Long before her alarm went off, Daphne was out of bed; her bag packed and ready to go. Dawn was barely breaking across the Seattle skyline as she sipped her coffee.
Sleep had been impossible, for every thought had been of Niles...his handsome smile, warm personality and caring nature.
She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she barely heard Martin and Frasier enter the living room. When she glanced at the clock, she was startled to realize just how long she'd been sitting alone in the kitchen.
"Where's breakfast? I'm starving!" Martin barked.
Her first thought was to snap back with a sarcastic comment, but the tightness in her stomach made it impossible.
"Breakfast is coming right up!" She said, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice.
Her hands trembled as she hurried to put the breakfast on the table and her heart pounded in her chest. The clock read 8:45, which meant that Niles would be arriving any minute. He was always earlier than he said he would be.
Quickly she poured glasses of orange juice for Frasier and Martin and then hurried into her bedroom to change clothes.
Safely in her bedroom, she chose her wardrobe carefully. She didn't want to appear too eager; especially since she had no idea where he was taking her. The thought caused her heart to skip a beat in response. Finally she decided on jeans and a ¾ length sleeved shirt with a light sweater.
Just as she checked her appearance in the mirror one last time, the doorbell rang, causing her heart to skip yet another beat, and she rushed into the living room, in time to see Frasier rise to answer the door.
"Now who could that be at this hour?"
"Why don't you answer the door and find out?" Martin snapped.
Daphne stood by the piano, hidden from sight trying to suppress her laughter.
Frasier shot his father an irritated glance and crossed the room to answer the door.
"Niles? What are you doing here so early? Don't you have patients to see?"
At the sight of him, Daphne's breath caught in her throat. He was so handsome.
"Actually I'm taking a few days off."
"Ah, well it was nice of you to come by for a visit." Frasier said.
"I'm not here for a visit." Niles said. "I'm here to see-."
"Hello, Dr. Crane." Daphne said as her cheeks began to burn.
Niles rubbed his hands nervously. "Hello-Daphne. So... Are you ready to go?"
"Yes, but would you like some breakfast before we leave?"
"That sounds wonderful." Niles said, making his way toward the table. As
Daphne served Niles some French toast and eggs, their eyes met, causing her heart to warm when she saw him smile at her.
Frasier, meanwhile, stared at his brother in confusion. "Leave? Where are you going?"
"Oh, well... Daphne and I-."
"Your brother is taking me on a trip." Daphne said.
Frasier's eyes narrowed. "A trip? What sort of trip?"
Niles laughed nervously. "Oh it's just-."
"Not that it's any of your business, but Niles says it's a surprise!" Daphne snapped as she cleared Niles' breakfast dishes.
"Here, let me help you." He said, rising from the table. Niles followed her into the kitchen and began rinsing off the dishes before putting them into the dishwasher.
"Don't mind your brother." Daphne said. "We're going to have a wonderful time."
"Thank you. Daphne." Niles said.
"Well... dishes are all done. They can wait to be washed until we get back. Shall we go?"
"That sounds like a wonderful idea." Niles said.
They walked into the living room where Daphne hugged Martin and Frasier goodbye.
"Now don't worry about a thing." Daphne said. "I won't be gone that long and your brother will take good care of Me."
"I'm sure you will Son, but drive safely." Martin said.
"Dr. Crane would never let anything happen to me." Daphne said reaching for Niles hand.
"Absolutely not. Not in a million-."
"Niles-." Martin interjected. "You'd better get going. And call when you get there. We want to make sure you made it there safely."
Niles smiled. "We will. Thanks Dad." He said, hugging his father warmly.
Ignoring Frasier's protests, they walked out of the condo and into the elevator.
Daphne could feel her heart beating rapidly as they were whisked to the parking garage.
"I'm so excited I can hardly wait! It's sure to be a lovely day. The forecast said sunny skies."
"Even if it rains it will be a wonderful day because you're here and-."
Niles stopped suddenly; his face reddening when she smiled at his words.
Silently he climbed into the car and fastened his seatbelt. Within seconds they were pulling out of the parking garage onto the street.
"So where are we going?" Daphne asked.
"You'll see when we get there." Niles replied.
"All right." Daphne replied. With a sigh she leaned back against the plush leather passenger seat of Niles' BMW.
"Are you cold? I have a blanket in the back seat in case of... emergencies." He said.
"I am a bit chilly." Daphne admitted.
Niles pulled over on the side of the road and grabbed the blanket from his emergency kit. As lovingly as possible, he draped it over her body and then started the car once more.
"Thank you, Dr. Crane." She said.
"I'll turn the heat on for you as well."
She reached out and squeezed his hand. "You're so kind, Dr. Crane."
He cleared his throat nervously and put in a CD of classical music as they headed out of town.
After about an hour of small talk, and before they even reached Olympia, the state capitol, Daphne drifted off to sleep.
Niles drove silently, steering the car toward Hwy 101 and down the Oregon coast, finding it difficult not to steal glances of his angel while she slept next to him.
Instead he took great care to keep his eyes on the road that curved in and out, providing glimpses of the gorgeous Pacific Ocean in the distance.
A mileage sign indicated that they were approaching one of his favorite cities; Cannon Beach. But where they were headed was still a long way away.
He only hoped that Daphne would be happy when she realized where he was taking her. For he wanted nothing more than to make his angel happy.