A/N: Greetings! I have been very happy seeing a good bit of new Frasier fan fiction finally. This actually inspired me to resurrect a story I'd tried and until now failed to finish. Originally meant to be published by itself, for ease I decided to include it in a series of N&D one-shots within a multi-chapter story. I have a few other ideas on the proverbial back burner so there will be more. Some will be original stories and others will be based on actual episodes. Episode-based stories will be indicated as such in author notes.

A/N 2: All businesses, locales, and organizations are fictitious unless otherwise indicated, or are obviously from 'real life' such as the Space Needle.

"This was a wonderful evening, sweetheart."

Daphne turned to Niles as they stepped into the Montana, returning from a romantic 'date'.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," he said warmly. "And so did I. It's been too long since I've had my beautiful wife all to myself."

Daphne felt oddly shy as Niles' gaze lingered on her adoringly. She remembered how he had stared, almost breathless, when she'd come down the stairs, wearing a strapless, mint-green gown, her glossy hair tumbling over her bare shoulders.

"Daphne, you look...you..." he fumbled for words in an endearingly clumsy way. "You are so...you're stunning."

"Finally remembered how to speak?" Daphne teased, grinning playfully at him.

"You take my breath away, Daphne Crane," Niles said fondly.

"You're so sweet," Daphne replied."But enough compliments. We need to get to Dimitri's before we miss our reservation."

They started their evening at an elegant but cozy Greek restaurant, lingering over their food as Greek music played softly in the background. From there they went to the Starlight Room, dancing for hours and finishing with a passionate tango.

Daphne was brought out of her reminiscing by the sensation of Niles' lips on hers. She returned the kiss softly, and then pulled away to give him a warm, appreciative smile.

"Thank you for all of this. I know I felt a little guilty at first for 'leaving' David, but I know now how much we needed this."

Niles returned the smile, flattered and relieved. It had been three months since David had been born and three months since they'd really had any meaningful time just with each other. They loved him greatly, of course, but Niles knew that he and Daphne still had to nurture their own relationship.

Thus, they had left their son in the capable hands of Roz, who'd generously offered to babysit him overnight.

"After all, you two have months of catching up to do," she'd said none too subtly.

"The evening isn't over yet," Niles pointed out. "We could have a snack, or just talk, or..."

He let the sentence hang, and a hungry, longing look replaced his affectionate smile. Daphne felt a familiar. but always welcome, stirring within her. It had been so long since they'd given themselves to each other completely. Her pregnancy and the months following David's birth had gotten in the way. But now she had Niles to herself, with no interruptions.

"Why don't we continue this in our bedroom?" she whispered into his ear. The heat of her breath on his skin made Niles shiver, and he could only nod.

As Daphne disappeared into their expansive closet to (in her words) "slip into something more comfortable", Niles set the mood, lighting candles that he'd placed around the room and starting up what he called "Wagner for Lovers" on the CD player.

Everything was perfect when he heard the closet door open again. He turned around, smiling in anticipation, but what he saw made him draw up short.

Instead of wearing the sexy attire she had hinted at, Daphne was clad in her usual bathrobe, which she'd started wearing at night to make it easier to nurse David. But it wasn't her clothing that took Niles aback; he found her beautiful no matter what she wore. It was the look of hesitation and reluctance she was giving him.

He felt a flicker of guilt. Had he inadvertently made her feel pressured into making love with him?

"Daphne, you don't need to do this if you're not ready," he blurted. "We can always do this another night. I want you to feel safe, and comfortable."

"It's not you," Daphne said. Her voice caught slightly, and to Niles' dismay, she began to cry. "I want you, but-,"

Immediately, he pulled her into a gentle embrace.

"Daphne-my love—what's wrong?" he asked anxiously.

"I'm just afraid you won't find me attractive anymore!" she managed to choke out.

"Why? I want you, badly. I want to touch your beautiful body and please you in every way I can."

Sighing heavily, Daphne shrugged the robe off until the silky material pooled at her feet. She kicked it aside before gesturing at herself, pausing only when she noticed how Niles was gazing at her. As if-

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?" Niles asked.

"Like you still think I'm beautiful," Daphne explained.

"I don't think you're still beautiful. I know you're still beautiful," Niles said emotionally.

"Even like this? The stretch marks, the weight gain, just...the way my whole body has changed? Niles, are you just saying this to make me feel better? You can tell me how you really feel."

"That is how I really feel. There's not an inch of you I don't adore. And the changes? They remind me of how I finally found a woman who wants to have a child with me and give me what I dreamed of for so long."

Unable to express his feelings with words any longer, he kissed her deeply, his hands roaming her back, down to her backside. Daphne thrilled to his touch, her fears forgotten. She undressed him unprompted, hands shaking with anticipation. When she was finished, she stepped back and finally gave her husband a relieved, affectionate smile.

"Shall we begin?"

"With pleasure," Niles said, his voice husky.

The (many) moments that followed left no doubt in Daphne's mind that he desired her completely. The way he cherished her body, the way he kissed and touched her, spoke volumes. They moved in perfect sync until they reached the height of their passion.

"That was amazing," Daphne said when she was finally able to speak.

"Going without this for so long did have some advantages," Niles said playfully. "All the buildup, the anticipation, made it feel even more incredible."

"It did feel incredible after all this time," Daphne agreed. "But I still don't want to go so long without this, again."

Niles' gaze flitted to the clock on the nightstand.

"Well, we've got the rest of the night—and the morning," he pointed out flirtatiously. "It's not over yet."

(end)