�

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters

Michelle stood in the kitchen of her home, sloppily preparing to toast a bagel. She hadn�t gotten dressed since she woke up, and she was sure she looked like it. �What does it matter,� she thought. �Danny�s so angry with me for suggesting that Carmen faked the attempt on her life. I�m sure he won�t be dropping by to see me today.�

Outside the door, Danny stood, watching Michelle as she worked around the kitchen in nothing but an oversized tee shirt. Her tousled hair had obviously not been brushed yet this morning. Danny remembered the way she looked when she first woke up. He�d loved waking up next to her when they were married. �You are so beautiful,� he whispered to himself.

Silently he opened the door, that always seemed to be conveniently unlocked. He walked toward Michelle, whose back was still to him. When he reached her he put his arms around her waist and kissed her neck.

She was so surprised to see him that she thought she would faint.

�I didn�t think I�d see you anytime soon,� she said, the tension from their previous conversation was still present in her voice.

Danny spoke calmly. �Michelle, I cannot believe that my mother would stoop so low as to arrange a phony hit, just to reel me back in. But, I must apologize to you for the way I reacted last night. I should never have stormed out of here like that. After everything my mother has done to you, I should�ve been able to understand why you�d think that.�

Michelle still had no doubt that Carmen had arranged the shooting, but now was not the time to force the issue.

�Danny, I�m sorry that I can�t feel anything positive toward your mother. I�m sorry I always think the worst of her. But I hope you know that I realize that you love her. She is your mother, and you will always love her.�

Danny nodded. The issue of his mother was one that he and Michelle would never agree upon 100%.

�I came here to tell you that I�ve got a lead on who wanted the hit on my mother.�

Michelle wondered what phony accusations Carmen had made. She was sure that whatever lead Danny had, he had because Carmen had put it in his path.

�Last night, Mama told me that she believes Ben Warren is responsible for the shooting.�

Ben Warren was a despicable character, that much was true. But Michelle didn�t believe he�d ever go that far. He was too smart for that. But, she had to admit, Carmen had a stroke of genius when she placed the suspicion on him.

�Ben Warren,� Michelle said questionably. �I thought he was working for you mother. He�s the one that called here that night, to tell you about the shooting. Hadn�t he been with her all evening?�

�That�s why none of us suspected him at first. But he was a little too calm on the phone, when he told me about the shots being fired. And he was angry at my mother for not supporting some real estate deal he wanted her to help him with.�

�Trying to have her killed is a little extreme for just being angry, don�t you think?�

�Well, none of us know him very well. He hasn�t worked for my mother very long. So we�re not exactly sure what he�s capable of. It occurred to me to that there must be some other motivation for him to take that kind of action. I don�t think my mother is telling me everything.�

Michelle thought to herself, �You bet she�s not.�

Danny continued, �I confronted Ben today, and he acted totally surprised that I was onto him. I swear, Michelle, I will bring him down, and then you and I can be together.�

�What exactly does �bring him down� mean. Are you going to kill him? Danny you can�t put your life at risk like that.�

�I�m not going to kill him, but that�s not to say that someone else won�t. I�ve read the papers, and I know he�s not the most reputable attorney, or citizen for that matter, in Springfield. That guy must have a ton of skeletons in his closet. I'll find them, and I�ll make him wish he�d never come to this town.�

The thought of Ben Warren�s reputation, tarnished though it was, being further destroyed made Michelle laugh out loud. Danny thought it was because she agreed with his plan, but he must not have known how Ben had wreaked havoc on Abby�s life by defending Roy Meecham after he attacked her, and then prosecuting her for shooting Roy after he threatened her. Yes, Michelle would like to see Ben put through the wringer for what he did to Abby, but first she had to find out what he knew about that shooting at the Santos house. If anyone had the goods on Carmen, it was Ben. And even though she knew it would be like dealing with the devil, she was determined to get the information she needed to get Danny away from Carmen once and for all.

