Daphne steps into Dr. Crane's empty office (he's apparently at the toilet, according to Mrs. Woodson) and her eyes open wide as soon as they land on the desk.
Dr. Crane's secretary has let her in immediately with a knowing smile, alleging that her boss would get quite upset if he saw that his friend and brother's employee (as well as his father's physiotherapist) had been told to wait outside his office. It looks like he's talked to Mrs. Woodson about her some time, and must have sung her praises, or otherwise the woman would have treated her like any other visitor and invited her to take a seat in the waiting room.
But the reason why Daphne nearly short-circuits upon entering the office, is that there is a statuette of a dragon on the desk, next to a gift bag. Apparently someone has given it to him as a present, and he's left it there right before going to the toilet. Dr. Crane is an extremely tidy man; not at all the type to drop his things anywhere.
But it isn't the fact that that extravagant object is completely out of place what disturbs her, but the fact that she's seen that same dragon in a vision, just the night before. Does that mean what she thinks it means? If that is so, then she's had the answer right in front of her all the time and she's been too blind to see it. Being honest with herself, the idea doesn't displease her at all. And if she scratches even further into her consciousness, it isn't as surprising.
Niles Crane is supposedly the love of her life in the shadows. May it be possible? Some of her visions have been wrong before, but something about the last one seems right, natural, not forced... As if what it showed is her fate. Her heart races in her chest at the discovery and her palms start sweating out of nervousness.
In the middle of her turmoil, Dr. Crane returns. He looks flushed and very pleased and surprised by her unexpected visit. But then, he always seems happy to see her, she reflects. Or he used to, before. Since she started to date Donny, Dr. Crane looks sadder at her presence. It's been a subtle change and he makes the effort to hide it, but she's noticed. Unless it's all wrong and her imagination is playing tricks on her, what she is certain is not the case.
According to her vision, and to what she's observed along the years but has always discarded until now for deeming it as impossible, Niles Crane is in love with her.
And, she realizes, she cares for him more than she has admitted to herself. Perhaps more than she'd care for a simple friend. But, does she love him in return?
She doesn't know.
Suddenly, her doubts concerning Donny's impending proposal feel like stones in her heart. Is it fear of commitment? Or is it something that runs on a deeper level, like the fact that she doesn't love Donny as much as to become his wife?
It's all so terribly confusing, scary and frustrating.
Her doubts about her relationship with Donny are what has compelled her to seek Dr. Crane's advice. She's got used to do that throughout the years, seek his advice as a very dear and trustworthy friend, even more than his big brother Frasier.
Don't you dare lie to yourself, Daphne Moon. You know that you're here not only for his friendship.
Part of her wants to confirm her intuition and suspicions regarding his love for her. And to find out more about her own feelings for him.
Getting engaged to Donny is a huge step and if she truly loved him, she should take it with joy and without fear.
It's a leap one can't make if one is afraid of jumping. Her father used to tell her that, and there can't be a truer sentence. It was what made her break up with Clive. She was afraid of jumping with him, because he wasn't the man for her.
"Hello, Dr. Crane," she greets a bit awkwardly, watching him attentively. Her cheeks must be as red as tomatoes, as she feels a rush of heat. He's a very handsome man after all, in his delicate, refined and neat style.
"Hello, Daphne," he greets back. "Sorry for making you wait, I didn't expect you to come here. How can I help you?," he asks, in an attempt at professionalism. They're, after all, in his office. "Sit down, please," he offers, and she complies, sitting on one of the chairs for patients or visitors. He does the same on his own chair, facing her from the other side of the desk. "Is this a psychiatric consultation, or do you need my help as a friend? Sorry for the formality, but I have to ask," he apologizes with a small smile.
Daphne feels quite embarrassed. She hasn't really planned how to tackle the subject, and it's even more difficult than she thought.
She fidgets with her hands. "I... I need your help as a friend. I'm sorry for coming to your office at this hour, but it's the only open slot I've been able to squeeze."
He makes a gesture with his hand, meant to appease her worry at being ill-timed. "No problem, Daphne. You know that I'm here for you whenever you need me," he assures, and her heart jumps a little. He's always so kind to her and she likes that trait of him a lot.
