Niles paused and looked into Daphne's widened eyes. They were so kind, so full of life.
"I'm afraid I haven't been completely honest with you, and for that I'm sorry."
"What have you not been honest with me about?" questioned Daphne. He was starting to make her nervous.
Niles released her hand as their dance had stopped, and he guided her to the couch.
"Please sit. I need to get all of this out in the open." His chest was pounding, and he thought he might pass out. He steadied himself as he slowly sat down on the fainting couch beside Daphne.
"First of all, I need to thank you-"
"For what?" Daphne's voice had a sense of urgency, and his heart went out to her. He had a sudden pang of guilt for unloading all of this emotional baggage on her so suddenly.
"For being such a kind friend. Your friendship means the world to me," Niles said as his voice faltered. He cleared his thought and continued as Daphne sat patiently beside him. She grabbed his band for support as he continued. "Through my divorce and all the hardships that came out of that whole ordeal, you were an angel. You have always been so kind to me, and you often had confidence in me that I didn't have in myself. You have made me realize what true happiness is. Frasier once asked me if I was happy, and I had a surprising amount of difficulty with the question, but this time I have shared with you recently has made me truly happy for the first time in my life. I feel content and at ease with you."
"You are a good man, Niles. You have always treated me with kindness and respect. The fact that you've taken me to all of these places and shown me experiences I would never have been able to...I'm just a home healthcare worker for your father, but you, along with him and your brother, have made me feel like a part of the family. When I think about it I get weepy, because I never thought my life would be as good as it is now." Daphne's eyes were tearing up, and it was tugging at Niles. 'Stay the course!' he was shouting in his mind.
"You are so much more to us than an employee! You have changed all our lives for the better, especially mine. Daphne, you are the most caring, beautiful, thoughtful, selfless woman I have ever met. When I first saw you at Frasier's I knew I was forever changed. I knew I could not go back to living my life as I once did. You have had a profound impact on me, and I have to be completely honest with you. Daphne Moon, I love you. I am in love with you. I tried to deny it. I tried to put it out of my mind because I feared it would ruin our friendship, and I cannot overstate the importance of your friendship. I know that this is sudden, and I know you are seeing Donny. I'm sorry to do this now, and the last thing I want to do is put you in an awkward position, so I can accept if you do not share my feelings, and I am willing to go back to the way things were. The choice is yours, and I will respect your feelings wither way," Niles suddenly stopped, because he feared his tears may fall if he were to continue, and he was determined not to cry in front of Daphne. This had the potential to be humiliating enough on its own.
Daphne looked at him stunned, but she maintained eye contact. Niles sat silently; he was going to be patient and let this revelation wash over her slowly. She needed time to process this.
Tears formed in her eyes as she said, "Niles, I have always had feelings for you, too, but I thought I was being daft and inappropriate. I am the help, and you are out of my league," Niles tried to interrupt, but she held up her hand. "No, please let me get this out first. I am a poor working-class girl from Manchester who just got lucky enough to live with your father and brother in Seattle. I have dated average men that I felt I could offer something to. Take Donny, for instance. He is successful and financially secure, but he has a 'blue collar presence' and roughness that makes him more familiar territory or someone like me. You are successful, publish academic articles, play squash, listen to opera, and you're in a wine club. That's always been intimidating to me. I have always felt that you deserved someone of your own class" Silent tears streamed down her face, but her hand remined clasped in Niles'.
"I hope I have never given you the impression that I felt that you were beneath me in any way, Daphne! That's absurd! I have always admired you. You're not like those society women...you're so much more. You're so sure of yourself, so honest, and you know who you are. I have always feel like a fake. I'm always faking it to fit in with people I feel like I should associate with. That's why I had to tell you how I feel. I want to be honest with you. I don't want to be fake anymore"
"Niles, I love you, too."
Daphne decided it was her turn to be bold. She leaned over and kissed Niles softly. Niles anxiety vanished, and his heart was so full he thought it might burst. He put his years of emotion into the kiss as is deepened. Niles ran his hands gently up and down her back and she brushed her fingers against is jawline.
She was the first to pull away.
"Daphne, I love you so much. Do you think this is something we can continue? I-I mean, you and me in a relationship?"
"Well, I suppose I need to speak with Donny. This is all so sudden, but it's been building up for a long time. Does that even make sense?"
"I feel the same way. I will follow your lead on this. I want you to make your decision in your own time."
"Oh, Niles. Don't you see? I choose you! I just need to let Donny know before things go any further. I want to treat him with respect, because he's been kind to me. Things aren't serious. I mean, he hasn't professed love or anything, but we have been spending quite a bit of tie together over the past month."
Niles could have cried tears of joy at the moment. A sense of relief washed over him as he finally heard Daphne's declaration of her feelings for him. She talked about her luck when she moved into Frasier's apartment, but nothing could compare to how lucky he felt now. He poured another glass of wine, not wanting to make this evening last as long as possible.
"I agree completely. You should speak with Donny as soon as you're ready. Do you think he will be amicable?"
"I think so. He's hot-headed, but since we haven't taken our relationship to the 'next level,' I think he will ok."
Niles cringed when he thought about the 'next level,' but he was pleasantly relieved to hear that Daphne had not slept with that man-that troll.
He slowly kissed her hand. "Well, you know I will be here to support you however you need. Just ask, and I will be there."