Sam Spade and the Anti-Niles
Mel and Ted's Excellent Adventure:
Niles had bought the Fedora especially. He knew he looked pretty ridiculous in it, but there was a part of him that liked to role-play. He had foregone the raincoat despite the usual Seattle weather, and he drew the line at the obligatory cigarette, but the hat had been important. Niles caught his own eye in the rearview mirror and pulled the brim down slightly, before smirking at his reflection. He could laugh at himself now. That was something else Daphne was responsible for, along with his ability to dance a mean tango and blow smoke rings. Along with the incessant ache in his chest.
He had given up berating himself for thinking about her; he'd had to do so, years previously. It seemed that it was his lot in life to constantly dwell upon Daphne Moon, despite the fact that she was even more unreachable now than she had been for the seven years he'd needed to gather the courage to tell her how he felt. His very actions on this stake-out were due to her. He couldn't have her, he accepted that now, but he would make damned sure that any man who did was worthy of her.
And he had some serious suspicions about Ted Tupling.
Right on cue, the man himself exited the main door of the offices and turned right, walking briskly and with purpose. Niles watched him disappear around the corner and then put the car into gear. He followed Tupling's route and turned the Mercedes in time to see Tupling shoulder open the door to a small coffee shop.
Niles scanned the road, looking for a place to park. When he realised that there was none he drove around the block and ended up leaving the Mercedes exactly where it had started. Feeling a little foolish, he got out of the car, tugged on his hat and walked around to the café.
Ted Tupling didn't know him from Adam but, ever cautious, Niles crossed to the opposite side of the street. He sauntered along the sidewalk, trying not to look conspicuous as he strained to see through the distant coffee house windows. It was no good; the rain made them impenetrable. Frustrated, Niles considered entering the establishment himself, but the intimacy of the small café put him off. There might come a time in the future, he reasoned, when he would rely on the fact that Ted didn't recognise him. Turning his overcoat collar up and stepping into a nearby porch, ostensibly to shelter from the rain, Niles waited.
He didn't wait for long. Five minutes later, the door to the café swung open and Ted stepped out. Niles hunkered down in his collar and tipped his head forward, glad of the Fedora now. As he surreptitiously watched Ted head back around the corner to his office, Niles wondered what on earth the afternoon's cloak and dagger had earned him.
He now knew, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that Ted Tupling was capable of frequenting a coffee shop.
What kind of a demon was this man?
Niles laughed at himself again. He leaned against the porch wall, suddenly tired. Thunder clapped overhead and the rain started to fall even more heavily. A door opened behind him, and a woman stepped through, peering out into the wet and grimacing. She reached into her bag for an umbrella.
"I have really got to get me a job in Hawaii," she remarked pleasantly to Niles. He smiled vaguely at her, noting that the shade of lipstick she wore was similar to one Daphne had worn in the past, then returned his attention to the street. Just as the umbrella was unfurled, the door to the coffee shop opened again. A small, slight woman stepped out, frowning up at the sky. Niles started in shock.
It was Mel.
He spun around, nearly knocking the woman with the umbrella off balance. "I'm so sorry," he apologised, keeping his back to the street.
"No problem," the woman replied. She stepped past him and angled the umbrella upwards, standing still for a few seconds. Niles composed himself, wondering what the woman was waiting for, before she turned back to him. "It's okay, Sam, she's gone." He frowned in confusion. "She just got in a cab."
"Oh. Umm, thank you," Niles offered. The woman winked back, and then reached out to flick the brim of his hat.
"Love the Fedora," she said with a smile, then hoisted her umbrella and stepped out into the storm.
The street was more or less empty of pedestrians, now. Niles prepared to dash back to his car, thinking that this would be the last time he played private eye and wondering what the connection could possibly be between Ted Tupling and his own ex-wife.
~~~~~
Coffee and Girl-talk:
"So when are we going to meet him, Daph?" Martin asked over his shoulder.
"Oh, all in good time!" came the reply from the kitchen, before his physical therapist appeared bearing the coffee tray.
"'All in good time' she says!" Martin directed his words at Eddie, who was curled on his lap. "I've heard nothing but 'Ted - this, Ted - that' all week and now she says 'All in good time'!"
Daphne sat down on the couch and poured the coffee, shooting Martin a sheepish look. "Have I been going on?" she asked. "Just tell me if I have and I'll shut up about him."
