And that was how, come half past nine the next morning, I woke to feel the warm, tangible presence of Niles Crane tucked behind me, his arm clamping me possessively to his chest and his hand resting oh, so accidentally on my left breast.

As I drifted to awareness, I went through the usual array of reactions; confusion, shock, amusement, contentment. By the time I was fully awake, I was grinning like an idiot and pointedly ignoring the tiny voice which still clamoured (in its own tiny way) in my head. You know, the one which tried to remind me that there had been very good reasons why I'd turned my back on the idea of a relationship with Niles, as recently as the previous day.

As though he sensed me stirring, Niles murmured, buried his face in my hair and pulled me closer still. From the uninhibited way he demonstrated how pleased he was to see me, I guessed he was still asleep. The temptation was there to ... well, I hardly need to explain all that. Anyway, I was conscious enough by then to remember that a thin sheet of laminate and about five feet separated us from our captive audience. Giving in to a temptation like that wouldn't have been fair on any of us, so I gently began to extricate myself from my warm cocoon.

As soon as I slid off the bed, Niles flailed for my pillow, hugged it to his chest, breathed its scent and then settled back again, content. I thought for a moment he was putting on a show for me, before a brief snort convinced me that he was still drifting through dreamland. Niles would never have made such a noise when awake; he'd refuse to even believe himself *capable* of snorting ...

He slept for ten more minutes, while I gathered some breakfast things together as quietly as I could. When the coffee percolator began to gurgle, he finally stirred, rolling on to his back and stretching out luxuriously. I watched him surreptitiously, not yet used to the way our relationship had evolved overnight.

Niles didn't open his eyes, but as he regained his awareness, I saw him frown.

"Daphne?" he murmured.

"Mmm?" I gave myself full marks for nonchalance.

"Why does my foot hurt?"

"Because you're an accident waiting to happen."

His eyes opened slowly, and sought me out. I gave him a smile and he all but shuddered in relief.

"Oh thank goodness. It wasn't a dream, then."

I continued to smile reassuringly, but the fact that the smile required some effort on my part didn't escape me. "No, it wasn't a dream."

"Except the baboon. That was probably a dream."

"No, the baboon was real too."

"Ooh. Scary."

"Don't worry, it was only Maggie in a monkey suit."

"Even scarier."

Smiling that time was easier. We enjoyed our moment, before he moved again and then winced.

"I'll get you some more Advil," I informed him.

Niles hauled himself into a sitting position. "There was something I had to do today," he mused.

"Drive us back to Seattle," I supplied.

"Oh. Right. Umm ... " He was frowning with sluggish, waking thoughts, when I handed him the painkillers and a cup of water. As he took them, he admitted, "I can only think of calling Frasier and asking him to drive your car here."

But I'd already processed our options and knew what had to be done. "If we do that, he won't be here until this evening, and then we won't be back home till the early hours. It's a fourteen hour round trip." Niles nodded slowly in agreement, but failed to see the significance of this schedule. I knew just how to drive the point home. "That's quite a serious favour you'll end up owing your brother. *And* ... its getting near that time of year."

Niles handed back the cup after swallowing the pills with a series of ridiculous contortions. "What time of year?" he queried.

I tried to look ominous. "Think about it. Striped marquees, a bucking bronco wearing moose antlers? Our mascot and kiddies' favourite, José Jalapeño, the genetically mutated pepper?"

The light dawned and Niles flinched. "Oh god, the Forks Fest-North-West and Chili Drive!" he recalled, with a pained expression.

"You got lucky last year. Duke's daughter drove them."

"Oh this is awful!" Niles railed. "This is just the excuse Frasier is looking for!"

"Calm down, love," I ordered, aware that my playful teasing had provoked a rush of genuine anxiety. It really is too easy to wind the Crane men up. "I've got a plan."

"We send Maggie off to hitch a ride back to Seattle and stay here together until my ankle is better?" he offered hopefully.

"You really must have it bad, if you're offering to prolong a stay in the Winnebago," I observed sardonically. "No, what we'll do is arrange a meeting place between here and Seattle for your brother to bring my car to, and we'll swap drivers. The roads out here are pretty straight and empty. I'm perfectly capable of driving this bus for a few hours."

"We'll be breaking the law!" Niles complained.

"It's all right, I'll make sure Maggie ditches anything incriminating before we leave. Just to be on the safe side."

"I hadn't even thought of that!"

"It'll be fine, Niles. Nobody was interested in us when you drove us here on Friday, nobody will be interested in us when we head back home. We just need to look at the map and sort out a good place to meet your brother. I don't fancy piloting the motor home into Seattle."

"What happens if we get pulled over?"

"It's not going to happen, but if we do, we'll just swap seats, so it looks like you're driving."

He considered a moment longer and then pulled his shoulders back. "Okay, I guess there isn't any other choice. I'd better check the map."

I smirked and turned away, so he couldn't see my dubiously levitating eyebrow. "That's okay, I'll check the map," I tossed over my shoulder. "You worry about getting yourself dressed."

Luckily, he acceded to this plan, and I chucked him a fresh set of clothing. It was just as well. You see, I *knew* Niles and maps. We'd have been meeting Dr Crane in Idaho, if we weren't careful ...