TITLE: Things We Never Say

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: This is several ideas rolled up into one so I don't know what it is and I have no idea what'll come out of it. I hope you read (and review) anyway. Set right after "Frasier Gotta Have it".

Up on the roof, he realized this was a new kind of low even for him. Niles stood there lurking, staring as Daphne prepared to sunbathe. As of yet, she had not seen him. He tried to think of an excuse why he was up here as well. When she told him where she was headed, he hadn't made any indication as to whether he wanted to go up on the roof as well. He could tell her Frasier wasn't home and so he had wondered if he couldn't spend some time with her. A great idea, Niles thought, but he didn't know if Frasier was home or not. As always, he had followed his hormones and not his reasons. He watched Daphne open her robe and immediately he felt the effect this simple act had on him. Luckily, she was not naked underneath. He would have fainted for sure. His eyes were glued to her form, all the while knowing what he was doing was wrong. So very, very wrong.

"Dr. Crane?" Niles' heart stopped beating for the fraction of a second. His amygdala was screaming at him to get the hell away from there. Coordination, unfortunately, had never been his strong suite and he tripped in his attempt to flee.

"Did you want to sunbathe, too? Why didn't you say something!" Daphne laughed and waved him over. For a moment Niles considered her offer. He didn't want to sunbathe; did she not know how dangerous it was? Mentioning skin cancer seemed the wrong way to go however.

"I-I-I wanted to check if you brought sunscreen." Another word out of him and he was certain of a nose bleed.

"Of course I did, Dr. Crane. You asked me a couple of minutes ago, remember?"

"Right." He giggled uncomfortably.

"Are you alright, Dr. Crane? You look, well, hot." Blood rose in his cheeks. Daphne had just called him 'hot'. Most likely not in the context he was thinking, but it didn't matter. The words had left her mouth. Her beautiful, delicious, inviting mouth. There was no denying it: Niles felt hot indeed.

"I guess I am."

"Well, come on then. I brought a book up here but I'd rather talk to you." Niles beamed at her as he took off his jacket. Immediately, he felt a gentle breeze hit him. He was still too warm though.

"You're not dressed for this weather, Dr. Crane." Daphne commented on his obvious discomfort. She seemed to feel no shame at all sitting there in those shorts and the shadow of a shirt over it. Niles wondered what she was wearing underneath – bathing suit or bikini. If he wasn't careful, he would faint. And not just from the suns heat.

"I guess I'm not." Thinking about it, he was wearing an undershirt. He couldn't possibly... could he?

"Don't you just love the sun?" Daphne said, lifting her head into the warm rays that reflected her hair in a multiple array of colors. He saw glimpses of red and brown as if playing some sort of hide and seek. Niles had always loved her hair, particularly its smell. The colors he saw now just added to its beauty. His mouth opened as if to say something, but he didn't find any words.

"Sit down, Dr. Crane. You look lost standing up like this." There was no place to sit. Daphne saw him search and so she spread out her bathrobe on the ground for him. Niles looked shocked. All the dirt and the germs! Niles thought of the pigeons living up here and his face turned into a grimace.

"Don't worry. That's what laundry is for. Just sit." The look she gave him could almost be described as stern and so he obeyed. As soon as he felt the softness of the bathrobe beneath him and her scent wafting into his nose, he relaxed.

"It's beautiful up here." Niles admitted, looking around. Certainly it was a landscape built of concrete, but it was quiet. Almost romantic in its very own, specific way.

"It really is. That talk we had earlier, I couldn't shake it off. I felt like coming up here." Niles remembered her confessions vividly. He tried not to let them get to him – anymore. His imagination had run wild after her recount. Roz' admission of having had purely physical relationships had not surprised Niles at all, but he had never thought Daphne would embark on such a relationship. He realized there were things about her he didn't yet know. He wanted to know everything. Even if it surprised him like this information had.

"I hope I'm not interrupting a date with some nameless Adonis." His laugh was as awkward as he felt.

"No, I know his name." Daphne told him in a serious voice. Niles' head shot up and when his shocked eyes met hers, her lips turned up into a smile and she laughed.

"I-I'm sorry, I'll leave."

"Dr. Crane, it was a joke! I meant you." Her hand touched his shoulder softly. The heat from her body went right through his shirt. For a moment he considered taking his shirt off. He really was too warm. Comments like the one she'd just made didn't help matters. He forced a smile, feeling relieved. He tried to relax again, but it wasn't easy. Then it hit him what she had said exactly. Did she think of him as sexy? Or had the heat finally melted his brain?