"Don't worry about it, it's good to hear you happy." Concentrating on scratching Eddie's ear, Marty added, "You've had a rough few months. You deserve some happiness."
"Thanks." Glancing at Daphne, Martin saw the frown which played around her eyes. It was the sign that she was thinking about Niles. How that boy had managed to lose what he had coveted for so long was beyond Martin, but it had happened. Anxious to bring the smile and excitement back to her face, he turned the subject back to Ted Tupling, Adonis extraordinaire.
"So where are you guys going tonight?"
"Ted's taking me to a little restaurant near where he works, called The Platter. We'll be eating early-ish, because he has to go back to the office before he heads home." Daphne smiled broadly. "He has to be in for a meeting tomorrow morning and has some preparation to do. He's very conscientious like that."
"Wow," Marty observed wryly. "All these great things and the guy's got a chiselled jaw and a stomach like a washboard to boot!"
"I don't know about his stomach!" Daphne flustered. "Things haven't gone that far, not that it's any of your business!"
"You said he works out!"
Daphne's expression of indignation faded to a sly smile. "Yes, I did say that, didn't I?" she mused. Suddenly she shook her head, clearing whatever image was there. "I don't know where Ted's been for the last eight years of my life. He's far too perfect, you know." She paused to take a sip of coffee. "Tall, dark, handsome, muscular." She looked at Marty. "Just my type."
He smiled congenially and took up his own drink, keeping his thoughts to himself. He couldn't help but wonder whether Daphne was aware that she was dating the anti-Niles.
~~~~~
Mrs Adonis, I presume?
Not for the first time in his life, Niles back-tracked on a decision that afternoon. The more he thought about the way Mel had been at the same café as Tupling, the more he became convinced that it was no coincidence. Mel had never mentioned the café, or the area. She must have been there to see Ted, which meant that she probably knew about him and Daphne.
Niles concluded that his Sam Spade days were not yet over. He drove again to Tupling's office building after his last appointment of the day, and waited. The Fedora stayed on the back seat, this time. Perhaps it was practice, perhaps it was fate, but it was surprisingly easy to tail Ted's silver Audi back to his home and park up within sight of the front door.
Tupling walked up the pathway to his house, briefcase in hand. The door opened before he got there and Niles sat forward, the better to view the other occupant. On to the path waddled a toddler in lemon yellow dungarees, waving a piece of paper excitedly. Tupling placed his case on the ground and reached for the child, swinging her up into his arms and kissing her forehead. Niles watched in stony silence as Ted paid attention to the drawing proffered by the little girl.
Perhaps the home wasn't Tupling's. Perhaps the child was his niece.
Perhaps the attractive woman who had just stepped out of the front door was his sister.
Except you don't kiss your sister like that.
As the family disappeared indoors, Niles let his suddenly heavy head fall back against the car seat. He had started this campaign hoping to gather enough evidence to stop Daphne from seeing Ted Tupling, but now that he had the proof, he felt pretty sick.
~~~~~
Busy old fool, unruly son:
When he arrived at his brother's apartment later that evening, Niles paused before ringing the bell. He hadn't been around here for months; not since he and Daphne had agreed to terminate their romance. It would have been too awkward to see her.
Frasier answered the door, his face registering surprise at his visitor. "Niles!" he exclaimed, stepping back to let him into the apartment. "Come on in!"
Niles peered cautiously into the living room before venturing across the threshold.
"She's not here," Frasier added, more quietly.
The initial relief, that an immediate confrontation had been avoided, was soon replaced by an urgent distress. It was important to Niles that Daphne should be in the bosom of her family when he had to break the bad news about Tupling. Perhaps his father and Frasier weren't blood relations, but they were the next best thing.
"Well, where is she?" Niles asked.
"Hey Niles, nice to see you!" Niles' father said without actually removing his eyes from the football game on the television.
"Frasier?" he asked, turning to his brother.
"She's out. Do you want some wine?"
"No, no, I'll be driving. She's out with Tupling?"
"That's right."
Niles lifted a hand to his brow, trying to think. "Do you know where they've gone?"
"Is it any business of yours?" Frasier asked stiffly. When Niles spun around and let his frustration show, his brother softened and stretched an arm across to his shoulder. "I thought you were moving on."
"I have moved on," Niles said quietly. "I've accepted that Daphne and I are simply not meant to be."
