Danny was still awake when the sun rose high in the morning sky. Even without a moments sleep from the prior night, Danny jumped out of bed. He was actually looking forward to the day that lay before him.

Quickly he showered for the second time that morning, anxious to see Michelle again. The night before had been filled with so many visions of her that Danny wasn't sure what had been real and what had been a figment of his imagination.

Pulling on his jeans and shirt he hurriedly walked out of his room. It was then that he caught sight of her. She was talking to a girl who Danny wasn't acquainted with.

His eyes held captive at the picture before him. She was more beautiful then he remembered. The she was still in his black T-shirt and a pair of the tightest black jeans that Danny had seen. Michelle looked as though they had been painted on her. Her fiery auburn hair fell in unkempt wave about her face. He again felt the heat radiating from his core. He did his best to find his voice hoping that it wouldn't reveal his true feelings as he approached them.

Michelle's eyes lit up at the sight of him. The smile that crossed her lips sent shock waves of electricity through Danny's spine. So he hadn't imagined the connection he felt growing between them.

"Hi," her voice was a hoarse whisper for she was having as much trouble as he concentrating on the simplest tasks…even forming a sentence with more then two words was difficult in his presence.

"Morning."

"Oh…I'm sorry this is Robin…….." Michelle snapped back to the here and now. "Lucky for me she's my size. The jeans belong to her," Michelle said trying to avert Danny's stares away her thighs, "Well, maybe not," she shifted nervously imagining the thoughts that Danny must have been thinking.

"You look great!" he grinned, "Borrowed clothes suit you," he tugged at the sleeve of his shirt.

"I hope you don't mind. I didn't really have any other choice."

"Mind….nah. Actually a girl in a guys shirt is pretty sexy," he purred.

"I'm gonna go grab some breakfast. Talk to you later, Michelle," Robin retreated from the pair. There was no mistaking where this conversation was headed and she decided the further away she was the better.

"Thank again. I will get them back to you as soon as I can."

"Not to worry I ain't going anywhere."

Danny and Michelle were now alone standing in the hall. For the first time both felt awkward not knowing what to say to the other.

"I'm sorry……."

"Kathy didn't……….." They both began in unison. Laughter passed between them breaking the tension in the air.

'Ladies first," Danny said in true gentlemanly fashion.

"I'm sorry for the way Kathy treated you last night. She's just been through all of this with me. I think she can be a bit over protective at times."

"I can't blame her. I would be too. Especially given who she's dealing with."

"What do you mean….who she's dealing with?" Michelle said.

"Come on Michelle. Let's be honest here. I'm not the ideal man to be bringing home to meet the parents," Danny regretted it the minute the statement slipped off his tongue.

"Seeing as I don't have any parents to speak of…….I think I am capable of making my own decisions………..THANK YOU!!"

"That's not what I meant," Danny did his best to pull his foot out of his mouth, "It's just my reputation follows me. So I can understand why Kathy or anyone close to you would be leery of me."

"I don't care about your reputation," she returned softer this time around.

"That's a first. More times then not women are fascinated by the life I lead." Danny's openness shocked Michelle. This was the first time he had really let his feelings be known.

"I'm fascinated by the man. I don't give a damn about the life!"

"Thank you."

"For what?" she returned surprised

"For looking at me and not seeing a gangster." Danny's voice caught in his throat. Michelle sensed how hard this truly was for Danny to discuss.

"Michelle," Kathy was again an intrusion.

Michelle rolled her eyes sticking her tongue out, "What?" she turned around and smiled at Kathy sweetly. Danny had to laugh at the quickness of her mood change.

"I need you in the office. We have some audit information for the hospital that has to be done today!" Kathy said firmly.

"Guess that's my cue."

"Catch you at lunch?" Danny asked not ready to let her go.