She sighs. "I have serious doubts about marrying Donny."
The doctor tries and almost fails to keep his neutral face, the face he undoubtedly adopts when he's with his patients. "Why do you think that's happening?"
Well, it's not so difficult to dissect the reasons, for as much hard as it is. "First, it's too soon. We've only been dating for half a year."
The doctor intertwines the fingers of both his hands. "If you want my honest opinion, I believe that when one is with the right person, it's never too soon. Hasty weddings aren't advisable when that person is not the right one for us. So, are you suggesting that you think that Donny is not the right man for you?"
Daphne rubs her forehead. "Isn't the fact that I have doubts enough to believe that he isn't?"
He ponders her question. "Well, I'd mostly agree with you, but even the most in-love couples have doubts and experience fear sometimes, Daphne, especially when the time comes to make crucial decisions. It's normal to have doubts and be scared. But one thing is the natural fear of sharing your life with another person, and a very different thing that the fear stems from the certainty that you don't love that person enough. You should analyze why you're afraid of committing yourself to him."
She doesn't have to try very hard to do as he asks, because deep inside, she knows the answer. And she's terrified. "He's not the man I want to share my life with." The admission, even if it removes part of the burden she carries, doesn't make her feel much better. She feels guilty because she's going to break Donny's heart and he doesn't deserve that blow. But if she doesn't truly love him, the correct thing to do will be not to delay the inevitable and worsen the situation.
Again, Dr. Crane struggles to keep a neutral expression. "Are you truly sure, Daphne?" She's so grateful because he isn't trying to jump at the chance, on the contrary, he is ensuring that she makes the right decision. Her affection (and attraction) for him shots up a few notches, and that adds to her guilt.
"Yes," she affirms. And then, with her heart beating one hundred miles an hour, she decides to take the bull by the horns. "On another note, but also related to the topic at hand... I... I had a vision last night." Frasier by now would have scorned any mention of visions, but Niles has never laughed at her because of them. She doesn't really know if he does it because he believes her, or if he does it to humor her. At the very least, she is sure that he'll try to listen respectfully.
He doesn't disappoint. "What kind of vision?," he inquires, as politely as ever.
Daphne makes an effort to recall the details. "I was at my wedding with Donny. Everything was too perfect, you get my meaning. I had the royal silk dress I dreamed of wearing as a child (now I abhor that ostentation, but as a little girl with an overactive imagination I wished to wear a queen's wedding dress), Donny was wearing royal attire too, the church was packed to the gills with people equally dressed as if for a royal wedding. The most beautiful flowers adorned the space, and there was even an orchestra playing... It was all so sumptuous, nothing like I envision the true event if it happens some day... I felt very uncomfortable, the damned dress was stifling me, with that thick veil and all that amount of fabric, and to top it all, my feet were killing me with those torturing heels, how I'd like to kick them off and send them to hell... And if you had seen the priest, Holy Mother of God, he was a pompous ass, and his robe looked like..."
The doctor clears his throat discreetly. "Eh, Daphne...," he intersperses gently, but it is enough to stop her rant. She blushes once more.
"Oh, sorry, Dr. Crane. I tend to blabber like a magpie...," she apologizes with a half smile.
He shakes his head, also smiling. "Don't worry. But if you don't mind getting to the point..."
"Of course. Well, what I wanted to tell you was that, among all the guests, there was a man wearing a tuxedo and he was the only one whose face I couldn't make out. I instantly knew that that man was the secret love of my life." She takes a deep breath, bracing herself for the most revealing part of her vision. The part that is going to change everything definitely. She has to do it. It is now or never. "That man was holding something." Then she looks at the statuette on the desk, all but forgotten there by its owner, and shivers with anxiety and anticipation. "He was holding a dragon statuette just like that one on your desk."
His face drains of all color, his eyes widen and his jaw drops. It would have been almost comical if it weren't for the fact that Daphne has never been so scared in her life. She's just confessed to this man that she believes that he's her true love. Even she sounds insane to her own ears. What must he be thinking of her?
He struggles hard to regain his composure. "Daphne... Are you suggesting that you believe that... that man... is... is... me?," he stutters, visibly shocked.