"So why the need to know her whereabouts?"
"I have something to tell her. Something she won't like, but something she has to know."
"Come and sit down, Niles. Tell me about it."
Niles shrugged his brother's hand away. "Let me do this while I'm still strong enough!" he begged. "Tell me where she's gone!"
"Can't it wait until later?"
"No!"
"Why not?"
"Because he might take an even greater liberty with her in the meantime."
"I wouldn't worry, son," Martin drawled. "She told me things haven't gone that far yet." As though he sensed Frasier's shocked look, he withdrew his attention from the ball game and met his eldest son's eyes. "What can I say, she doesn't have many girlfriends."
"That's not the point," Niles spluttered. "He might be planning on ... on ... scaling her buttresses tonight. I want her to hear what I have to tell her before she considers putting aside the boiling oil."
"Well I'm sorry, I have no idea where she is," Frasier conceded. "What is this terrible news?"
Niles sank down on to the couch and buried his head in his hands. After a pause, he looked up and sighed. "Ted Tupling is married." A moment later, Frasier sat down heavily beside him. "And a father. To an adorable little girl with yellow dungarees." Frasier groaned, and Niles nodded in sympathy. "And to top it all, I think that Mel is behind getting him together with Daphne. I saw her meet up with Tupling this lunchtime."
"You saw them?" Frasier turned his way and Niles could sense the suspicious expression on his brother's face without even looking at him. "You happened to be passing ... ?"
"I happened to be passing," Niles agreed blandly. A moment later, a paper handkerchief was waved before his eyes. Niles took it without reaction and dabbed at his nose, unsurprised to see a spot of blood. "I happened to be following him," he amended, even more blandly.
"Well, that's a lot like moving on," Frasier observed.
"I can't help my protective instinct!" Niles returned, suddenly animated. "That woman is everything to me and I will not see her throw her most precious gift away on a man who can't make her happy."
Niles could gladly have continued to excuse his behaviour, but his father interrupted. "She's at a restaurant near his office. It's called The Platter," he said.
Niles shared a look with his brother. Frasier looked horrified and repeated, "The Platter?" with utter contempt.
Niles stood up, feeling buoyant again. He stepped around the coffee table and laid a hand on his father's shoulder. "Thanks Dad," he said, unsurprised when his father made no acknowledgement. Then he turned and left the apartment.
~~~~~
Chatter at The Platter:
"How's the stuffed peppers?" asked Ted, topping up Daphne's wine glass. She looked up mid-mouthful and answered by nodding vigorously. That was a blessing. He found that strange English accent very disconcerting.
He was going to have to get her talking sooner or later, though. He had a job to do.
"Is there something on your mind?" he asked, aware that he was fishing but hoping that the opener would suffice.
Daphne finished her last mouthful and scooped up her wine, playing for time. Finally, she smiled sadly and said, "Are you always this sensitive?"
Touchdown, mused Ted. He had scored with his first ball. "It's in your eyes," he answered smoothly. "And I could spend all night looking into your eyes."
Rather than responding to the compliment, Daphne hung her head. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to bring my emotional baggage with me tonight." She looked up, now smiling brightly. "I'm all right, really."
"If you want to talk about it ..."
"No. No, I don't want to talk about it. It's in the past and I want to look to the future. I have to look to the future."
Ted was prevented from pressing further by the arrival of the waiter, who bent down and murmured that there was a telephone call for him. Damning Mel for her sense of timing, he excused himself and followed the waiter to the kiosk beside the entrance. Swinging open the door, he was surprised to find himself looking at a fair-haired man of medium height, slight of stature.
"Hello Tupling," the man said pleasantly. "How's the family?"
Shocked, Ted could only stare for a moment. As his brain furiously processed the small amount of information he had, he closed the door of the kiosk behind himself. In the cramped confines of the booth, he had the advantage. He was bigger and stronger.
"I'm Niles, in case you don't recognise me. Niles Crane."
Well, that made a bit more sense.
"And the woman you're wining and dining through there," Niles indicated with his head, "is too good for a bounder like you."
"If that's the case, how come it's my company she craves?"
"She's emotionally vulnerable at the moment, and in need of re-establishing her self-esteem," Niles sighed.
"Oh yeah, you're a shrink. Forgot."