"Yeah….I'd like that. And Danny," she stopped him as he turned to leave, "For the record……you are one hell of a guy." She reached for his hand squeezing it gently. Danny held back the tears that threatened to crest over his lashes. This was something that even Caitlyn hadn't done. Michelle was the first person ever to care about Danny the man rather then Danny the mobster.

Michelle shuffled the papers around the desk for the hundredth time that afternoon. Lunch couldn't come fast enough for her. Michelle's train of thought was anywhere but on the task at hand. The very last thing she wanted to be doing right now was looking over tedious facts and figures for the hospital.

She looked up to see Danny starring back at her through the glass window that separated the office and the hall. The waves of excitement rippled through her as Danny smiled tapping the face of his watch.

"Kathy, I'll be right back," Michelle walked away without waiting for a response.

"Hi," she whispered the words catching in her throat.

"Hi," he returned with the same breathless tone. Both wondering if the entire facility could see the sparks that flew between them. "You about ready for lunch?"

"I wish. I don't think that we will ever be done. Everytime I finish one section of this stupid report.....Kathy hands me two more," Michelle laughed.

"Well.........," Kathy poked her head out the door, "You won't be getting done anytime soon if you keep this up," she remarked starring Michelle down.

"Danny was just wondering if I could break away for lunch soon," Michelle's eyes pleaded with Kathy.

Kathy looked down at the watch adorning her wrist. "There's at least an hour before lunch is served. I think that should give you enough time to finish up the last of the reports and enough time for Mr. Santos and I to have our first session. What do you think about that, Mr. Santos?"

Kathy had no intention of handing Michelle over to Danny on a silver platter without finding out a few things. There were some questions that she wanted answers for first.

"I say....lead the way," Danny wasn't about to let this women intimidate him. In his world intimidation was common place. He knew exactly how to handle Kathy Stewart. If he wanted to ever get anywhere with Michelle he was certain that he had to go through her first.

"See you at lunch........" Michelle said pensively as she watched the two walk away from her. She closed the door behind her praying that Kathy wasn't making the biggest mistake of her career.

Danny settled himself on the leather sofa. Kathy took the chair directly in front of him. She searched his features for anything that would enable her to want to believe the things that Michelle had said the night before.

Kathy couldn't see passed the Mafia image that was plastered everywhere. She didn't want to know the man underneath that facade, but for Michelle's sake she needed to find out if he truly existed.

"Well........" Danny spoke with an edge to his voice. He never liked being backed into a corner. That's exactly where he felt that Kathy was putting him.

"Excuse me?" she returned.

"Is this where you tell me how wrong I am for Michelle? Is this where you shake me down......trying to find out all my dirty little secrets?" he spat angrily.

"NO...........!"

"Oh really then exactly what are we doing here?"

"We are here to discuss why it is that your cousin and Mr. Rivera felt it necessary to commit you to this facility," Kathy had regained her professional demeanor in the nick of time. Luckily she had skated past Danny's first trap.

Her statement silenced him. It wasn't what he had expected her to say. "Thought you knew all you needed to know?" he returned.

"I know what I have read, but now it's time for you to shed some light on the obvious."

"What?"

"I need to know why you had just an adverse reaction to death this time. I mean death in your business is very much likened to breathing. Am I that far off?"

"I think you have seen THE GODFATHER one too many times lady!" Danny shot back.

"So what.....you are saying that I am wrong?"

"You don't know a damn thing about me or my life!"

"Then enlighten me Danny. Tell why it is that you ended up here. How it is that you have lived your life the past eight months in a drunken stupor."

Danny's blood boiled as Kathy continued with her barrage of questions, comments and acquisitions. "YOU KNOW WHAT BITCH? THE LAST PERSON THAT FUCKED WITH ME IS DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"So I've seen THE GODFATHER one too many times huh?" Kathy didn't let her fear show through. Danny was within inches of her face but she wasn't about to back down. "And I think you have been living it too long!"

"FUCK YOU!"

"Danny this isn't going to get us anywhere. I want to figure out a way to help you."