Danny kissed her goodbye and walked out the door. Michelle stood there in her big tee shirt and messed up hair thinking, �If I have to go to Ben for the information, then so be it.�

****************************************************8

Later that afternoon, Michelle sat at the bar of Millenium trying to decide how she would approach Ben Warren. She knew Carmen would have her eyes and ears open, so she couldn�t simply walk into his office and speak with him. It had to appear accidental, like there was nothing planned about it.

Drew came down the stairs in to the bar. Michelle still had trouble looking at her and not thinking of her in Danny�s arms, a place that she herself had yet to be. But Drew had been there for her many times in the past few months, and though it pained her to admit it, she knew that Drew really was sorry for what had happened. There friendship, though still on shaky ground, remained, and she knew that Drew could help her figure out how to get to Ben Warren.

It was obvious that Drew was upset. Michelle wondered why, because the last time she�d seen her was at Selena�s apartment, the day of Josh & Reva�s wedding. She seemed really happy then � her relationship with Jesse was great, and she was so excited about reuniting Selena with her daughter.

When Drew saw Michelle at the bar she walked over. �So, how are things with you and Danny?�

�I�ll tell you about that in a minute. Right now I want you to tell me what�s up with you. And don�t say �nothing� because I can tell by the look on your face that something�s wrong.�

Drew told Michelle about the whole ugly scene at Selena�s apartment. Her anger was evident in the way she spoke. Michelle found herself feeling especially sorry for her when Drew directed her anger at Jesse for keeping the truth from her.

�God, Drew� I�m so sorry. That must�ve been devastating for you.�

�Yeah, well, you know me,� she said wiping her tears, �I�ll be fine. I�ll shake it off.�

Michelle knew that was a lie.

�I�m never gonna forgive Selena for this. Never!� Drew shouted.

�Drew, I don�t want to make light of your pain, but we all make mistakes, you know, even big ones.�

�If you�re referring to the fact that I slept with Danny, you don�t have to remind me.�

�I wasn�t talking about that, specifically. We�ve all screwed up, at one time or another. Remember when I kept the truth from Jesse about my blindness? That was so stupid, but I really though I was doing the right thing for him. I had good intentions.�

�Like the good intentions you had the night we reported that shipment to the FBI?�

Michelle grimaced at the thought of that mistake. �Again, a really stupid move on my part. We all have our share of things we wish we hadn�t done. Maybe someday you�ll be able to forgive Selena, maybe even have some kind of a relationship with her.�

�No way,� Drew said. �Besides that she left town. Who know when she�ll be back, or if she�ll be back. She disgusts me. Do you know I found a book of all her old �clients� in her apartment. After all this time, why would she still have that nasty reminder around? What kind of woman is she?�

The wheels were turning in Michelle�s head. �Drew, there�s something else good that could come out of this. You might be able to locate your father.�

�You mean one of Selena�s old tricks?� Drew asked sarcastically. �Why would I want to find him?�

�You don�t know for a fact that your father is some horrible John of Selena�s. He might be able to shed some light on the situation. Maybe he�s even got family who�d want to meet you. You won�t know unless you find him.�

�Just for argument�s sake, let�s say I do try to find him. Where the hell would I start?�

�Well, that book of Selena�s wouldn�t be a bad place.�

�Yeah, and then what are we going to do? Call them all up and ask them if they want an instant daughter?�

�No, we�d get an attorney to help us,� Michelle said.

�***************************************************************************

Danny sat in the study of the Santos house. God, how he�d grown to hate this place. It was so cold and institutional like, totally void of emotion, which was, of course, the way his mother wanted things.

Emotion made you weak, she always said. He�d know that was a lie for sometime now, ever since Michelle came into his life.

But still, there was the matter of Ben Warren, who�d attempted to kill his mother, and hurt Pilar in the process. He chuckled when he thought of what he�d learned about Ben Warren the past couple of days. Those old friends from college and law school were all eager to talk.

