Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.
Danny held Michelle for a long time. He loved the way she felt in his arms, and she loved the feeling of security that his arms gave her. He leaned down, his lips searching for hers, and they shared a deeply emotional kiss, as if they were saying hello after a long separation.
�Bill is waiting for us downstairs. The three of us have something important to discuss, and then you and I are leaving town.�
She smiled at the thought of leaving town with him. She couldn�t wait to leave all this behind. They deserved some time to themselves. �O.K.,� Michelle said. �Just let me change clothes first.�
"I�ll wait for you downstairs.�
�No you won�t,� she protested. �The last time you walked out of my sight, I thought I�d never see you again. You just wait right there, and we�ll go downstairs together.�
�Don�t you want some privacy?�
�From you?� she asked sarcastically.
Danny nodded in affirmation. He stood by the door as she slipped off her dress. She stood, facing the closet, in white lace panties and a white lacy bra. He had never really seen her this way before, and she was even more beautiful than he imagined. Yet, oddly enough, this was not a sexual circumstance for either one of them. She was demonstrating to him that she trusted him, felt totally comfortable with him. She had opened herself up to him, and as he stood there admiring her body, he knew that this was a symbol of her trust. He vowed silently to himself and to her, to never betray that trust.
She pulled on a pair of faded blue jeans, and she looked better in them than any woman had a right to. The dark green tee shirt she put on was just clingy enough to accentuate her curves and just short enough to reveal her belly as she reached up and put her arms around his neck.
�I�m ready Mr. Santos,� she said as she kissed him.
He noticed the small bag on the floor and asked her if she planned on taking it with them. When she said she was, he said, �You�d better go ahead and take it downstairs with you, because we�re not going to waste any time getting out of here.�
Danny, Michelle, and Bill sat around the kitchen table as Danny played the tape he�d found in Ben�s jacket. The look on his face was one of pure hurt and betrayal, and Michelle ached when she thought of the clock she�d taken from the Santos study.
�Danny, I have something to confess,� she said. �Bill and I already knew.�
�How could you have known?� he asked.
Methodically, Bill explained to Danny how he and Michelle discovered the discrepancy between the time of Ben�s call and the time of the shooting. Michelle picked up where Bill left off and told Danny about sneaking into the house, the night he met with the rival families, and taking the clock.
�You�ve known for a week and you didn�t tell me?� His tone hinted at anger.
�Danny,� she began, �your mother was promising to go along with your plan to legitimize the business. You were so confident in her, and I didn�t want to hurt you with this if there was any way to avoid it.�
Danny just looked at the table and shook his head.
�It was me who convinced her not to tell you,� Bill said. �I asked her to give your mother the benefit of the doubt. Pilar was so excited about the business going legitimate, and I wanted to give Carmen the chance to redeem herself. Michelle agreed, only reluctantly.�
�After everything, you kept the truth from us, for my mother�s sake?� Danny asked.
Michelle forced him to look into her eyes. �Danny, no matter what I think or feel about her, she is your mother.�
He put his arms around her in a way that said he understood, and then he nodded at Bill.
He handed the tape to Bill, and then dialed Pilar�s cell phone number. He explained to her that what Bill had to tell her was the truth and she should listen to him carefully.
�Do what he says, Pilar,� Danny said. �He�s doing this as a favor to me, and because he cares for you.�
Pilar and Bill agreed to meet at the Boarding House, and Bill promised Danny that he would make sure she was safe.
Michelle left a note for Rick and Abby that read � �Don�t worry. I�m fine. Just had to get away.� Then hand in hand, she and Danny left the Bauer house and Springfield.
He hung up the phone and shook his head. He had no idea what to do. Ray was in a coma, and no one had seen Danny since the explosion. What was he supposed to do with that damned journal now?
************************************************************
Carmen burst into Ben�s office, clearly upset. It had now been seven hours since the bombing at St. Michael�s.
"No one has seen or heard from Daniel since the explosion," she snapped at Ben. She hadn�t been able to find Pilar either, but she assumed she was with that idiot Lewis boy, Bill. "I just phoned the Bauer house, and no one answered. I�m sure he�s taken Michelle and left town, probably for good."
"I think you may have bigger problems than that, Carmen," Ben said.
"What are you talking about?"
"The tape I made, of the two of us discussing the shooting, was inside the jacket that Danny grabbed before jumping out the window with the bomb. The jacket was found outside the church, but the tape was gone."
Carmen was livid. "What in the world were you doing carrying that around with you?" she screamed.
"One can never be to careful," Ben said slyly. "I had to make sure you lived up to your end of our bargain."
"Damn you, Ben."
"So it would appear that Danny knows everything."
Carmen smirked at Ben as she thought to herself that there was no way Danny would ever know everything.
"He�ll always be my son," she said coldly. "No matter what."
Danny and Michelle walked into the Springfield airport, trying to look inconspicuous.
"Where are we going?" Michelle asked.
"Wherever the first flight will take us," Danny answered. "Like I said, we�re not wasting anytime getting out of here."
Michelle laughed softly, and Danny smiled down at her. He loved the way she laughed. He laced his fingers with hers, and they walked over to the counter.
"When is your next flight leaving?" Danny asked the young man at the counter.
"In about twenty-five minutes," he answered. "There are plenty of seats left, if you want tickets."
"Yes, two please," Danny said, as he pulled out his wallet. "By the way, what is the destination."
The man looked at Danny with a strange expression and said, "Reno."
Michelle and Danny looked at each other, both of them laughing.
"Perfect," the said in unison.
Once the plane was in flight, they unfastened their seatbelts, and Michelle leaned over and laid her head on Danny�s shoulder.
He kissed her forehead and said, "It might be a good idea if you got a little sleep on the flight. Once we land in Reno, I have a feeling it will be a long night."
Michelle nuzzled closer and kissed his neck and said, "I don�t know what you could possibly be talking about."
"We�re going to find the closest wedding chapel, and I don�t care how tacky or tasteless it is," Danny laughed. "And then we�ll find a nice place to spend our wedding night."
"Well, that sound like a fantastic plan," she said. "So, how long is our honeymoon going to be?"
Danny�s tone of voice turned serious as he spoke. "We�re staying away until my mother and Ben uncover who planted that bomb at the church."
"You�re actually going to leave that to your mother and Ben, and not try to take care of it yourself?"
"I�ve been taking care of things for her, for too long. She can take care of herself - I don�t think anyone is questioning that. Besides, my priority now is protecting you. Not to mention that we deserve some quality time together."
"You don�t know how much I agree with that," she smiled.
"Oh, I think I have some idea," Danny said as he leaned down to kiss her.
Back at Cedars, Rick, Dr. Grant, and Lillian stood silently outside Ray�s room, all three of them knowing how tenuous his situation was. He had not regained consciousness, and was showing no signs of awakening anytime soon.