Chapter II: Nightmares Do Come True
When Daphne woke, all she noticed was a ringing sound close by. With her eyes still closed, her hands fumbled in the darkness, not finding anything. Eventually, she opened her eyes. She found her crazily blinking watch easily on a bedside table. Only then did she realize that she was not in her bed and not even in her own home. This was a strange room, a strange bed. Immediately, she was fully awake. Daphne took the watch and stopped the alarm. Turning around, she knew she had to check if she was right; if she really was where she feared to be.
She'd only been in Dr. Crane's bedroom once before. At least she only remembered the one time. Still, she recognized it easily enough. Not only was she in his bedroom, but in his bed. And he was right there next to her. The relief she felt upon seeing he was still asleep made her feel guilty. The longer she was awake herself, the faster the memories returned to her – and with them the guilt increased. Her stomach clenched. The man next to her was Dr. Niles Crane. No matter how intensely she looked at him, or how often she told herself, the impact of it was too hard to grasp. So she continued to stare at his sleeping form. She knew him differently now, in a way. Her face felt hot just thinking about it. They shouldn't have done this, she thought bitterly.
There was no denying he looked cute when he was asleep. Almost beautiful. Daphne knew men didn't like to be called beautiful. Then again, Dr. Crane wasn't like most other men. She enjoyed seeing him like that, because she had never seen him this peaceful before. She tore herself away from the sight, before it was too late. Carefully, and as silently as possible, she got up from the bed. There was a soft squeak and her heartbeat fastened, always afraid any noise would wake him up. Luckily, he slept on. She didn't know what she would have done had he woken up. She couldn't face any questions he might ask her. There were no answers. All Daphne knew was that she had to go home and take her pills. Nothing else mattered at the moment, because she wouldn't let it. Running away wasn't a solution, but avoiding a scene was just so much easier than dealing with this mess.
Daphne found her clothes scattered around the room and put them on. Each garment provoked a memory and filled her with even more guilt. They shouldn't have done this, she thought again. This time she felt sadness and anger, because Daphne blamed herself. She'd seduced him – poor Dr. Crane! The only man who had always been nice to her. Part of her blamed Sherry though. The thought of the other woman in the Crane household immediately angered her. 'You need a man', the shrill voice still rang like a dangerous, unwanted mantra in her head. Maybe Sherry had been right, but it didn't matter. Daphne had picked the only man she felt secure around, the only man she felt she could confide to. Then when she saw him, something had possessed her. The heat in her head, the heat in her body had made him look so different. But he hadn't been a different man; still Dr. Niles Crane. Tears threatened to fall, because Daphne thought of the friendship they shared. The one she'd destroyed now.
Daphne couldn't help but look at him again before she left the bedroom. He looked so peaceful, so untouched by what had happened earlier. Just thinking about it cloaked her throat. She couldn't. Not yet. There were going to be so many repercussions and she couldn't deal with them just yet. She felt a desire to touch his face, his hair. She knew how his skin felt against hers and her fingers tingled thinking about it... Daphne stopped her train of thoughts. She had to. All of this was wrong. Once again, she tore her eyes away from the sleeping man in the bed. Finally, she left quietly. It seemed as if she'd never been there in the first place. As if all of this had just been a nightmare.
TBC