Niles woke up, noting that everything hurt. No wonder, since he'd barely slept. All he'd done was toss and turn, and replay that heartbreaking moment. I had no idea you were such a good actor. Every time he thought about it, he hurt even worse.

Still in a daze, he walked downstairs. On the fainting couch lay the jacket he'd worn the previous night. He went to pick it up, intending to put it away. But he noticed something in his breast pocket. He took it out, now remembering what it was: a business card. He thought about the woman who'd given it to him, Claire Barnes. She'd offered to go dancing with him. At the time, he'd given no thought to the idea, but now he saw it might be worth considering. He had to do something to stop this torment. If he tried to tell Daphne of his feelings, he knew Frasier would stop him, as he'd done a dozen times before.

He picked up the phone and dialed. If he thought about this for even a second, he knew he would lose his nerve. Fortunately, Claire answered quickly, and she said she'd love to go out. He could only hope she would be the distraction he needed.

"Oh, this place is amazing!" Claire gushed as they walked into a ballroom very similar to the Snow Ball. "How did you ever find out about it?"

"Let's just say I know some people." Niles grinned. Yes, this was going to do wonders for him. He looked at her, grateful her dress was black. He forced himself not to think of Daphne's skin-tight red dress from the Ball. "Would you care for some champagne?" He pointed to the bar.

"Maybe later," Claire said. "I want experience your dance moves for myself!"

Before Niles could react, she'd pulled him onto the dance floor. He found himself in her arms, just as he'd been with Daphne. He sighed as he smelled her perfume. For a moment, Niles forgot where he was and why. The scent had overwhelmed him. "Daphne..." The name had come out before he'd even realized he'd said it.

Immediately, Claire stopped dancing. "What did you just call me?!"

"I'm sorry," Niles stammered. "I just got so caught up in the moment, and….Well, I promise you it won't happen again." He took her hand, intending to continue their tango.

"Wait," Claire said. "Daphne's that woman you were with last night. You're in love with her, aren't you?"

Niles laughed as if that were the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. "No. Of course not." But his nose betrayed him. "OK, yes. She's my father's physical therapist. I've loved her since the moment we met." As he spoke, he took out a handkerchief to stop the bleeding.

"Does she know?" Claire knew she should be angry at him for asking her out when his heart belonged to someone else, but she just couldn't. He was clearly hurting.

"No. When we were dancing, I blurted it out, sort of like I did just now. She returned my feelings. I was ecstatic, until she told me what a good actor I was. She thought it was just for show."

"That's why you asked me out. You wanted to forget her."

Niles nodded. "I guess I failed." He looked at the ground.,

"No, you haven't. I think you need to tell her."

"I couldn't," Niles said. "After what happened, she'll probably just break my heart all over again."

"You don't know that. You can't do this to yourself. If she does love you, isn't it worth the risk to find out?"

Niles was stunned. He was always so cautious. Not just in love, but in all areas. The idea of risk terrified him. But Claire's words made him look at the situation another way. There might only be a one-in-a-million chance that Daphne wouldn't reject him. But, if this did work out, it would be worth anything. "Maybe I could….."

"You should." She looked back at the door where they'd come in.

"You mean now? You want me to just leave? I invited you here to dance."

"I can dance some other time. This is about true love. Go. I can take a cab."

Niles looked at her. She didn't start laughing, so apparently she was serious. "OK." He kissed Claire's cheek. "I'm sorry. I really am."

"It's OK. Just go to her." She playfully pushed him toward the door. He walked back out into the parking lot. Even as he made his way to his vehicle, he couldn't believe he was doing this. He put the key in the ignition and made the familiar drive to Elliot Bay Towers.

The ride in the elevator made him dizzy in way that he knew was unrelated to the movement. With each floor, he came closer to the biggest chance of his life. When he finally reached the 19th floor, he got off and stood for a moment, trying to get his bearings. Eventually, his head stopped spinning, and his heart reached a normal-ish rhythm. Not allowing himself a moment's thought, he pressed his brother's doorbell.

Daphne answered the door almost immediately. "Oh, Dr. Crane. Why, your ears must have been burning all day! I've been telling your father and your brother about last night. It was almost like a fairytale…."

"Yes, Daphne, that's why I'm here. There's something I have to get off my chest. May we sit on the couch?"

"Of course." She led him inside and took a seat. Niles sat next to her.

"Last night, while you were in the ladies' room, a woman came up to me. She knew me through my attorney. But that's not important. She wanted to go dancing, so I took her out tonight. While we were dancing, I lost my head, and….I whispered your name."

"Well, that was a bit daft, but I can understand. You were probably thinking about our dance. It was quite a performance, wasn't it?"

"That's just it. It wasn't a performance. At least, not for me. Everything I said to you on the dance floor was a hundred percent true. Once I told Claire that, she insisted that I tell you."

"What?" Daphne couldn't believe this. But as the shock wore off, she realized something. "When I was telling your father and your brother about last night, they kept giving each other odd looks. Is this why?"

Niles nodded. "Dad warned me not to go last night, because he was worried something like this might happen. And now it has."

"And that's why you were so distracted during our dance lessons. It all makes sense. Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"Well, after what Maris has put me through, can you blame me for being a bit gun shy?"

Daphne took his hand. "But, Dr. Crane, I'm not Mrs. Crane. I would never hurt you. In fact, I think it's the most flattering thing I've ever heard in me life."

"Really?"

"Yes, of course." Daphne smiled, seeing the boyish surprise on his face. "I thought last night was a fairytale. But I was wrong. This is the happy ending I never expected." She leaned forward, gently kissing him.

Yes, Niles thought. This is a happy ending, all right.

The End