The little man narrowed his eyes. "Anyway, what's important is that I'm on to you, buster. I don't know why Mel cooked this little scheme up, I don't know what's in it for you, but I suggest you remove yourself from this restaurant forthwith, and never contact Daphne Moon again."
"It's a free country!" Ted insisted, stepping closer to Niles and enjoying the way he struggled not to be intimidated. "Why would I want to do that?"
"Because if you don't, your wife will be the next person on my visiting list."
Ted swore beneath his breath.
"Now go and make up some excuse and then get the hell out of here!" Niles growled. Left with no further option, Ted heaved a sigh and then stepped out of the kiosk.
~~~~~
Niles waited in the privacy of the telephone booth. He had never been much good at confrontation and it had been pure adrenaline which had got him through the last minutes. Even so, he was quite proud of his solution. Daphne would never find out about Tupling's duplicity and yet the rogue would still be out of her life.
Hearing Daphne's voice raised in confusion, he shrank back next to the telephone. A moment later, through the murky glass panel in the door, he watched Ted leading Daphne out of the restaurant. Niles waited a further five minutes, his eyes narrowed to observe the second hand on his watch, and then he cautiously left the restaurant himself.
There was no sign of Ted and he sighed in relief. He should go home. Taking a breath of the evening air, clear after the storm that day, he prepared to cross the street to where his car was parked. There was a taxi approaching, and he stepped back from the kerb until it passed. Despite this, the vehicle slowed, expecting him to be a fare. He shook his head at the driver, then his attention was caught by the fact that the cab already had a fare in the back. The passenger was staring open mouthed through the window at him.
It was Daphne.
~~~~~
A Knight in Pining Amour:
Frasier sneaked a glance at his watch when they heard the key in the door, and Marty met his eyes in trepidation. When Daphne had let herself in and slammed the front door behind her, they winced together.
"Hey Daph!" Frasier greeted with false bravado. She breezed past him and approached Martin's chair, grabbing its arm and bending over it menacingly.
"You told him where I was," she stated.
Martin sighed. "Yes, I did."
"Why?"
"He used thumb-screws."
"Don't you give me that, you meddling old sod!" Daphne exploded. Eddie jumped off the couch and scampered away in the direction of Martin's room. "I don't know what he said to Ted and I don't know why you told him where we were, but I will find out!"
"Daphne, give me a second here," Marty began, glancing at his son for support. Frasier stood up and laid a hand on her shoulder. At the touch, she span round.
"Daphne, I know you're angry right now -"
"Well, you are the psychiatrist!"
"- but could you hold up a second? Did you say Niles didn't speak to you? That he only spoke to Ted?"
"Yes!"
Martin met Frasier's gaze again. Clearly Niles had attempted to extract Tupling from Daphne's life as painlessly as possible. He felt a flush of pride for his youngest son.
"Okay, Daphne, well all I can tell you is that Niles arrived earlier needing to speak to you urgently. When we told him you were out, he asked where you were."
"And I told him," Martin finished, inviting Daphne's attention back to himself.
"Why did you tell him?"
"Because of what he had to say to you."
"And that was?"
Knowing that Niles had done his best to shield her from the news, Marty stayed quiet. Daphne's furious stare was interrupted by the sound of the door bell.
"I don't want to see him," she said quietly. She shot one last icy glance at Martin, then stalked off to her bedroom.
~~~~~
Frasier opened the door to him, for the second time that evening. Niles barely acknowledged his brother as he walked into the living room and looked around.
"Is she back yet?" he asked, directing the question to nobody in particular.
"Just a minute or so ago," Frasier replied, stepping up behind him. "I'm surprised you didn't see her downstairs."
"Is she okay?"
"I think it'd be more relevant to address that question to your father and I," countered Frasier.
"She's pretty angry at the moment," his father added.
Niles felt his shoulders sag, and he took a seat on the couch. "I messed things up again."
"Aw, come on Niles, your heart was in the right place."
"You haven't told her, have you?" he asked, suddenly worried.
"No," Frasier replied, sitting beside him. "All she knows is that you came around earlier, looking for her, and Dad," he stressed, "told you where she could be found."
Niles breathed in relief.
"Don't you think this might be a good time to tell her yourself?" his brother added.
"Frasier, Daphne hates me. She blames me for Ted walking out tonight, she'll blame me when he doesn't call. She blames me for messing things up with her and Donny. She probably blames me for the fact that we broke up. For all I know, in her eyes I'm responsible for teenage gun-fests in Arkansas and that rogue sock which turned her whites wash grey!"