Kathy's quick lane change had Danny dumbfounded, "You're kidding me right? The last thing you want to do is help me. You just want to make sure that I stay the gangster you think that I am!"

"So prove to me that you aren't just that. Cause so far all you have shown me is you know how to flex your muscles."

Danny sank back into the sofa chastising himself for his display. That was everything that he had wanted to get away from. The temper, the anger, the violence all those things he wanted to be rid of. Yet the teachings of long ago forced there way to the surface again when pushed.

"I'm sorry," he said much to Kathy's amazement, "I want to apologize for my out burst. It was wrong. Old habits die hard."

Kathy was taken aback. This was the last thing that she had expected. She wanted to be able to go back to Michelle with ammunition that would bury Danny Santos and now she just didn't know.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"I was always taught when pushed you should push back. So that's what I was doing. I know you know who I am."

"Yes...yes I do."

"But all you know is the name. You don't know the man." Michelle's kind word from this morning had him thinking that maybe this time he needed to come clean with someone. Anyone who would listen.

"Yes....but aren't' they one in the same?"

"NO.......NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"I find that hard to believe."

"What's the use? You don't give a damn about me. All you see is the man the media portrays as a monster!"

It was Kathy's turn to hear Michelle's words echoing in her head. That everyone deserved a second chance and that included Danny Santos.

"Then tell me about the man," Kathy said.

For the next half hour Kathy sat and listened to Danny's life. The life that wasn't written about. The life that wasn't in the public eye. She listened as he told her about his parents death. How at the age of ten he was forced to become the man of the family. That even though he had an older brother Bernard had told him that it had been his father's wish that Danny run their empire. Mick was angered by this. He thought at fourteen he was the rightful heir. He was lost to the family. Four years later he died of a drug overdose.

"It was my fault," Danny cried. "If it hadn't been for what my father wanted, Mick would still be alive."

Kathy was beginning to understand how deep Danny's guilt ran. Looking into his eyes she was now seeing the man that Michelle saw.

"I lost my grandmother too. The life that we led was too much for her. She lost her husband, son and grandson to the violence. She went peacefully in her sleep but I know that it ultimately was our life that took hers."

Danny continued saying that when he turned twenty-four he had had enough. That every ounce of his soul had been sucked dry by the business. That he no longer had the stomach for it. That he wanted out.

"What's the problem then?"

"You are pretty naive aren't you? What....you think that I can just walk away like that?"

"Well...yes."

"Then you haven't watched those movies as closely as I thought you had. You are born to this life and you die by this life."

"Danny, what about Caitlyn? How does she figure into this?"

Danny felt the hairs on the back of his neck bristle at her name. "She was my angel. She gave me the strength to fight. To finally make a clean break."

"But you just said........"

"I know what I said.........." His cheeks were wet with the tears that he was unable to stop. The images of Caitlyn parading past his eyes. The fiery wreckage that he had tried so desperately to get ending the processional. He cradled his head in his hands thinking how much he wanted to drink.

"Danny," Kathy's words soft this time, "I understand that you feel responsible......."

"DAMN RIGHT I FEEL RESPONSIBLE. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE ONE TO DIE NOT HER. SHE DIDN'T DESERVE TO DIE. HER ONLY MISTAKE IN LIFE WAS LOVING ME!!!!"

Danny's shoulders shook again as the next swell of tears broke. This was the first time that Danny had spoke his thoughts aloud. It was the hardest thing that he had ever done. Crawling into a scotch bottle had been much less traumatic.

"Danny," Kathy's voice was quiet as she leaned in closer to speak, "Danny, I can't imagine what it's been like for you carrying this around with you all these months. Anger, anguish and guilt, these are emotions that eat you alive if you let them."

"How would you know?" he spat wiping away the remnants of tears.

"I know Danny. I've been at my job a long time. I have seen many like you come before me. I can help if you want me to. I can't save you until you want to save yourself."

"You don't care about me. Hell, all you care about is that I stay the hell away from Michelle!"

