Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.

Setting: After the bomb scare, Danny left the church and told Michelle to go back to the Bauer house. However, she followed him to the Santos house, where they are alone. Danny is again trying to convince her that she’ll be safer if she stays away from him. He is aware that Carmen arranged the “hit” but still insists that the bomb was the work of someone else.

*************************

“Yeah, yeah, I get it Danny. I get it,” Michelle said sarcastically. “I should just go back to Rick and Abby’s or I should go to Europe with my dad, because it’s not safe for me here.”

“That’s right, Michelle, it isn’t,” Danny pleaded.

Michelle was angry now. “You don’t seem to understand that you don’t get to make those choices for me Danny.”

“Michelle,” he said, and then she cut him off.

"You can’t just expect me to turn around and walk away from you every time something goes bad.” She was yelling at him through a torrent of tears and sobs. “I can’t leave you Danny, because you have my heart.”

Danny felt horrible for bringing her into this.

"You said you didn’t want this life anymore! You said you wanted out. You made promises, Danny. You promised you’d leave it all behind. You said you’d take me as far away as we had to go to get away and have the life we want. You promised me those things, Danny, and I believed you.”

“I know Michelle, but…” She cut him off again.

“And then there was the shooting at your house, and now this bombing, and it’s just sucked you right back in. And there will always be something reeling you back into all this. Well, Danny, at some point you’re going to have to make a choice. Do you want what’s behind door number one – the life you’ve always known,” she said mockingly, “Or do you want to take a chance on happiness with a life that’s normal, and free of danger, and go with what’s behind door number two?”

“Michelle, this is not a game, this is about your life,” Danny said.

"I know it is, dammit! And it’s about your life, our life. And what you aren’t getting is that no matter what choice you make, I’m going to be with you. Don’t you see? You made me love you Danny.”

"I didn’t force you to feel anything for me.”

“No, but you showed me the kind, gentle, tender man inside you, and you said that you wanted to be that man. You said you wanted a life with me, a normal, regular life. And I believed you, Danny. I still believe you, and just because you can’t make the break right now, doesn’t mean that I’m going to turn and run. I can’t do that. I can’t leave you.”

“Michelle, you don’t know what you’re saying.”

“Yes I do. I know exactly what I’m saying. If you want to be a part of this family and this business – if this is the life that you want for yourself, then it’s the life you want for me. Because I love you and I’m not going anywhere, Danny. I’m going to be your wife no matter what.”

And herein lies his dilemma. This is the reason he never let anyone get to close to him, the reason he never allowed a woman to care about him. But he could not help himself with Michelle. He had shown her who he truly was, and by doing that he’d given her a reason to love him. And he loved her too. He loved her so much that he wanted her with him all the time, but also wanted to protect her from his life and his family. He knew she was right – he had to make a choice. Standing there, in front of him, in the form of this beautiful woman, was every dream he’d ever dreamed. She would always come first, no matter what.

Awww! Send Amy some feedback!

Home