Disclaimer: The Frasier characters aren't mine, so don't sue, please!

A/N: In my story "What Are Friends For?", I mention Daphne showing Niles how to hold Alice properly. This one-shot zooms in on that particular scene, and is inspired by the lovely reviews I received for that story. You don't have to read "What are Friends For?" to understand this one-shot. Enjoy everybody!

Very Lucky Indeed

Niles did his darndest to suppress a subtle and involuntary frown as Daphne passed little Alice over to Frasier. During the few minutes he eyed her from behind as she stood in the middle of the room with the baby, and inhaled the faint odor of her Obsession perfume from his spot on the couch, Niles found himself in a heaven only he was aware of, and it depressed him when watching Daphne in moments like these came to an end. He could go starry-eyed all day, taking note of her perfect hair, perfect features, her perfect motions and the way she did everything...perfectly. There was no other way to describe her. And now watching her with a small child had shed new light on Niles' perception of her. Daphne had a brilliant radiance that he noticed the first moment he layed eyes on her. Although probably invisible to others, to him it shone brighter than a myriad of stars in a night sky, and it spoke to Niles; it told him she would make a wonderful friend, girlfriend, fiancée, wife. And now, he realized, she would one day be the most loving and caring of mothers. He never really gave thought to it before, but now his head was swirling with images of Daphne with children of her own. Some would have her brown eyes, and others would have her hair, but all of them would have her spirit. He couldn't envision the man who would father those children, though. He didn't want to, because he envied him already. Whoever destined a life with this angel would be very lucky. Lucky, indeed.

"Don't you agree, Niles?"

"Sure," Niles responded, still trapped in his mentally hazy state.

"Niles? Niles!" Frasier's voice finally penetrated through the jumble of invading thoughts. He turned his head to face his older brother, whose voice pulled him back to the reality of his surroundings: Christmas decorations, his glass of sherry now empty, Martin sitting in his chair, Frasier holding the baby. "Oh, I'm sorry Frasier, I drifted. What were you saying?"

"I was just saying that Alice is bound to be a spitting image of Roz one day. I mean look at her: those cheeksbones, her eye color...that nose." Frasier's eyes met Roz's, and she couldn't help but laugh, recalling the memories that resurfaced at Frasier's reference. Once she recovered, she cleared her throat and turned to Niles.

"Hey Niles, you haven't had a turn with Alice yet. You wanna hold her?"

Niles opened his mouth to speak, but said nothing. He didn't always feel too comfortable with children, and silly as it may seem to him, he couldn't bear the thought of Daphne watching him with a small child. What if Alice cried and screamed in his arms, what if she sensed his tension and it made her upset? Daphne would certainly see him unworthy of fatherhood. He couldn't bear the quiet humiliation in that woman's presence. If only she knew of his failed attempts with a simple flour child. What a disaster! No, holding Alice wasn't a good idea, not even if for a minute.

"N-no. I'm fine. She's pretty content with Frasier. Of course, I suppose that's because of the paternal instincts he already has about him." Roz shrugged and Frasier wore a look of reminiscence, obviously lost in thought about Freddie. "Ah, it seems like so long ago Frederick was this small," his brother whispered to himself.

Suddenly Daphne jumped in, "Oh, but Dr. crane, she's so adorable. How can you resist?"

"You know what, Daphne? You're absolutely right! Frasier, I think I just might take a turn with her," Niles said, elated by Daphne's encouragement. Oh Daphne, all I need are your kind words, and I'm filled with confidence. Frasier rolled his eyes, reading his brother like a book, but quickly recovered his facial expression with a smile and passed him the baby.

"That's right. Come to your Uncle Niles," he cooed as he took Alice in his hands and placed her on the edge of his lap. It turned out Niles was half-right: she did start to squirm a bit, waving her little arms and legs all over, but at least she didn't scream and cry. He attempted to shift her over to the other side, with his hands firmly around her waist, but it didn't seem to work. "Oh, oh dear," he started to panic, uncertain if he'd be able to take this if her fussing got worse.

Daphne saw this and instantly sat by Niles on the couch. "Here Dr. Crane, let me help you."

"Oh, thank you, Daphne, will you take her?" He was now holding the girl between his hands in mid-air, offering to pass her over.

She smacked his arm playfully, not taking his question seriously. "Of course not, silly, I'll show you how to hold her. You see, you have her on the edge of your lap, and I don't think she feels secure there. Pull her closer in towards your lap." Obediently, he did so, pulling Alice to him and resting her head near his chest. "That's right! Now to make her feel secure, put your arm around her waist, like this." Niles let Daphne's hand guide his arm around Alice's waist. He savored this moment; her touch burned through him like a wildfire, and remained even after she removed her hand. She was sitting right next to him, and her presence alone was enough to warm him from the inside out. So overwhelmed was he by Daphne's closeness he really didn't even notice when Alice started to relax, until she spoke again.
"There you go, Dr. Crane! You see? She's perfectly comfortable with you now! You're doing splendidly!"

Niles turned to her, overcome with euphoria, recalling a certain night when the two of them engaged in a tango and she showered him with similar compliments. He was grateful but was certainly going to give credit where it was due. "Well I couldn't have done it without you Daphne, you're a miracle worker!" His words may have sounded cheesy to those who listened; everyone in the room probably knew he was expressing his feelings in this moment as best as he knew how, but he didn't care. In his heart, he knew he meant every word. For him, holding a baby as he was doing now, wasn't always the easiest thing to do, but when Daphne did it, it appeared no more difficult than an elementary task.

"Oh Dr. Crane," Daphne smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You flatter me." She always thought Niles was a great man. So kind, caring, loving. He was definitely the epitome of a gentleman and yet, she sensed, that Niles didn't always think of himself so highly, or at least, didn't have as much confidence in himself as others did. She thought back to the Snow Ball, how he feared he would fail if he tangoed with her. It took some encouragement on her part, but he gave in and for a first-time dancer, performed wonderfully, just like she said. She meant her words then, and she meant them now. She new Niles was interested in being a father one day; all he needs to do, she thought to herself, is trust himself enough to know he will be great at it.

She smiled again as she watched Niles remove a cloth handkerkchief from his coat pocket to wipe Alice's right hand, which Eddie had apparently licked and was now covered with doggie germs. When he replaced his handkerkchief in his coat, a vision suddenly flashed before Daphne's eyes.

A man and a woman both smiled down at a white bundle and stared in awe. The woman's identity was a complete blur, but it was clear she was exhausted and had just given birth. The settings were unusual for a hospital though; the hospital bed appeared to be no more than a flat, cold table. Come to think of it, the room was unusual looking too, with images of dogs on the walls and...were those ANIMAL prescriptions in the background? It didn't seem to matter though, the couple hardly noticed; they were more mesmerized by small fingers clutching the woman's hair.

The flash went as quickly as it came, and aside from parts of the vision she presumed to be flukes (which were common in her visions), one thing she was absolutely certain of was that the man in her vision was Niles, admiring his new baby. She knew now, that his wish to be a father would come true, and when that day came, she would be ecstatically happy for him, and for the woman lucky to have a family with him. It was completely lost on her who it might be; that part of the vision was so hazy. But, she reasoned, maybe that's only for Dr. Crane to know when the time comes. Whoever she is though, she's a lucky woman. Very lucky indeed.