"I'm no knight in shining armor. Or the tall handsome stranger." Niles admitted with just a touch of defeat in his voice.

"You can be me knight in shining armor any day, Dr. Crane. If you'd please apply some sunscreen on me back? I'm afraid I don't bend that way." Her words didn't register right away. When they did, he blushed. Not only what she said had an effect on him, but she wanted him to touch her. Albeit in an innocent, friendly way but to Niles it seemed like a dream come true.

"Of course, I'd love to help." If she only knew how much. Well, she probably wouldn't let him touch her then.

"Thanks, Dr. Crane." Daphne took of her shirt and Niles gasped. She wasn't wearing a bathing suit after all; it was a bikini. Just like in her story. The heat overwhelmed Niles. He wiped his sweaty hands on his pants, as much as it disgusted him. He didn't want to touch Daphne with sweaty hands. He was going to touch her beautiful, soft skin with only a layer of sunscreen between them. His hands were shaking as he drew closer. Before he touched her, he let the moment sink in. He had touched her many times before. Once, he had even kissed her. They had hugged many times. She had kissed his cheek. Daphne had applied liniment to his back before. For Niles this was it; almost like a milestone. This was more intimate, more sexual to him than any of the stories Roz, Frasier and even Daphne had talked about. Because he loved her. He was physically attracted to her – more than he'd ever been attracted to anyone before – but there was more. It wasn't just the attraction he felt for her that constantly drew him to her. At first, he couldn't deny that, it was her appearance – and her difference from all the women he had ever known. From Maris in particular. The warmth that persistently circled her like a shield and her care for everyone around her, including him, had caused him to fall in love with her. Not the delicious smell of her hair, or her deep brown eyes. The sound of her voice and her laughter. The way she would playfully hit him. The way she treated him, period.

"Dr. Crane, did you fall asleep?" Niles snapped out of it. He didn't know how long he had lost himself in his musings. Long enough for Daphne to catch him. Sometimes he wondered if she thought of him as slow, despite his obvious intelligence. When he was around her, he forgot almost all laws of nature. All except her.

"I'm sorry. I just studied the ingredients and of course the strength of the sunscreen. You know some isn't really effective." He babbled on as his fingers finally made contact with her skin. His eyes closed as if in pain. Niles tried to suppress a moan. Her skin felt like silk under his hands.

"Hmm, I know. But it's your brother's. I figured he'd buy the good stuff." Her voice sounded dreamy; as if she were enjoying herself. Niles knew he certainly was. Maybe even too much. The application soon turned into a massage. There was no more sunscreen on his hands to spread. Her skin had absorbed it all. Still, he couldn't take his hands off of her.

"Feels good." Daphne murmured. Niles nodded his head to himself. After all, she couldn't see him behind her. Then she giggled unexpectedly. Niles stopped for a moment, then his hands resumed as if on autopilot. He really couldn't stop touching her.

"What's so funny?" Women laughing when you touched them was never a good sign as Niles remembered. He felt the familiar taste of humiliation. To distract himself he put some more sunscreen on his hands. The lotion was cold on his now warm hands.

"This reminds me of me story earlier." Niles stopped rubbing his hands together and stared at Daphne's back. Such a beautiful back. Suddenly, she turned to him as if she had expected him to give a reply. He felt caught and smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I think me back is done now." Niles stared at the sunscreen left in his hands. His own skin wasn't exposed enough to use it.

"Oh..." In an act of spontaneity, Niles put his hands over her arms. Daphne gasped in surprise and watched as he applied the cream on her arms. In soft motions he started at her shoulders and worked his way down to her wrists. When he touched a particular sensitive spot, Daphne let out a soft moan. Niles stared up at her, his eyes widened in shock. He hardly dared to think it, but was this turning her on? Was he?

"This reminds me of," Daphne stopped, her voice sounding breathless. "Of that day when I came over to your house. Remember? The fight I had with Sherry. Uh, that woman! It was also so... uhm, warm." Niles remembered. It was a night he would always remember, because she had chosen him. She had chosen to come to him in her distress. That night, she had not only been haunted by distress. He remembered that as well. There was an unspoken agreement between them never to mention what had almost happened. Niles couldn't deny that he had thought about this night a few times. A lot of times. He didn't understand why she thought about it now. Except for the warmth, there were no similarities.

"Uh, I... well, yeah I remember."

"You know that could have been your story." Daphne said suggestively.

"Wh-What?"

TBC