Meeting Mel Karnofsky was fate; there was no other possible explanation. It was a strange and wonderful feeling, similar to what he'd experienced almost sixteen years earlier when he'd met and fallen in love with Maris. But despite the similarities, his feelings for Mel were different; stronger. He smiled to himself. After so much heartache, could it really be possible that he'd finally found the woman with whom he was meant to be?
If he could not have Daphne (and in fact he could not. She had given her heart to his divorce lawyer, Donny Douglas… And he'd been reminded of that painful evening ever since), Mel filled the empty place in his heart, making the pain of losing the angelic physical therapist (when he'd never really had her to begin with) subside. But despite his love for Mel, the reality that Daphne belonged to someone else hurt. It hurt a lot. No… more than that. It hurt deeply. In times such as these, he relied on the advice that he'd given his patients who had experienced losses of many different kinds, he knew that he had to find a way to go on.
The image of Mel returned to his mind almost immediately (although truthfully it rarely left), and his heart skipped a beat at the possibility that he'd finally found someone to share his life with.
After many failed (and cowardly) attempts and so many minor cosmetic procedures (all skillfully performed by Mel of course… he trusted no one else) he'd finally, joyfully succeeded in asking her out on a date. It had been a simple evening; just dinner and dancing at Seattle's most exclusive restaurant and ballroom (Mel certainly had connections), but it was an evening that Niles would never forget.
From that moment on, Niles and Mel were inseparable. They went everywhere and did almost everything together… except, of course, in situations where Niles' presence, in Mel's eyes, would hinder her position in society. He couldn't deny that the thought hurt. That there were times when Mel was, in a sense, ashamed to be seen with him. But as someone who did everything that he could to protect his reputation, he could somewhat understand how she felt.
Once he finally persuaded her to meet his family, he couldn't have been more proud to show her off. And he was all too happy to brag about her accomplishments. He was well aware that neither his father nor his brother approved of the new woman in his life. Their opinions were that Mel was too overbearing, too much like Maris. That she was antagonistic and self-centered. But Niles knew better. It was all complete and utter balderdash.
It hurt of course, knowing that his family disapproved of his choice for a mate, but Niles paid them no mind. He was happy and he intended to stay that way. He deserved happiness. He knew that his dad was just looking out for him, but in Frasier's case it was pure jealousy.
Their whole lives he and Frasier competed for awards, prestige and sometimes even women. But this time it was Niles who had won the beautiful girl, while Frasier remained single. His conscious told him that such thoughts were cruel, but in a strange and very unethical way, knowing that Frasier was single somehow eased his anxiety about his family's disapproval of Mel.
But there was one family member who was happy for him, or so it seemed. To her credit, Daphne had no unkind words to say about Mel. Perhaps she really and truly was happy for him. He knew her well enough to know that when Daphne Moon disliked something or someone she spoke her mind. Oh how he wished that he could be as bold as she. Daphne simply took him aside and told him that she was happy for him. Her words, the way she spoke to him, telling him that she was glad he'd found love again after enduring such a painful divorce, gave him every reason to believe that her words were sincere. And that made him happy.
Despite that small amount of encouragement, there was no ignoring the voice in his head that told him that the negativity toward Mel was a sign of things to come.
Mel definitely had a temper, one that surfaced easily and frequently; most often when Niles did or said something that she disapproved of. Like Maris, Mel was often quick (sometimes painfully so) to point out his faults. Yet, they were faults which oftentimes seemed to be a bit excessive.
However he tried his best not to let her insensitivity bother him. After all, during his twelve-year marriage, Maris had commented on his faults on a daily basis. But Mel had a way of spinning what were more often than not hurtful comments about his appearance or his integrity into something that she called constructive criticism.
After a while, he began to believe that the comments were helpful and even necessary. He didn't like hearing such things of course but he knew that if he really loved her… and he did love her… he would simply have to endure.
Even on that fateful first meeting in Mel's office, she'd pointed out the wrinkles on his forehead. He was mildly offended by her comment and had anyone else been the one to mention his skin quality, he might have lost his temper. But with Mel (and Maris as well) he'd learned that it was best not to become defensive. It worked for the most part but Mel reminded him frequently hat had he been courageous enough to ask her out sooner, their relationship would have been a lot stronger. Perhaps she was right, as much as he hated to admit it.
As the weeks passed, his love for her grew and one night, as they stood at her doorstep, he'd closed his eyes and kissed her. It was the end of yet another wonderful evening (the symphony this time), and it held the promise of many more.