Kissing Roz felt like the end of the world. Except that the end of the world looked like a vividly colored sunset. It sounded like his favorite opera played by the best orchestra in the whole world. And it tasted like a rich, powerful wine tasted in just the right temperature. It was everything he never thought possible. Every protest he might have wanted to utter a moment ago disappeared in the little air they shared. Roz knew exactly what she was doing; sucking on his button lip, Niles couldn't help but sigh against her. In return he felt her smile against his lips as she deepened the kiss. His hands found their way to her hips while hers were roaming over his body seemingly everywhere. In the back of his mind, he realized that this was Roz. Roz! He knew he should stop this nonsense immediately. Except his body didn't think of any of this as wrong. No, it participated happily.

"Guys, guys I believe you! Roz, please is it my turn now?" Sean's voice bellowed from outside and it finally broke the moment between Roz and Niles. Their mouths separated but neither of them moved their head away. They stared at each other still breathing the same air and neither was sure what to say or do next.

"Sorry, Sean," Niles said and licked his lips, "I think we need some more time to get to… know each other." Niles just watched as Roz' confused expression turned into a loving smile. He'd never seen her smile like that before; softly, genuinely. He was really getting to know her, he realized. This wasn't the annoying woman his life had accidentally clashed with because she worked with his brother. This was them, raw and new, seeing each other for the very first time.

"I guess I'll go then." Not that either of them cared about Sean's feeling, but he sounded hurt. They heard him shuffle away. With any other guy who possessed a certain amount of intelligence they would have been wary and wondering if he'd really left. Sean, however, wasn't clever enough to pretend anything just so he could get a glimpse of Niles and Roz.

"So you still want to leave?" Roz asked absent-mindedly biting her lip.

"I thought we were playing this heaven game."

"Niles, do you have any idea what seven minutes in heaven even is?"

"Of course," Roz raised her eyebrows, "not. I figured it had something to do with kissing. Quite frankly it sounds juvenile and I don't know why educated adults would be interested in such things."

"They aren't. It's a game you play in high school."

"Oh."

"Yeah. So do you want to leave?" She put emphasis on the leave.

"I've never been to parties when I was in high school," Niles mused. His hands were still on Roz' hips. It felt just right having them there. "so I guess this is another thing I never got to experience." Just because it was juvenile and beneath him didn't mean he had no interest whatsoever. He had often wondered what other kids his age had been doing. Now he had finally gotten a taste and quite literally, too.

"Do you want to experience it?" Roz asked him with wide eyes.

"I'm not sure. Up until Sean interrupted us, it was nice." Niles wasn't sure what he was doing, but he knew he wasn't ready to let go of Roz or this moment.

"It's just a game." Roz told him. But for Niles it wasn't. If they kept this inside of here, inside this dingy closet, no one would ever know. Not Frasier, not Daphne; it would be their own dirty secret. It was the safest way out, Niles knew that. It was also cheap and it wasn't like him at all. He conjured up Daphne's image and it blurred before him, morphing into Roz. Who was standing there waiting for an answer. Daphne had no idea about his feelings. For all he knew she was just getting to know someone else better. She might be falling in love with her soulmate. And all the while Roz was here with him. Just waiting for him to make a move. For once Niles decided to go with his feelings right there and then.

"Can we play it a moment longer?" He finally asked with a sheepish grin. Roz didn't really need to think about it; whatever happened inside here, it would stay right there. Between coats and unfamiliar scents. A secret lodged between two walls, never to be spoken of ever again. So she did the only reasonable thing: she leaned forward and captured Niles' mouth with her own. For another few minutes in heaven. Or hell.

THE END