He hated this part of himself. Why should one man�s misfortune be so appealing to him? Most certainly, Ben�s burn injuries were a big part of the reason that the man was such a cut-throat now.

�Who am I to call anyone else a cut-throat?� Danny silently asked himself.

It pained him that he would have to use this man�s sufferings to the advantage of his family. It was a conflict he would have to live with forever.

Michelle arrived at Millenium one hour before their appointment with Ben Warren. She and Drew had planned to go over Selena�s �client� book before they met with Ben. Michelle had told Drew almost everything that was happening with Danny. She�d left out the part about Ben being Danny�s prime suspect. She was afraid that might scare Drew off. Besides, Ben was more likely to uncover the truth about Drew�s father than was an attorney who played strictly by the rules. So, this alliance would serve a purpose for both of them.

As the looked through Selena�s book, they found the entries of clients during the time that Drew was most likely conceived. There weren�t as many as Drew had anticipated, actually there were only three possibilities. Maybe this would be easier than they thought.

One of the three entries intrigued them both. There was no name and no other information such as a phone number - it just said, �Sweet College Boy�. Another strange thing about the entry was that no amount of money was listed. Every other client had at least some personal information, and all of them showed an amount of money. But not this one.

�I�ve got to take care of some bills before we go,� Drew said as she stood up. Michelle continued flipping through the book. A newspaper clipping fell to the floor as she flipped the pages. The headline read �University Students Dismissed For Soliciting Prostitution�. Michelle picked it up and read it. Apparently, several fraternity brothers had solicited a prostitute for another student who had bad facial deformities, evidently due to abuse at the hands of his mother. The student had reported the others to the Dean, and they had been kicked out of school. �How awful,� Michelle thought. �Maybe this was the �Sweet College Boy� that was listed.� The date on the clipping coincided closely with the date of the entry. And that would explain why there was no other information listed.

She folded the clipping and put it in her purse. Something told her to keep that little piece of information to herself for a while.

�Yeah Boss, that�s right, she�s at Millenium,� Dietz said. �She�s talking to that girl Drew, you know, Danny�s little indiscretion.�

�What could those two possibly have to talk about?� Carmen asked

�I don�t know, but it must be serious. The were looking through some kind of book together.�

�Did they see you?�

�No way. I parked the car across the street and used the binoculars. You want me to keep following her?�

�Not today. I need you elsewhere this afternoon. But we will find out what those two are up to.�

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

Michelle and Drew stood outside Ben�s office, each of them anxious, but for very different reasons.

�You look nervous, Michelle,� Drew said. �What�ve you got to be nervous about?�

�I�m just a little curious,� Michelle replied. �You know Ben�s reputation.�

Just then, Ben opened the door. �Come on in ladies.�

For the next half hour Drew told Ben the whole sordid tale of Selena, her adoptive parents, and the awful way she discovered the truth. She showed him the book that listed Selena�s �clients� and he made notes concerning the ones that were possibly Drew�s father.

�You realize that even if we find these gentlemen, so to speak, the only way to be sure is by DNA testing. The men will have to agree, volunteer if you will, to be tested. I think you need to be prepared for the fact that these men may not agree to the test. They may not want to know the truth.�

�I�ll cross that bridge later,� Drew said. �At least, if we can find these three, I�ll have some idea, even if I don�t know for sure.�

Just then, Drew�s cell phone rang.

Michelle could tell by Drew�s end of the conversation that there was a problem at the club. Drew hung up and told them that there had been a problem with a customer, and the police had been called.

�I�ve got to get down there and make sure everything is alright.�

�It�s o.k., Drew,� Michelle said. �I�ll get all the documents together and bring them over to you later.�

This was going to be easier than Michelle thought. The incident at the club was giving her the perfect opportunity to talk to Ben, alone.