"That's just self-pity and you know it!" his brother admonished. "She's angry, but she doesn't hate you. Now go and knock on her door and ask her to hear you out!"
"Hear me out? All she wants to do is throw me out!"
"Niles -"
"No!" Niles stood up, wanting to get out of the apartment and go home, but Frasier grasped his arm and held him.
"Do this for me," he pleaded. "If you don't tell her then she'll drag it out of me or Dad within the hour. She's going to find out anyway. Please tell her."
"She'll think I'm making it up, just to hurt her!"
Frasier looked genuinely flummoxed. "Since when have you done things to hurt Daphne?"
Unable to find an answer to this, Niles sat back again. His heart was beating too quickly simply from being in the same apartment as Daphne Moon, and he suddenly remembered how much he had missed seeing her. He tried to consider the situation logically. She knew something had happened. She knew he had something to say to her, and she wouldn't let it go, because she was Daphne.
Feeling as though something massive was pressing its weight on his shoulders, Niles struggled to his feet. Frasier was right. He had to talk to her. Maybe they could even clear the air about the way they had decided to end their own relationship. Niles was still pretty cloudy on that issue. He shared a long, silent look with his brother, and Frasier stretched an arm to his shoulder and squeezed in support, before Niles breathed deeply, exhaled in a shaking sigh and paced over to the hallway. He was a condemned man, stumbling along without seeing, his family receding into insignificance. When he stopped outside Daphne's door, he didn't hesitate. Softly, he knocked.
"Go away!" came the muffled response from inside the room.
"Daphne, it's me. Please, give me a chance to explain?"
"I said go away!"
"I can't." Niles tried to gather his thoughts. "I can't go away because I have to talk to you."
There was silence. Niles waited. After a few moments, the door opened a crack and he was face to face with Daphne. She stared at him through the gap for a moment before she opened the door fully and marched out, backing him into the living room. It was a miracle he didn't trip up and break his neck.
"All right," she said when they were back with his family. "Talk. And this had better be good!"
Without moving his eyes from her face, Niles began to explain. "It's quite simple. I found out that Ted Tupling is ..." He stopped. He couldn't say the words because he was too attuned to how much they would hurt her.
"Ted is what?"
Niles inhaled deeply and shot a look at the couch, where Frasier gave him an encouraging nod. "He's married," he declared, his voice abrupt and a little cold. Daphne looked daggers at him, defying him to be speaking the truth. He held his peace, giving her the time she needed. As he watched, her anger began to fall away and she crumpled in defeat. Niles wanted to reach out and hold her, but he was rooted to the spot. Perhaps that was why she found it so easy to regain her defiant stance.
"So were you," she said frostily, and turned away.
"And he has a young family," Niles added to her retreating back.
She stopped where she stood and Niles saw the defiance leave her. After a moment, Frasier's voice came quietly from the couch.
"Better give her all of it, Niles."
He bit at his lip, his eyes watching Daphne's shoulders for any sign of reaction. "I think Mel set you up with Ted to get at me."
Everything went into slow motion as Daphne turned back to face him. Niles actually flinched from the fury in her eyes. As though she were wading through treacle, she crossed the room to him and stopped inches from his face.
"Of course she did," Daphne said, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. "How else could you possibly explain the fact that an attractive man was interested in me!" The final word was shouted, and Niles stumbled backwards, startled.
Frasier's strained voice drifted over from the coffee table. "Daphne, Niles saw Ted and Mel meet up in a coffee shop. Both you and he are the victims here!"
Daphne released Niles from her rage long enough to shoot Frasier a look which could have turned milk. When she returned her attention to him, Niles remained quiet. He knew that nothing he could say at that moment would make things any better.
"She really hates you, doesn't she?" Daphne said quietly.
Niles sighed. How could he deny that? "Yes, Mel really hates me," he agreed.
"Well." Her sudden smile did not touch her eyes. "That makes two of us," she observed pleasantly, and marched back towards her bedroom.
~~~~~
Frasier was up off the couch quickly, following Daphne's dramatic exit. Martin managed to stand himself and watched his eldest son approach Niles, who stood stock still and white as a sheet. When Frasier placed an arm around Niles' shoulder, he stirred slightly, but refused Frasier's attempts to coax him over to a seat.