"I won't lie to you. Yes, that is what I wanted at first. I wanted you the hell away from her. But now I'm not so sure."

"Why?" he asked curious at her response.

"Michelle, made me stop....forcing me to remember my job. She compelled me to look passed the image of you I had in my head. She told me that she knew who you were from the very beginning. That she felt safe with you. Connected to you in a way that she had never felt before."

Danny was taken aback by Kathy's admission of Michelle's feelings. There was no denying it now. What he had been feeling since he first made contact with her had been real and not something he had imagined.

"So now you think I'm safe?" Danny quipped in a half hearted fashion.

"Safe?!?!?" Kathy fought the urge to laugh. The thought of putting the words safe and the mob in one sentence was a joke. "Safe....well I don't know about that? Safety is all an illusion we choose to create for ourselves."

"Huh?"

"What I am trying to say is that Michelle hasn't been 'safe' in quite sometime. Between losing her parents, living with her aunt, Derrick and the general lack of self confidence Michelle hasn't been safe in a very long time."

"I'm confused," Danny returned unable to follow Kathy's thoughts.

"Danny, we all have our crosses to bare in life. All have demons that follow us. I hate to admit this but for Michelle you have been the vanquisher of those demons. In you she has found a person that saw her as the person she is. No hidden agenda. You didn't expect her to be anything but what she was. I saw that as well. I just wanted to forget it."

"I found that in her too," Danny added softly remembering their words from earlier this morning. That she didn't care about his life she only cared about him.

"See, so as much as my head is saying keep him away. I know that it's been out of my control from the word go," Kathy smiled broadly at Danny. For the first time since they met Danny felt as if they had reached a common ground.

"So exactly what are you saying?" Danny still unsure of what Kathy was getting at.

"I'm saying that I have to trust in Michelle's instincts. For once I think she's using what she's been taught here. She's starting to sound like a counselor. And that's what I wanted for her all along."

"So what I'm a pet project?" Danny's defenses flaring again.

"No, that's not it at all," Kathy returned, "I am trying to say that I think the two of you are good for each other. Last night I saw something in Michelle that I have never seen."

"What's that?" he questioned.

"It's hard to explain."

"Try," Danny forced.

"I just saw a Michelle that was sure of herself. Not the meek young girl who could be swayed to a differing point of view. She stood her ground when it came to you. Wasn't about to back down no matter what I said. So if to get that I have to put up with you.....Mr. Santos.....well then I guess that's my cross to bare," Kathy half laughed but with a genuine smile.

"Thank you," Danny returned gratefully.

"All I ask is you look out for her. She still has a long road ahead of her. So do you," Kathy added.

"I know. There are still times I want a drink so bad. I want to get rid of this empty feeling that consumes me at times. It's like around every corner there's a phantom waiting in the wings."

"At least you know they are there now. That's the first step. I know we got off on the wrong foot and that was completely my fault, but I will be here if you need to talk."

"Thanks Kathy. And for the record I didn't make it very easy to like me at first either. It's tough to leave the past in the past when it's all you've ever known."

"I'm sure. Well I have a few more people to check on. I expect to see you in group this afternoon," Kathy commented.

"I'll be there."

"Good."

Kathy walked away from Danny for the first time feeling less fearful of him. The old saying about walking a mile in another man's shoes really meant something here.

Michelle had been right. He wasn't the monster that she wanted him to be. He actually had a decent side to him. One that made him a likable guy. One that Kathy was also certain made him a less then desirable head of the family. It was then she thought back to her last conversation with his cousin. Why was it that she had a bad feeling about Bernard Rivera in the pit of her stomach?

Danny looked on as Kathy exited the room. He felt cleasened. It was a sensation that he had never known. It felt good to speak those things aloud. Things that the people of his world didn't want to hear. Things they all chose to bury deep within themselves.

Danny had had enough blood shed by his order and his hands. Whatever it took to free himself of this life he would do it.