�Mr. Warren,� Michelle began, �I understand you aren�t working for Carmen Santos anymore.�

�That�s right. My business with Ms. Santos is finished.�

�Well, I�d like to talk to you, about the shooting.� Michelle treaded carefully. She didn�t want to alarm him into thinking that she was pumping him for information to pass it on to Danny. �I understand that Danny has made some, shall we say, accusations toward you, concerning the shooting, and I must confess, I just can�t believe that you had anything to do with it.�

�You better be careful what you step in, Michelle. This is a very messy situation, and if you know too much, you just might turn your perfect little world upside down. Believe me, this is not the type of thing a girl like you should be involved in.�

�A girl like me!� Michelle said defiantly. �God, I am so sick of that attitude!� She was really angry now. �Everyone I know talks to me that way. Everyone treats me like I�m some porcelain doll, and one little push from the Santos family is going to break me into a million little pieces. Well, let me tell you something, Mr. Warren, I am NOT made of glass. I�m standing here in front of you, and I am stronger and more determined than I�ve ever been in my life. I don�t like you at all, you have to know that. I despise what you did to my sister-in-law. You dragged my family through the mud. But I came to you anyway, because I love Danny, and I�m not going to let Carmen�s pointing finger be the thing that does him in. I know you didn�t order that hit. I know in my gut that Carmen did it herself, to squeeze some sympathy out of Danny and Pilar. And believe me, I�m not going to break into a million pieces. I�m going to find out the truth.�

Ben was surprised at her resolve. �And you want me to help you?�

�Yes. You�re the only one who was close enough to Carmen to know what she was doing. I think you know that I�m right, and I think you want to tell me.�

Ben chose his words carefully. What fun it would be to watch Carmen brought to her knees by the little girl she thought would pose no more threats. �You�re on the right track, Michelle, but you must know that any information that Danny hears from my mouth will be misconstrued. He�d accuse me of trying to throw suspicion off myself, or of trying to cause their family more trouble. I suspect that he isn�t going to believe anything, unless it comes from Carmen herself.� He handed Michelle a small tape recorder as he finished speaking.

She knew what he meant. She had to get Carmen to admit everything on tape. It was the only way. �Thank you,� Michelle said, as she took the recorder from Ben�s hand.

�It�s small enough to fit in a small handbag. I would suggest that you make copies of any �interesting� material you collect. You wouldn�t want your only copy ending up in the wrong hands.�

She put the tape recorder in her purse, and gathered the documents that Drew needed to look over. She walked down the hallway, and practically ran into Danny. He�d seen her coming out of Ben�s office.

�Danny, what are you doing here?� It was a stupid question. She knew why he was here.

�What the hell are you doing in Ben Warren�s office, Michelle?� Danny was obviously upset.

She had to think quickly. Any hesitation and he would know she was lying. He knew her too well.

�Drew is trying to find her biological father, and I told her I�d help her. When she decided to contact a lawyer for help, I suggested Ben.�

�Are you crazy? That guy is dangerous!�

Michelle laughed.

�This is not funny, Michelle.�

�You have to see the irony of this, Danny. You�re warning me about Ben being dangerous, when I used to live in your house with your mother. Besides, I suggested that Drew contact Ben because finding her birth father isn�t going to be an easy task. I figure a straight-laced attorney would take a long time to get any information. You and I both know that Ben doesn�t exactly play by the rules, and Drew is impatient. I knew she would want to find out something quickly. And, maybe while we�re doing this, I might be able to find out something that would help you.�

�You shouldn�t be involved in this. It isn�t safe.�

�I�m already involved. It�s too late to shut me out now.�

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

Later that evening, Michelle was back at Ben�s office. She was alone this time, and she knew she wouldn�t be running into Danny. She had called his cell phone under the pretense that she just wanted to talk to him. Of course that was true, but during the course of their conversation, he�d told her that he was having a business dinner with his mother and Dietz at Towers. �Some business,� Michelle thought as she hung up.

So, everything was clear for her to meet with Ben again. He was surprisingly helpful this time. He did not try to dissuade her from her ambitions.