"She didn't mean that," Frasier said quietly. "She's angry and hurt and you're an easy target. But she doesn't hate you."
Niles frowned into the distance. His hand went to his heart and he massaged his chest absently. Martin averted his eyes for a moment, because Niles' agony was too obvious.
"Come and sit down," Frasier suggested.
Niles slowly shook his head. Martin saw moisture in his son's eyes. "No," he returned, finally looking at Frasier. He managed a weak smile and stretched an arm across to his brother's shoulder. "Daphne and I aren't finished yet."
"Niles, give yourself a break here. At least take some time -"
"We're not finished yet. There are still things that need to be said." Niles dropped his arm and turned back to the hallway.
Martin sat down. When Frasier joined him again, they shared a glance of apprehension. "Shall I call the ambulance now, or shall we wait?" Martin asked, trying to lighten the mood.
But Frasier only frowned, seriously considering the answer.
~~~~~
For the second time that evening, Niles knocked gently on Daphne's door. This time he was surprised when it flew open immediately. Daphne's eyes were blazing, her cheeks flushed. The vision of white-hot fury was spoilt only by her tears.
"Can't you take a hint?" she demanded.
"Daphne -"
"Leave me alone! Haven't you done enough?"
"Please -"
"I don't want to see you. I don't want to speak to you -"
"I'm sorry!" he interrupted, speaking more loudly than he would have liked. "I'm sorry I married Mel. It was a mistake. And I'm sorry that you got caught up in her vitriol. But how could I have kept my knowledge of Tupling's wife and family from you?"
Daphne simply made a disgusted noise and tried to slam her door, but Niles was too quick and stuck a foot inside. He barely noticed the pain as it cracked against his toes.
"Would you have preferred to find out yourself?" he persisted. "Maybe after ..." Niles groped for an appropriate euphemism, "... investing a lot more in the relationship?"
"Maybe I want to make my own mistakes! Maybe I'd like something in my life which hasn't been twisted and warped by you!"
"But this thing with Tupling was twisted before it even started!"
"And I've got you to thank for that." Daphne tried to close her door again, but Niles refused to remove his foot. "So thanks. Now get the hell out of my life." She slammed the door, and by the time it had rebounded from Niles' shoe she had turned into the room and disappeared from view.
Niles retracted his foot and leaned on the doorframe. The woodwork felt cool against his forehead. He closed his eyes, wondering how to find the words, and when he opened them again, everything looked blurred.
On the other side of the door, he heard a muffled sob.
Slowly he pushed the door open again. Daphne lay on her bed, hiding her face in a pillow. Her shoulders shook as she cried. Niles wondered whether the tears were for Ted Tupling or for him. Aware that he had little left to lose, he ventured inside the sanctum of her bedroom. He closed the door and lowered himself on to the end of the bed.
Daphne's weeping had paused on hearing the click of the door. She had held her breath, obviously listening to see whether he had gone. When she sensed the bed move under his weight, she slid along the mattress to put a little more distance between them. Niles gave her as much privacy as he could, looking away at the wall.
"Please go away, Niles." Her voice sounded tired now. "I don't want to fight you any more."
"I thought we should talk," he ventured.
"There's nothing left to say." Niles sensed some movement behind himself and risked a glance over his shoulder. Daphne had hauled herself up into a sitting position against the headboard and was hugging her knees. The unanswerable urge to comfort her left him breathless.
"I miss you," he murmured, glad to be able to tell her that much.
Surprisingly, he heard Daphne snort briefly with laughter. "You don't miss me!" she scoffed. "You miss the woman on that pedestal of yours. The one I could never live up to."
Niles shifted his weight on the bed, half-turning to face Daphne. The tears in his eyes threatened to spill forth, but he swallowed the aching in his throat and tried to speak calmly. "That's not true. I won't deny that I put you on a pedestal, but you're still up there, Daphne."
"Oh, do yourself a favour, Niles. Admit that the dreams were a million miles away from how we really were together!"
"The reality was a million miles more wonderful!" Niles considered reaching across to take Daphne's hand, but thought better of it. "Is that why you wanted to finish things between us? Because you thought you didn't measure up to the fantasies I'd dreamed up over all those years?" Daphne remained silent. "And there were a lot of fantasies," he added to himself. She didn't reply, but she raised her head and looked at him. "It's not true," he finished.
