"Thank God that's over with!" Niles said to no one in particular. Dear God, he was talking to himself!

The doctor's appointment must have been more stressful than he thought. Quickly he tried to rid himself of the memory.

Imagine the humiliation of finding out that he was... incapable of giving Daphne the children they so desperately wanted.

How could he possibly tell her?

His hand trembled as he unlocked the door, ready to face his wife.
They'd get through this. They had to.

Slowly, he pushed the door open, ready to face whatever followed.

He glanced around the room, suddenly aware of the lit candles and soft music.

"Daphne? Where are you, my love?" He called.

When there was no answer, he found it difficult to hide his disappointment. She was nowhere to be found.

And right now he needed her more than air.

"Daphne?" He called once more.

"Hello..." said a familiar voice.

He looked up to see his angel standing at the top of the stairs, looking so beautiful that she almost took his breath away.


With the grace of a goddess, she walked toward him, wearing a sheer black nightgown and matching robe. Why it was almost enough to cause a sudden fainting spell.

Unfortunately, at the moment he was much too far away from the fainting couch.

"Daphne..." He said again.

She gave him a slow, tantalizing smile and slid her arms around his neck.

"I-I thought you had plans this evening."

"I do." She said kissing him. "With you."

"Oh... Well, I'm glad because I need to talk to you about-."

She silenced him with a kiss; the kind of slow sensuous kiss he'd dreamed of sharing with her ever since the day they first met.

This had to be a dream...There was no other explanation.

Her hair cascaded over her shoulders and down her back in long waves; and that wonderful aroma... It was completely intoxicating.

"Are you wearing a new perfume?" he asked, fully aware of the trembling in his voice.

She smiled and kissed his mouth. "So nice of you to notice."

He laughed nervously, ignoring the sudden dizziness he felt. "H-how could I not?"

"So I take it you like it?"

"I like it very-."

His last word was stopped when her mouth met his, more demanding this time.

When the kisses ended, she pulled away, smiling at the astonishment on his face. She ran her finger down the length of his shirt and grinned when he gasped lightly as she unbuttoned his shirt, trailing kisses across his collarbone, and into the hollow of his neck.

"You look pretty sexy." She whispered in between their kisses.

"O-Oh... Thank you, Daphne. Y-you look..."

"Thank you." She said as they kissed again.

His lips burned from the kisses; one right after the other, causing him to forget what he was going to say.

"Wh-what's the special occasion?" He asked.

To his surprise, she grinned and reached into her nightgown, removing a cream colored flat object.

Niles swallowed hard. "W-what's that?"

"I took the test today. I'm ovulating." She answered.

The news was both exciting and disappointing at the same time.

"Th-that's great." He said, looking down at the carpeted floor.

"What's wrong?"

With a sigh, he took her hand and led her to the fainting couch. No sense in lying to her. She deserved to know the truth, no matter how much it hurt.

"Daphne, I got some rather disappointing news at the doctor's office today."

Her hand went to her mouth. "Oh God... is it your heart again?"

"Um, no..." He said, silently cursing himself for frightening her. "Daphne, I... I don't know how to tell you this..."

"What is it?" She asked, worriedly.

He looked away, but returned his gaze to her when she caressed his cheek with her hand. She was so beautiful...such an exquisite angel. He really didn't deserve her.

"Oh my love." He said, wincing when his voice broke slightly. He grasped her hand in both of his.

She ran her fingers through his hair, and kissed his cheek. "What is it?"

"Well..." he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly. "It-it seems that my test results show that it may be difficult for us to conceive a child."

Her face fell. "Oh... Well, if we try hard enough-."

"Daphne... Th-the doctor says that we may not be able to have children... at all."

Her face fell. "Oh... I see."

"I'm... so sorry." He said. "I know we said we wanted children so badly and-."

When she looked into his eyes, her sad expression softened and she reached out to brush a tear from his cheek.

"Darling, don't be sorry. It's not your fault. There's lots of things they can do these days."

"But Daphne, do you really want to be subjected to endless tests and uncomfortable procedures?"

The seductive smile returned. "Well... there's always the old fashioned way."

Wordlessly, she laced her fingers through his and led him up the stairs.
When he paused to kiss her on the stairwell, he noticed that she was still holding the test in her hand.

"May I see that?"

"Certainly." She said, handing him the test.

He glanced at the tiny window and then up at her. "Daphne, this isn't the ovulation test. This is your pregnancy test."

"Oh..." she said, staring at him with wide eyes. "Wh-what does it say?"

He looked at it again and returned his gaze to her. "We're pregnant."


When he showed her the test, her hand flew to her trembling mouth.

"Oh my God..."

"Do you know what this means?" Niles asked, unable to stop smiling.

"We're going to be parents!" Daphne answered. "I'm going to be a mother!

And you'll be..."

"A father." Niles finished.

Tears of joy began to spill down her cheeks. "I-I can't believe it! Oh Niles!"


He took her in his arms, kissing her again and again; each kiss sweeter than

the next.

"I-I love you." He said, unable to believe this was happening.

"I love you, too." She replied as she kissed him again.

"We should celebrate." Niles said. "But how?"

She smiled and touched her forehead to his. "I have a few ideas."

Niles grinned as she took his hand and led him up the stairs...

A few hours later they lay in bed, entangled in the expensive cotton sheets.

"I never thought I could be happier than the day you became my wife, but I

was wrong." Niles said, kissing her again.

"Oh Niles..." Daphne snuggled closer to him, resting her head against his chest.

Suddenly he heard her sniffling, and he turned to her in concern.

"What's wrong, my love?"

I'm going to be a mother." She said tearfully.

Still beaming from the news, Niles couldn't help but smile as he smoothed the hair from her face and kissed away a tear.

"Isn't it wonderful?"

Daphne nodded tearfully. "Yes, it is."

To his horror, she began to sob.

"Oh my angel... why are you crying?"

I'm sorry. I-I just..."

"What?" He asked, brushing the tears from her cheeks.

"What if I'm not a good mother?"

His heart ached at the tearful question.

"Daphne... Please don't ever think that! You'll be an extraordinary mother to our child. You're kind, compassionate, and you certainly know how to get Dad to do his exercises! I can only imagine that our child will be only too happy to finish his or her homework."

She laughed and snuggled closer to him. "I love you so much, Niles."

"And I love you, too Daphne."

A slow smile spread across his face. "Now where were we?"

Daphne laughed and playfully pushed him against the pillows. "I think right about here..."