It was hard to breathe. The room seemed to be closing in on him at an alarming rate. Daphne had gone for a walk? Alone? Surely she must have known that there had been several reports of bear sightings in the area. Niles, of course, in all of the years that he'd been the owner of the cabin, had never actually encountered a bear (the thought made him shiver), but over time he'd made it a priority to learn to be "bear-aware".
If there was one thing he'd discovered, it was that it paid to be able to sense danger in the wild, even if he would never actually ever dream of venturing out into the wild. But even so, he was well aware of the danger; not only of bears, but of wolves, lynx… and everyone knew about the owls.
But, thank God for small favors, it was still too early in the year for crickets and mosquitoes.
He wasn't sure if it was a psychic vision or pure panic, but he knew without a doubt that Daphne was in danger. He had to save her, no matter what.
If only he had a gun. The thought surprised him. He'd never needed one before, nor had he ever had a desire to own one, even with his father's background as a Seattle Police Officer. Guns were dangerous; his mother had warned him and Frasier time and again to stay away from guns at all costs. But now things were different.
He was prepared to save Daphne at all costs. She was worth more to him than anything.
"Oh, hello Dr. Crane."
He looked up, feeling faint. She was safe.
"How was your drive?"
He forced himself to speak. "Um, fine."
"I'm sorry that I wasn't back when you returned. I thought that I would be but-."
Overcome with relief, he engulfed her into his arms, afraid to let go. Clearly the gesture surprised her.
"Dr. Crane?"
He gave her one last gentle squeeze and then let go, albeit reluctantly.
"I-I saw your note and I didn't know-."
"I'm sorry. I just needed some air." She pulled off her gloves and blew warm air into her hands. "I'm just not used to being cooped up, I guess, what with taking care of your father and running errands for your father."
Numb with relief, he helped her remove her coat while she chattered away about something or another. It only took him a few seconds to realize that it was not her coat in his hands but his down jacket. He wanted nothing more than to slip it around his shoulders to feel her warmth. But instead he did as he always did when her back was turned; he leaned in close and inhaled the scent of her hair. It was, as always, wonderfully intoxicating.
She approached him carefully. "I'm sorry if I frightened you, Dr. Crane."
"It's okay. It's just… You know…"
She laughed and turned to face him. "You're right you know. The woods can be very dangerous. But don't worry, Dr. Crane. I was very careful."
He stared at her for a moment before speaking again. "If you will give me a few minutes, I'll light a fire for you." He hoped that the gesture would make her feel as warm as she had made him feel the day before when he had been the one to come in from the bitter cold.
When she sat down on the sofa, he picked up the blanket that lay over the armrest and draped it around her shoulders. She lifted her hair to assist him but he caught another whiff of her hair, nearly dropping the blanket in the process.
She looked at him thoughtfully. "Do you know what just occurred to me?"
His hand brushed the back of her neck and it was then that he realized how cold she really was. He wished that he had another blanket readily available or that he could quickly go and turn up the thermostat. But he couldn't bring himself to leave her.
"No, what?"
There was a time when both you and I were living in London." She gazed longingly at the picture on the puzzle box.
He nodded. "That's true. We have both lived in London, haven't we?"
"Yes, but I mean that we both lived there at the same time at one point. We might have even run into each other."
Niles shook his head and tried not to laugh at the absurdity. "That's impossible. I would have remembered."
"But we could have-."
"I would have remembered." His words were sincere. There was absolutely no way on earth that he would have forgotten her face, lest they had seen each other in London. Anyone who could ever forget the angelic face of Daphne Moon, even after one glance, definitely needed therapy.
She looked at him, pulling him in with her warm brown eyes. He busied himself by tending to the fire and then retreated into the kitchen where he prepared two warm drinks. It was a nice distraction from the temptation of kissing her. He couldn't kiss her, not now, perhaps not ever. But God, how he wanted to.
He was rewarded with her smile as he put the warm mug of apple cider into her hands. He hoped that she noticed that he'd made a point to prepare it just the way she liked; a cinnamon stick, lemon juice and a splash of brandy. She'd never actually told him that she liked her cider this way, but it was simply a reward of having listened to her every word during his visits to Frasier's.
His eyes moved from her beautiful face to the coffee table where she was once again pouring over the cover of the puzzle box. The sight made him smile. But then he noticed something else. His eyes moved to the object that lay next to the puzzle box. It was one of his books. He leaned forward to get a closer look.
"Love is Where it Falls." She said, as though by way of explanation. "I found it on your bookshelf while you were gone to Seattle. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all. How did you like it?"
"Well, I'm afraid that I haven't gotten very far. But the first part of the book is very good. I thought it was sweet, the way he remembered so clearly the first time he saw her, even after all of those years."
"Folding laundry." He hadn't meant to blurt out the first words that came to his mind, but… there they were.
Not surprisingly, she looked at him in confusion. "Folding laundry? No, she was on the phone."
"I mean you. You were folding laundry."
"I'm sorry?"
He sat down beside her and smiled. "The first time I saw you, you were taking clothes out of the laundry basket, shaking them out and sorting them into piles." He was certain that she thought him crazy, but it wouldn't be the first time.
"I might have." She said after a brief pause. "I don't remember."
"I remember it like it was yesterday." He continued. "You were wearing a long, unbuttoned denim shirt with a white shirt underneath. And a pair of slim black pants."
She looked uncomfortable. "Oh… All right."
"You were wearing a silver pendant on a black chain around your neck. Your hair was long and you looked absolutely beautiful."
She looked away and self-consciously touched her hair. "Dr. Crane…"
"I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable. I was just remembering. It's a nice memory." That, of course, was an understatement. It was the memory he cherished most.
His heart sank. He wished, oh how he wished that she remembered that moment as fondly as he. But he could tell that she did not. And he certainly didn't expect her to. Most likely she remembered her first meeting with Donny with the same fondness. He felt that way about Mel once upon a time.
"So…" he said by way of changing the subject. "Any thoughts on passionate friendship?"
"Wh-what?"
He began thumbing through the pages. "In the book-."
"I told you… I haven't gotten that far yet, but it sounds like a lovely idea."
"Yes, lovely." He echoed. "Does that mean that you've reconsidered calling me Niles instead of Dr. Crane?"
But she bowed her head and took a sip of her cider, giving him his answer. "It's not right."
"I see." He said, although he didn't see at all. "Well, I won't pressure you. But don't think for a moment that you're off the hook on this one."
It was meant to be taken lightly, but when she looked at him in alarm, he realized that his tone was harsher than intended. To soften the blow, he smiled, earning a smile in return.
"Why don't we get started on dinner?" he suggested.
"All right."
He picked up the grocery bags that he'd placed on the table and went into the kitchen. To his relief, Daphne followed him.