him.

"Daphne, what's wrong?"

"I-I just need some air." She said, turning quickly to leave before he could stop her. When she reached the balcony door, she thrust it open, wincing at the burst of cold air that hit her in the face.

Alone on the balcony she stared into the night sky, the stars blurred by her tears. How could she have been so selfish and inconsiderate? Because of her, Niles plans were ruined and yet he'd done nothing but tell her not to blame herself. She knew it was wrong, feeling guilty when she had no control over the situation.

"Here, put this on. It's terribly cold."

At his quiet voice she turned to find him holding her red coat and she smiled through her tears, slipping her arms into the sleeves. "Thank you." Her voice broke and she quickly turned away. She didn't want him to see her crying yet again.

But to her surprise, his arms went around her and his lips kissed her neck.

"Daphne, I'm so sorry." He whispered into her hair. "Perhaps I should have rephrased my statement. I meant that since I wasn't able to have my party as planned, I'm going to reschedule it for tomorrow night. And I insist that you come."

Her anger and hurt melted away, replaced by complete astonishment. "What? But Niles, I couldn't possibly… I mean all of those important people! And how will you even begin to-."

He kissed her softly, bringing her to silence and smiled. "Just say you'll come. Please? It would mean the world to me."

She couldn't stop smiling as she kissed his sweet lips. "All right. I'd love to. Thank you, Niles. What time would you like me to be there?"

"I'll pick you up at, say 7:30?"

"Oh, I can't let you leave your party again. It wouldn't be right. I'll be there… at 7:30."

He gathered her into his arms and hugged her warmly. "Thank you, Daphne. You have no idea how much this means to me."

She relished the feeling of his embrace and she leaned against him, closing her eyes. But when she felt him shake her gently, she realized that she had fallen asleep in his arms.

"I should go." He whispered. "It's late and you must be exhausted."

Disappointment filled her as she looked into the eyes of the man she'd suddenly come to love. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He smiled and kissed her tenderly. "I'm looking forward to it. Goodnight, sweet angel. And thank you so much for the wonderful gifts. I'll cherish them."

When he'd left the condo, she returned to the balcony, staring into the sky. She knew she would feel completely out of place among such important people and she worried about saying or doing the wrong thing. But there was nowhere on earth she'd rather be than with the man she loved.