This was the most free he had felt since the day his parents died. That there was a light at the end of this very dark tunnel that once was his life. He knew the fight he was up against with regards to Bernard. He had fought him tooth and nail before. Saying that Caitlyn forced him into a corner. Made him become a man that Bernard didn't recognize. This time though there was no Caitlyn....no one but Danny pushing for his escape. He wanted that more then anything. It didn't matter to him what he did with his life as long as no blood shed went along with it ever again.

"Hey," Michelle said walking into the empty room, "I see you are still in one piece. Kathy go easy on you then?"

"You could say that."

"I'm really sorry about the way she's been treating you. It really has to do with me. She has seen me through the worst time of my life. I think she thinks of herself as my guardian angel. If it hadn't been for her who knows what would have happened to me."

"No apology necessary. We talked it all out. I think that we are on the same side in all of this now. She just wanted to know what my intentions were."

"Your intentions huh?" Michelle lowered herself onto Danny's lap. "So just what are your intentions Mr. Santos?" Michelle purred.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he chided.

"Excuse me," the voice said. Danny and Michelle looked up to see another counselor and their group awaiting the room they now occupied.

"Is there some kind of conspiracy against us?" Danny laughed as they made their way from the room.

"It looks that way. I'm really glad that you and Kathy found a neutral ground. She's a great person. I know that she has helped me a great deal. Maybe she can do the same for you."

"Maybe," Danny returned all the while starring into Michelle's soft brown eyes knowing that she was the one to breath life back into his soul.

Michelle and Danny joined the full room just as Kathy was beginning roll call. They slipped in quietly to two vacant seats towards the back of the room. Kathy nodded acknowledging their presence.

"Michelle Bauer......Danny Santos........Beth Jacobs.......Mark Summers....Kirk Maxwell," Kathy read the names from her list.

Danny looked behind him. There was Kirk smiling wickedly. It took every ounce of strength in him to remain seated.

"Hi ya buddy," Kirk said smartly.

"Forget about him," Michelle said sensing Danny's discomfort. "He's just looking to get a rise out of you."

"It's working," Danny said through clenched teeth.

They sat there listening for most of the time. It was nice not to have to be the ones to do the talking this time around. Danny got a great deal out of the discussions. Every story was so different but a common thread ran throughout them all. Each person was searching for an escape. Something that would make them forget. Forget about a person....forget an event....forget about life as a whole. Danny reached out to Michelle as he listened to a story so similar to his own it made him tremble.

The man had been responsible for his wife's death. He had been too proud or stubborn to let her drive him home one night. He recalled telling her that he was just fine. That they only lived a couple of miles away. Everything would be just fine. The anguish was so abundant as he spoke.

But it hadn't been fine. In fact those few miles had cost him his wife. He had misjudged the curve that he had taken millions of times before sending them crashing into the utility pole. His wife died on impact.

He recounted how from that day forward he had become one with a bottle of tequila. That he hadn't even been sober at his wife's funeral. He didn't even remember anything about that day. He didn't want to. All he wanted to do was to find a way to crawl into that coffin with her.

Those words crushed Danny with tidal wave force. That was exactly how he had felt the day of Caitlyn's funeral. He would have given anything to have joined her. Tears fell silent down Danny's face. He couldn't stop them. Hearing this man's story forced Danny to relive his over again. Giving the guilt another chance to again take over. How Kathy thought that this would help people he hadn't a clue. In fact this hadn't done anything to help him. It had caused him to travel back in time. Making him remember something that he wanted so frantically to forget.

It was then he felt Michelle's gentle touch. Her fingers seared his skin. The battle raged once again. The battle for the rightful place in his heart. Should it have belonged to Caitlyn or Michelle? Danny thought he knew the answer to that question but now he wasn't as sure.

Kirk looked at the pair. His sinister grin filling his features. What an easy mark this was going to be. To hell with the orders. It was time for him to make his move. He just needed the right opportunity to strike.