"Then why were you so eager to break up?" demanded Daphne quickly. Her tears were starting to make her mascara run.
"Eager?! I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you!" Niles ran a distracted hand over his head, aware that his voice was shaking. A tickling sensation on his face told him that the tears were no longer deniable. He raised an irritated hand and swiped the moisture away. "I only let you walk away because I thought I was doing what you wanted!"
"Stop it!" Daphne reached across to her bedside table and grabbed a tissue, wiping ineffectually at her streaked face. "Can't we finally be honest with each other?"
"I am being honest," asserted Niles. "Really. I thought you wanted to break up because you were disappointed with how we were together - and after you'd left Donny at the altar for me, that disappointment was too much to deal with."
Daphne had let her hand drop and she was staring at Niles. There was confusion in her eyes, along with a wary disbelief. Niles shuffled around the edge of the bed, relieved when she didn't immediately dash away, and he gently took the tissue from her hands. There was something deeply intimate in being allowed to wipe the dark streaks from her skin.
"I wasn't disappointed," Daphne stated as he finished. Her voice was low and Niles felt a rush of blood as his libido responded.
"Neither was I," he replied in the same tone.
"Then how the hell did we get ourselves into this mess?"
"Looks like a classic case of communications break-down."
There was a pause.
"Do you want to try again?" Daphne asked softly. The fear was back in her eyes now, as she placed herself in the firing line and waited for rejection. She had always been braver than he.
"More than anything," Niles breathed fervently, chasing the fear away.
A moment later Daphne was in his arms, hanging on tightly. Niles breathed in the scent of her hair. Her body was warm and solid pressed against his, and he allowed himself to believe it was really happening. When she pulled away, it was only far enough to look at him. Niles let his head drop forward to touch hers.
"I've missed you too," Daphne smiled.
Niles wanted to put the events of the day behind him and revel in the joy of this reunion, but those events continued to niggle. "What about Ted?" he asked, hoping for a sign that Daphne had recovered from the shock of his news.
"Oh, Ted never really mattered." Daphne sounded genuinely dismissive. "He was just in the right place at the right time. You should know. You're the psychiatrist!"
Niles understood only too well. He had started seeing Mel for the same reasons. "Yes, I know," he said bleakly.
"In fact, I can see how easy it was for Mel to take advantage." Niles nodded his understanding against her forehead, but she pulled back suddenly. "How did you find out about that?" Daphne asked curiously.
"Like Frasier said, I saw them together at a coffee shop."
"Just by chance?"
Niles felt a cold block beginning to form in his stomach. He hadn't imagined that he and Daphne could ever be reconciled, so had never considered the possibility of having to confess his stake-out tactics to her. Torn between an inevitable nosebleed or coming clean, Niles chose honesty. It seemed that this reunion would likely be the briefest on record.
"No," he said quietly, moving away from Daphne so that he didn't have to watch her distance herself from him. "No, it wasn't by chance."
"Then how?"
Niles sighed. "I followed Ted Tupling on his lunch break today."
"You followed him?"
"Yes."
"How did you even know about him?"
"Frasier told me you were seeing someone, a few days ago."
Daphne moved across to the other side of the bed and stood up. "You found out that I was seeing someone and immediately felt justified to poke your nose in?"
"Daphne -"
"Just who the bloody hell do you think you are?" She had moved around to the door and her voice was raised. "Get out!"
Niles stood up. "Please, Daphne -"
"Get out!"
"I will say this!" Niles surprised himself with his own adamance. Lowering his voice, he stepped over to the door, all the while speaking urgently. "I followed Tupling because I knew something about him, something I'd heard from a friend of a friend." He paused and considered. "Of a friend," he added. "I had my suspicions about the kind of man he was."
"Shut up!" Daphne was shouting now and stepped into the hallway to gain some space. "Firstly, you poked your nose in the moment you wanted to know the name of the man I was seeing. Secondly, even if Ted had been a compulsive gambler with a crack habit and a history of assault, you had no right to decide whether or not I should see him!"
"What, I'm supposed to stop caring about you just because you don't want to share my bed any more?"
"You're supposed to let me live my life! Now get out of this apartment because I can't stand to look at you right now!" Daphne marched back into the living room and stomped across to the front door.
