But things didn't improve and in fact, they became worse. Her friend was pregnant and Daphne had no idea what she was going to do. She needed to help Roz, but how? Daphne knew little to nothing about pregnancy and raising children and Roz knew even less. It would be easy to chastise Roz and scold her for being so irresponsible, but if Daphne had been the one who had become pregnant, she would want all of the support she could get. She loved Roz and intended to do everything possible to help her.

Brushing away the relentless tears Daphne angrily ripped off the fake lashes, yelping at the pain. Some costume. She hoped that she wouldn't be crying like this forever. There was no telling what-

She froze at the muffled commotion that made its way into the kitchen. Curious, she pushed open the swinging door, surprised to see a crowd gathered in the center of the living room. And in the middle were Frasier and Niles. They were arguing about something and Martin (bless his heart) was trying his best to break it up. His best, as it turned out, wasn't very good at all. No longer able to stand seeing the Crane men fight, Daphne stormed up to them, much to Martin's dismay.
"What is wrong with you two?" She shouted. "You should be ashamed of yourselves!"
"Daphne, just stay out of this!" Frasier barked. "It has nothing at all to do with you!"
"Don't speak to her that way!" Niles yelled.

Daphne couldn't help but smile. Leave it to Niles to come to her rescue in a way.

"I'll speak to her any way I want to speak to her!" Frasier yelled. "She's my employee!"

"Frasier, Daphne is not just an employee! She's-."

"STOP IT, both of you!" Daphne yelled. "What in the bloody hell is going on?"

"Frasier is… an insensitive jackass!" Niles said. "How dare you yell at Daphne? Can't you see that she's…?"

"Dr. Crane, please! I'm fine!"

When she wiped her eyes once more, he reached into his pocket and handed her his handkerchief. Why, when his brother had done the same thing just days before, did Niles' action have a completely different effect on her? She took it from him gratefully and smiled as she used it to blot her eyes.

"Thank you, Dr. Crane."

He softened a bit and smiled. And then to her surprise, he moved closer to her and took her hand. When he brought it to his lips, her heart skipped a beat and a collective gasp could be heard among the guests. And at that moment, she knew that the tears that had fallen on her cheeks were not the result of her wretched false eyelashes.

"Dr. Crane…"

Like a scene from the most romantic movie she'd ever watched, Niles lowered himself to one knee, causing yet another collective gasp among the crowd. Could he really be-?

"Dr. Crane?"

He looked up at her. "Daphne I must say that you look incredibly beautiful this evening."

Self-consciously she touched the braids in her hair. God bless Roz for working so hard to do them.

"Thank you, Dr. Crane. You look quite handsome as well. I've always loved the story of Cyrano de Bergerac. It's so romantic, don't you think?"

"I-I do. But more importantly, I think Frasier is a complete jackass for deserting you like this in your time of need."

Her mouth fell open. She was anxious to go home, that was certain but she was hardly-

"My-."

"Look at you. So innocent and glowing. You're absolutely stunning."

Her hand went to her chest and more tears began to fall. "Dr. Crane, please…"

"Daphne, you deserve someone who will love, protect and care for you forever. And I want to be that man. I promise to provide for you and your child and love him or her as my own."

She felt as though she might faint. She was hardly ready to have children. Yet here he was, promising-

"Dr. Crane, I-I don't…"

"Of course you don't. You're scared and you feel as though you're all alone. But you're not alone. I don't want you to ever feel that way. So I'm asking you, Daphne Moon. Will you marry me?"

She couldn't breathe, couldn't even think. Although there was the slightest possibility that this romantic scene was a way to add a moment of drama to impress his guests, she knew deep down that he wasn't acting.

She kept her gaze directed to Niles, but she could feel the stares of the guests around her, the way Niles' hands were warm and soft in hers and Frasier's incessant protests. But nothing was louder than the sound of her beating heart that rang in her ears.

This moment, this wonderful moment was like a dream come true. And there was only one way to respond to Niles' question.

"Yes."