A/N a big thank you to Kristen 3 for putting the idea for this story in my head. This is an AU version, so I've changed a lot of minor (and some major) details so please keep that in mind as you read! Hope you enjoy!

"All right, Dr. Crane. We're done with your father's exercises, so I'll just get started on the laundry." I said cheerfully.

"Thank you, Daphne." My boss replied.

"I couldn't help but smile. He was such a nice man and he worked so hard; takin' care of his father and spending long hours at the radio station. And yet,

here he was... thankin' me!"

"Dr Crane, whatever could you be thankin' me for?" I asked.

Dr. Crane smiled. "Well, Daphne you've only been here for a couple of weeks, but in that time you've done more for my father and I than you'll ever know."

My heart warmed at the compliment. "That's very sweet, Dr. Crane but I should be the one thankin' you. If you hadn't been kind enough to give me this job, I would have

been forced to move in with me mum and she can be so infuriating! Why, when I was in school, this boy came over and-."

"Would you look at the time?" Dr. Crane said, and I immediately got the message. It was his subtle way of letting me know that I'd started rambling again. It was a habit I'd

had since I was a girl. Seems that once I get to talkin' about somethin' I can't stop.

"I'd best be gettin' the laundry goin'." I said.

I couldn't have Dr. Crane thinkin' I wasn't a hard worker. At home if an employer caught me not workin' they were liable to toss you out in a heartbeat. And since I'd come

so far across the world for a new adventure, I was determined to make me new life in Seattle, Washington a successful one.

"Take your time, Daphne." Dr. Crane said with a smile.

Just as I was about to head out the door with the bags of dirty laundry I heard;

"Oh, Daphne..."

Dutifully I turned to face him. "Yes, Dr. Crane?"

"My brother said he might drop by later."

My throat went dry. Dr. Crane talked about his younger brother Niles often, but I hadn't expected to be meetin' him face to face so soon.

"Will he be joinin' us for dinner?" I asked, realizing that this was probably why my boss mentioned his brother coming over.

"You know, he just might. So why don't you set an extra place. Just in case he changes his mind?"

"Certainly, Dr. Crane." I said as I walked past him and disappeared into the elevator.

As I sat in the tiny laundry room waitin' for the clothes to finish washin', I tried to imagine what Dr. Crane's brother would look like. Certainly like him; and dare I say it...

stuffy, uptight about the most ridiculous things! Just the other day, Dr. Crane ranted on and on when he realized that he'd accidentally hung up someone who'd called into

his radio show. If Mr. Crane hadn't pointed it out, his son would have never known. But because Mr. Crane claimed to be such a big "fan" of the show (which is amazing

considerin' that he'd told me just a day earlier that he really only listened to his son's radio show out of love), he felt he owed it to his eldest to point it out. So for the next

two hours, I heard every reason imaginable of how traumatized this person was going to end up because his call was disconnected.

I just couldn't imagine having two Dr. Crane's in the same household. How would I ever keep them straight? Do I call them both Dr. Crane? I mean, I had yet to meet Niles

and since he is a doctor, I supposed I'd have to show him some respect. So I resolved to be as polite as possible when he walked through the door, chattin' away about the

most boring things... opera, wine and the latest news in the world of psychology. I'd had plenty of experience in pretendin' to be interested in that nonsense already.

But still I was nervous. Could it have been me psychic powers kickin' in? It's ridiculous, I know... but how else do I explain that I knew I was goin' to end up workin' for a

doctor?

Of course, me powers don't always work that well. When I first met Dr. Crane, I pictured him as a florist. Seemed to upset him, that comment.

When I arrived in Seattle and applied at the agency, I suddenly had a psychic flash of walkin' into a beautiful apartment overlookin' the city; an apartment filled with fresh

flowers. Instead I got a grouchy old man, a kind and gentle (but stuffy) psychiatrist... and a dog. How's that for fate?

When the dryer stopped suddenly, my heart beat faster. What in the world had gotten into me? I'd never been this nervous about meetin' anyone before. Even when I went

for me job interview with Dr. Crane, I tried to be as relaxed as possible. I could see right away that he had his doubts about hiring me, but thank goodness his father was

adamant about lettin' me stay.

Me hands were tremblin' as I pulled the dry clothes out of the dryer and carefully laid them in the basket, desperate for a glass of water. I must be losin me mind, bein so

jittery. Well there was only one cure for that. The sooner I could get these clothes back up to Dr. Crane's home, the better. I was so anxious to get this meeting with Niles

over with. The way Dr. Crane spoke of him, I probably wouldn't see him very often. After all, he was a psychiatrist too, and worked long hours like his brother. So it was

bound to be just a simple hello and goodbye.

I had absolutely no reason to be nervous.