Chapter VII: Who's The Boss?

Frasier's outburst was horrible. Not that Roz listened. There were so many words, and some of them were not even in English. So she didn't care. She got the gist of it and that meant driving back to her apartment and talking to Daphne. Her attempts to convince Frasier otherwise fell on deaf ears. They were on their way to her apartment and there was nothing Roz could do about it. She wondered if she should warn Daphne, but then again she didn't care so much anymore. Frasier and his family were a bunch of crazy people. What could she do, but follow along and hopefully end the madness?

Daphne startled when she heard the key turn in the lock. As she saw Roz enter – alone – she felt relived. But the feeling didn't last long, because a short moment later Frasier stormed in. His huge forehead was reddened; he was flushed with anger. At the moment, Daphne didn't care. She was angry herself, but with Roz. She stared at her so-called friend angrily. Roz merely shrugged.

"Sorry, but I'm just too tired to play this game." Roz flopped herself onto the couch and sighed contently.

"Daphne, why didn't you tell us?" But Daphne wasn't concerned with Frasier. She was still looking at Roz, feeling betrayed. After all she had promised her to not say anything to Frasier. Daphne wished she hadn't come to Roz for help. She should have gone somewhere else. Like she shouldn't have stayed with Niles the night before. She cringed. Not because of the memory, but suddenly her brain registered what Frasier had just said: 'Why didn't you tell us?' So Roz hadn't just blabbed about her whereabouts, she had told Frasier what had happened between his brother and her!

"You should have heard Niles yell, Daphne. He was hysterical. It was like looking into a Chihuahua's eyes." Forgetting everything else for a moment, both Frasier and Daphne stared at Roz, who decided to defend her actions.

"They might be small and ugly, but they always look at you as if you could save them!" Roz complained.

"Daphne," Frasier overtook the situation, like he always did, "Please, come home. Dad is driving me crazy. Not to mention Niles. We've all been worried sick."

"I'm sorry about that. But I won't be coming back."

"But-" Daphne interrupted him, shaking her head no. Her expression was one of sadness. The decision hadn't come to her easily, but it was the only way to deal with it. The way Frasier looked at her, she knew he disagreed, but he didn't understand. Neither of them understood, it seemed. Not what all of this meant to Daphne.

"I can't continue to work for you and your father, Dr. Crane. I will be looking for another job." Her decision sounded too final in the small living room. No one seemed to know what to reply.

"My father will kill me if I let you go. Or I will kill him, because who is going to stop me?" Frasier's attempt at humor fell short, and his own smile didn't even reach his eyes.

"I screwed up, Dr. Crane." Roz, unseen, rolled her eyes at Daphne. Frasier did see it though.

"I know about you and Niles. If... he didn't force himself on you, did he?"

"No! Why does everyone think that? No. No, he didn't." Daphne's voice changed from angry to soft, remembering. They might have been overwhelmed with passion at first, but then they had gone slower, gentler. Discovering each other's bodies. But it never should have happened, no matter how beautiful it had turned out to be. Daphne felt the upcoming loss already. She would even miss Eddie. Behind her eyes, she felt new tears threatening to fall.

"Then I'm at a loss. Where is the big problem? Niles has always wanted to..." Frasier realized his mistake and trailed off. Daphne was unsure how to react. She felt the truth of it in her heart. An unfinished sentence still, but she had filled the gaps. Niles had wanted her. Not just the night before, no, longer. So many questions were burning her from the inside; when, why... how? She didn't ask any of them. Her tongue was tied, just like her heart was.

"What has he always wanted?" Roz asked instead of Daphne, curiously. At that moment, Daphne was almost glad for her presence. Maybe she had been wrong after all. Her judgment might have been clouded. She watched Frasier struggle with an answer – he was as bad a liar as his brother was – her heart beating crazily. She didn't even know if she wanted him to confirm, or deny Niles' feelings.

"Frasier, come on, spill. I told you something I wasn't supposed to!" Roz reminded him, but he still seemed reluctant to tell them. He looked at Daphne. There was so much pain and guilt written on her face. Something else, something like fear as well. Frasier realized this wasn't his battle to win, or lose. They had to fight for themselves.

"Daphne, Niles has been in love with you for the last four years." Daphne seemed to choke when she heard the words. They registered, and settled in her stomach. She had to sit down, overwhelmed with too many emotions. She felt a hand on her shoulder, but wasn't sure if the hand belonged to Frasier or Roz. Nothing mattered except for what she'd just found out. Niles was in love with her. She repeated it in her head, again and again.

"Wow, way to go, Niles," Roz's voice sounded far away to Daphne. "But wasn't he married to Maris all this time?" She continued on. Daphne should have been asking the questions, but she didn't find it in herself. Something had shifted. Inside of her; in her heart, in her mind. She couldn't quite grasp it yet, even though it felt so close to her. Almost in reach.

"I know," Frasier's soft-spoken words rang close to Daphne's ear. Suddenly, she seemed to snap out of her trance.

"That's why he never acted on his feelings." Frasier explained to Daphne, now only looking at her. Daphne was still preoccupied though; she thought of all the times Niles had complimented her, looked at her. Smiled at her. All the little things she had considered acts of kindness. He was in love with her. Daphne was torn between laughing and crying. He hadn't told her himself. Maybe he would have, if she hadn't left... suddenly, her emotions overcame her. Again.

"This makes everything so much worse." Daphne cried, covering her eyes to hide herself. To hide her emotions from herself and her two friends. In vain.

TBC