Niles followed, more slowly. He was barely aware of his brother and father sitting in tense silence by the coffee table. When he approached the apartment door, he stopped.
"You are the most arrogant, over-bearing, manipulative man I have ever had the misfortune to meet!" Daphne's eyes flashed with anger. "Let me make this quite clear - I don't want to see you again!"
"I may be all those things, but the only sin of which I'm guilty here, is loving you!" Niles insisted. "A moment ago you were telling me that you wanted to give us another chance. Why does the fact that I look out for your well-being suddenly make me a monster?"
"This isn't about my well-being! This is about you wanting to control my life!"
"No it is not!" Niles was shouting now, completely oblivious to the startled looks being exchanged by his family. He groped for the words to make his point. "If you found out that Roz's latest flame was likely to hurt her, you'd want to do something about it, right?"
"Oh, that's right, twist it all around. You are an educated man, after all!"
"Wouldn't you?!"
"Of course I would!" Daphne's face was flushed and her eyes glittered. Niles tried to clamp down on the rush of excitement the fight was giving him. He felt more alive than he had in months. "But I wouldn't stand to gain from it," she pointed out, her hands on her hips.
"And what did I have to gain from this? I'd already lost you!"
"That's right." Her eyes were narrowed now. "And for all your education, you still can't understand that, can you?"
"This is not about my education, this is about looking out for your friends. I was worried about you."
"You were jealous!"
"Yes!!" Niles spun around, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Yes, I was as jealous as hell!" He turned back to Daphne, who seemed to pause at this admission. He couldn't blame her. His strangled confession had taken him by surprise, too. In a quieter voice, he continued. "When you're in love with a woman who walks in your head every hour of every day, you can't help but be jealous of any man lucky enough to spend time with her. But I would not have stood in Tupling's way if I'd thought he was a good man."
"Don't you understand, it isn't up to you to decide whether he's a good man! You had no right!"
"I know!" Niles looked into Daphne's eyes and surrendered. "I had no right to interfere and yet I did. I even convinced myself I should."
Her anger spent, Daphne shifted uncomfortably beneath his gaze. "Fine," she said, and folded her arms defensively.
"And I'm sorry."
"Fine," Daphne said again. She glanced at the front door and reached for the handle. "Now get out," she ordered, pulling the door open.
Niles had seen enough in Daphne's expression to take a chance, however. He placed the flat of his hand on the door and firmly closed it to. Daphne stumbled as she still hung on to the handle, and when Niles stepped closer to her she backed up against the door. He stopped when there was less than an inch of space between their bodies, and saw his nervous excitement reflected in Daphne's face.
After the shouting, the quiet felt oppressive and weighty. Daphne's hand left the latch, seeming to take hours on its journey back to her side. Niles waited, unmoving apart from the heaving of his chest and shoulders. Daphne was studying him, her wide eyes watching for any indication of what he would do next, until he saw them start to beg silently for his kiss. Ignoring the way his knees began to tremble, he held out. Daphne's breath was warm on his face.
The pleading in Daphne's eyes turned to anger when he remained still. Niles' blood roared in his ears. Still he paused, until the need to touch her became excruciating. Then, in that instant when he didn't think he could last a moment longer and the tension in the room was so palpable it pressed into him, Daphne's throat made a small sound of complaint and her hands moved like a flash to grasp the lapels of his jacket. In less than a second she had dragged his body against hers and covered his mouth with her own. He might have been embarrassed by the involuntary groan he expelled as their kiss immediately intensified, were it not for the way Daphne matched it with a sob of her own.
There was a thump as they staggered against the door. Daphne's hands moved up past his shoulders and into his hair, and he felt her fingernails scratching at his scalp. The sensation sent a shiver down his spine and he bucked in reaction, tightening his hold on her, pinning her against the door. It felt as though he had transcended flesh and become flame.
When they finally drew apart, breathless and burning, the sight of the apartment door behind Daphne
reminded Niles that he was not at home and they were not alone. Suddenly abashed, he flushed and stepped away, turning his head slowly. His father and brother remained beside the coffee table. A large newspaper obscured Frasier's features, and Martin was apparently asleep, his face turned away.
Niles didn't buy it, but he appreciated the gesture. He might have said as much, but Daphne had already scooted around him and begun dragging him by the hand towards the hallway.
What could he do but follow?
The End
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Copyright © Zircon, 2001