�You have the ability to get to Carmen � much more so than anyone else. She thinks you�re no threat, but I know that she secretly fears you greatly. She knows you�re the greatest threat to her family security, because Danny has genuine feelings for you, and he wants to please you so badly. But you�re going to have to have some kind of strategy before you go talk to her. You need a plan.�

�I�ve been thinking about that and I think I�ve come up with a way to make her admit to it. Carmen has always loved to gloat. She enjoys pointing out Danny�s loyalty to the family. She�s always telling me about his responsibilities. It�s like she�s showing me how much more important the family is to Danny than I am. I think she really wants to tell me what she�s done. I�m sure she�s just so proud of herself.�

"You may be on to something. Carmen does love it when she has the upper hand, and I doubt she�ll be able to restrain herself from singing her own praises.�

�"Carmen,� Dietz said, as his boss answered the phone. �I just followed her to Ben Warren�s office. She�s in there with him now.�

�Ben Warren�s office!� Carmen was in disbelief. �Surely Ben would not be so stupid as to talk to her about our business.�

�Who knows boss,� Dietz said. �Ever since you sent Danny after him, he�s been a loose canon.�

�Well, we have to know what he�s been saying to Michelle. Do you have the equipment necessary?�

�Sure. I�ll have the bug in his office, ten minutes after he leave.�

Ben was in his big leather swivel chair, talking to a client. He was facing the window. Michelle�s attention turned to a file laying on Ben�s bookcase. She could see a newspaper clipping escaping from the top.

�He�s not looking,� Michelle thought. �I�ll just take a peek.�

Her jaw dropped to the ground when she saw the same newspaper article in Ben�s file, that she�d found in Selena�s book. She was further astonished when she found a second clipping, detailing a mother�s abuse of her child. Apparently, this mother had scalded her young son�s face with boiling water. She read further into the article, and saw that the woman was referred to as �Ms. Warren�.

�Ben�s mother,� Michelle thought. �God, Ben is the one with the scarred face. He�s the �Sweet College Boy� in Selena�s book.�

The realization of what she had just found hit her like a tornado.

�Ben Warren could be Drew�s father!� She knew she shouldn�t, but she put the two clippings in her purse.

Just then Ben hung up the telephone and turned his chair toward Michelle. �I�m going to have to take care of something Michelle.�

�That�s fine. I need to leave anyway. I have an appointment with The Godmother.�

Ben laughed at the comparison.

Five minutes after Ben and Michelle left the office, Dietz was inside, placing a bugging device on the underside of Ben�s desk. When he finished, he called and reported to his master.

�Good,� Carmen said. �Now we�ll find out what Ben and Michelle are plotting.

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

At Towers, Danny was standing sitting alone at the table when his phone rang. It was Michelle.

�Hi Danny,� Michelle said.

�Michelle. How are you?�

�I�m fine. How was your dinner meeting?�

�Fairly unproductive, actually. Dietz left not long after we arrived. Some emergency or something. Mama left a little while ago, after Dietz phoned. I�ve just been wasting time here alone, feeling sorry for myself.�

�Want a little pick-me-up?�

�What are you suggesting, Michelle?�

�Why don�t you meet me at the Lighthouse?�

�Michelle, it isn�t safe for us to be together, you know that.�

�You said yourself, Carmen and Dietz are busy with something else. I told Rick and Abby that I was staying with Drew tonight, because she�s having such a hard time dealing with the truth about her past.�

�I don�t know, Michelle.�

�Come on, Danny. Take a cab instead of driving your car. No one will know you�re here.�

�You�re terrible, Michelle. You know I can�t say no to you.�

�Then you�ll be here?�

�As soon as I can.�

�I�ll be waiting.�

Michelle decided after leaving Ben�s office that she should wait until morning to confront Carmen. She was extremely anxious to get to the truth, but she knew if she rushed things, she might make a mistake, and there was no room for mistakes in this plan. For tonight, she just wanted to be with Danny. Obviously, she couldn�t tell him what she was up to, but she needed him to remind her why she was going to such lengths. She didn�t doubt his feelings for her, but she wanted to remember how good it felt when he held her, how soft his kisses were, and the sound of his voice speaking so sweetly to her. It would give her the strength to do what she needed to do. After spending the evening with Danny, she knew there would be no way she could give up until Carmen had been exposed.

