Chapter 1

Everyone thought Niles was crazy for what he was doing. Well, everyone was only his father and his brother; he didn't have anyone else close enough to care outside of them.

But after what Niles had gone through, it was something he needed to do.

Maris, his wife - ex-wife, he would remind himself - had cheated on him, and been ruthless in the divorce. Any friends Niles thought he had sided with Maris, leaving him alone. Attempts to throw himself into his work didn't do much to alleviate the pain and loneliness. His passion for psychiatry dwindled, and in the months after his separation, Niles found himself depressed, just going through the motions.

That was when Niles decided he needed a fresh start. The plan was to leave Seattle and move somewhere far away, but one day, while driving to work, he caught sight of an old flower shop that was for sale. Tucked away down a back ally, it was dilapidated and seen better days. The sign - some trite, generic name like Happy Blooms - was faded and the interior was worn and unloved. The modest apartment above the store was included in the sale, and just as neglected as the rest of the shop.

Despite the condition of the property, an interest sparked in Niles that had been missing for months. The thought of owning the store and working as a florist - tending to flowers day in day out without worrying about anything else - appealed to him greatly.

Unable to shake the idea, he investigated further. And the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like the right decision. Within days, Niles had purchased the property, commenced winding down his psychiatry practice, and was picking out paint samples.

Convincing his family that it was a good idea was another matter. Niles wasn't overly close to either his father or brother, despite living in the same city as them both. The three of them had a monthly dinner together, and before his divorce Niles would invite Frasier to events Maris was unable to attend, but it was an amicable relationship at best. However, they were supportive during his divorce when Niles had needed support the most. Despite this however, while the monthly dinners with his family had become weekly, not a lot else with their relationship had changed.

His father, Martin, didn't think it was a good idea, but if it was what Niles wanted to do, he wasn't going to interfere. His only criticism was the name. "If you're going to do this, at least pick something easy, something people can pronounce and spell. You're not going to get any business with a name like that."

Martin's attempt at pronouncing the shop name came out as 'Percy-phone' and, on correction, didn't bother referring to it by name again. Niles' explanation behind the name didn't do anything to assuage Martin's fears that it would be anything but detrimental to business.

Frasier, the older of the two brothers, was bemused by the decision. He called it his younger brother's 'midlife crisis', and tried to talk Niles out of the decision multiple times. But when he realized that Niles wasn't going to be swayed, Frasier let him be, content with checking in every month or so to see if Niles had come to his senses yet.

Frasier approved of the name, of course, but not the business. "A flower shop? Really, Niles. Why not dedicate your time to something more esoteric. Use your knowledge to, I don't know, run a bookstore on Greek philosophy or French literature."

Niles knew what Frasier was getting at, but part of the point of his decision was to abandon his old life. And along with that, anything that might have him running in those same circles again.

Both Martin and Frasier were concerned at the drastic changes Niles' life was doing, however, and the tour Niles gave them of the store he had just purchased didn't seem to lessen those concerns.

"So, you're planning to rent out the upstairs apartment?" Frasier asked, looking around the half finished space. Niles had some modest funds from his divorce, and was using that to fix the building up. He'd completely gutted the interior, and was rebuilding it from scratch.

"Actually, I thought I'd move in myself. My current place is expensive, and this will save me money. Plus the commute will be a breeze." Niles chuckled to himself at the joke, considering he'd only have to walk downstairs. "Besides, it's so central to everything downtown."

"It's nice, son. But are you sure you're not acting a bit rash? It's only been a few months since your divorce. Give things time to settle." Martin was trying to be supportive, but was concerned at how much his son was abandoning his old life. Martin didn't even know if these changes were the best for Niles. He knew his son, or at least thought he did.

"I know it's sudden, but I've been restless for a while now. It was either this, or move to a completely new city or country." He ignored the surprised and worried looks from his family at that previously unmentioned information. "Besides, I'm a bachelor again. I don't need to live somewhere so large. This..." He looked around, somewhat sadly. "This is enough."

Eventually Persephone was ready to move into and open for business.

Niles had spent all his free time researching how to run this type of business; from marketing to stock take. He decided on trying to keep his product - the flowers, plants and other miscellany - local, so he reached out to farms, artisans and small businesses in the area. He hadn't completely changed - despite the different direction in life, Niles still had a fondness for and an air of sophistication, and Persephone exuded the presence of being a high end establishment.

And now, six months after opening, business wasn't booming, but it was just enough. Niles found there was enough going on to occupy his days so he wasn't dwelling on what he had lost. The upstairs apartment was practically unrecognizable after his renovations and was comfortable and cozy in a way The Montana or his home with Maris never was. Niles wouldn't say he was happy, but he was distracted enough to be content.

Nights were the hardest. Even though he was used to sleeping alone, Niles still found his thoughts drifting to the void in his life. That feeling that something was missing. He would lie awake, wondering how long it would take to feel alive again. The way he did before his divorce, before his relationships fell apart.

But then she arrived, and Niles realized he had never truly felt alive before.

A/N: This is a current fic that I started posting on AO3. As I'm slowly cross-posting all my non-explicit fics from AO3 to FFN, this one will be updated here as well, as I don't have any plans for this fic to be explicit.

Feel free to check out my AO3 for anything not posted here, or to give me some extra love there (link is in my profile).