Danny arrived at the Lighthouse 45 minutes later. When he opened the door, he heard romantic music coming from the CD player. The lights were off, but there were candles burning. Michelle was standing in the middle of the room. She took his breath away.

�I�ve missed my husband,� she said.

�And I�ve missed my wife,� Danny replied.

She motioned to him to come to her, and they held each other for a long moment.

�I can�t believe you did all this for me,� Danny said.

�Don�t you know by now that I would do anything for you?�

�Never in a million years would I have imagined that you would feel anything but contempt for me, especially after everything,� Danny said, his voice trailing off.

�Danny, after everything that you�ve done for me, how could I ever feel contempt for you? You saved my life. Not only that, you gave me life. I feel things for you that I never thought I�d feel. I�m more alive than I�ve ever been, and it all because of you.�

He leaned down to kiss her softly, and her lips met his halfway. It felt so good being in his arms. She knew now why she must free him of the burden Carmen had placed on him. Her resolve was stronger than ever.

�I called home and told Pilar that I wouldn�t be coming in tonight. I told her I was driving up to Chicago to check some things out. Then I parked my car in the parking garage at Cedars. I took a cab here, like you suggested. No one knows where I am.�

�Does that mean you can stay all night?� Michelle asked hopefully.

�Yes, but I want you to understand something. When we were married, I laid there next to you, every night, just looking at you. Wishing like hell that you felt something for me. I wanted you more than anything. I still do. But all those nights in that bed, well, they just weren�t the time, you know. And neither is tonight.�

Michelle looked at him with questioning eyes.

�Michelle, you consume my thoughts, every minute of every day. I can hardly wait until I can really show you how much you mean to me. But when that time comes, I want it to be just about us. Totally about our feelings and our commitment. I don�t want it to be in one of these clandestine meetings, hiding out from my mother. Don�t get me wrong, I love everything you�ve done to arrange this. I just want everything to be perfect when we finally make love. Tell me you understand, please,� Danny said, almost begging. �Because you know, if you don�t, I won�t be able to say no to you.�

�I do understand, Danny, but part of me wants to say �to hell perfection�. There�s a part of me that wants to jump in that bed with you, and make love until morning. In fact, that�s why I brought you here tonight. But I agree with what you�re saying. We should be totally focused on each other when that happens.�

�You�re not upset with me?�

�No, of course not. It makes me happy that you value our relationship enough to wait. Makes me want you more, if that�s possible,� she said with a devilish smile.

It was late, and they were both tired. They climbed in bed together, Danny in silk boxer shorts, and Michelle in the white tee shirt he�d worn all day. She loved the smell of his clothes after he�d worn them all day. It wasn�t just the cologne he wore � it was his entire essence that made her sink into oblivion.

They held each other, and slept soundly, until Danny saw the sun begin to peek over the water. It was the most intimate experience they�d shared together, since they day they met.

Michelle was sleeping on her stomach, and Danny awakened her with a soft kiss on her earlobe. She rolled over and looked at him, with that sleepy gaze she always had when she first woke up. He loved the way she looked in the mornings.

�I have to go, now. I don�t want anyone getting suspicious.�

�Damn, I hate mornings like this,� she said. �Here let me give you your shirt back.�

�As much as I�d like to see you out of that shirt, you keep it,� he said as he kissed her cheek.

�Thanks sweetheart. It�ll be like having part of you with me, all the time.�

�You already have part of me with you � the most important part � my heart. You�ve had it from the beginning.�

He kissed her once more and then he was gone. Michelle wanted to lay in that bed all day and revel in the memories of being with him. But she knew she couldn�t. If there were going to be more nights and mornings like they just shared, she had to expose Carmen for what she really was.

Part Seven

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