Setting: Beach. Danny is on the beach near the lighthouse while Michelle has gone to her house to pick up some things.
Danny was staring at the water, thinking about the night before. How could he have let that happen.....then how could he have not! At the simple thought of Michelle's words, her touch, her kiss, Danny felt his heart melt. Michelle could not have lied, he told himself. She couldn't. But then again it seemed too good to be true. He remembers the way he felt when he had woken up this morning. Michelle was already up. He looked around and realized he was sleeping on Michelle's side of the bed. Some people barely move in their sleep......well I guess I'm not one of them, he told himself as if he had just realized. The pain in his chest and arm was almost gone and he had been able to get up on his first try. The lighthouse felt empty without Michelle around. He had wondered if the whole thing had been just a dream, but when he saw a note from Michelle, he found it to be very real.
The note said:
Good morning, I had to go pick some things up. I will be back soon. Get some rest.
PS: I slept much better than on the floor.
Love,
Michelle
Danny smiled as he remembered the note. But his smiled faded when a hand grabbed him from behind. He turned around to face a man wearing a leather jacket almost the same as Danny's. Danny didn't even flinched at the grip that the man had on his shoulder. He looked straight at the man before him. They must have been about the same age.
"Danny.........."The man said in a low voice.
"Alex. What is going on.....? I thought mother was supposed to try and kill Michelle on the night of the accident."Danny said confused about how everything is unfolding.
"She didn't Danny......She was going to but you had your accident." Alex explained looking around to make sure they were alone. "Michelle canceled dinner with Carmen to stay with you in hospital, so Carmen probably made other plans to get rid of her."
"What other plans?"Danny asked panicked at the idea of Michelle in danger.
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Setting: The Bauer house. Pilar and Drew are asking about Danny's condition.
Michelle is looking for something in her closet.
"So how was Danny this morning?" Pilar asked looking around the room while Drew made herself comfortable in a chair.
"He was asleep."Michelle shouted from the deep end of the closet, still frantically searching for something.
"Danny was asleep!! At nine in the morning?" Pilar asked sharing a smile with Drew. "That is so not Danny!" she added laughing.
"She is right Michelle!! What did you and Danny do last night!?" Drew asked getting up from the chair.
"Drew!!!" Michelle yelled as she came out of the closet "Danny and I talked a lot and he was very tired after the accident. Should I remind you that at the second Danny remembers why he had annulment papers drawn, he will make me sign them?" she said as she tossed some clothes in a bag.
"Danny loves you Michelle!" Pilar said trying desperately to get that through Michelle's head once and for all.
"Michelle I think it's time we have a little girl talk now....." Drew said, taking Michelle by the shoulders and making her sit on the bed.
"Drew, if you wanna tell me about the flowers and the bees I already know the story!" Michelle sarcastically said.
"Michelle......You two are not up for the most tortured couple at the Oscars so don't bother forcing it ok! Play the simple part and Danny will remember, he will love you and sweep you off your feet and you will live happily ever after and have tons of little Danny boy and Mickey mouse around the house......." Drew started trying to convince Michelle that things could be very simple if she lets it.
"Mickey Mouse!???"Michelle laughed looking back and forth between Pilar and Drew.
"What??!!! A girl's gotta use her imagination!! How would you call tiny little Michelle running around?"Drew asked looking at some of Michelle's stuff on the desk.
Michelle looked at Pilar who seemed quite amused. Whether it was at Drew's choice of expressions or at the thought of Michelle with a bunch of kids.......Pilar didn't argue but simply smiled at Michelle.
"It's not that simple" Michelle said in a sigh. "Danny and I are not that simple..." she added.
"When has anything been simple Michelle?" Pilar asked sitting on the bed beside her. "Love is not simple."
"Well Danny and I are the worst! Things have been from worse to worst, and I am not sure......."Michelle started before Pilar cut her off.
"Ok! Enough talk of that!!! The girl has to find it on her own" Drew stated as Pilar nodded to Michelle in agreement.
After a little while Drew and Pilar left Michelle. Drew obviously had to run to Millennium, and Pilar was meeting Bill at the boardinghouse. Pilar had promised to come and visit Danny at the lighthouse, but had also promised not to tell Carmen or any of her men they were there. Even though Michelle knew perfectly well she probably had them followed or something and had some people watching them. The simple thought of Carmen gave her a sick feeling she could not push away immediately.
Michelle went downstairs and was on her way to the door when she noticed a little piece of paper someone had stuck on the door from outside. Michelle went out and read it. the note was vague, not saying much besides to watch her back.......and Carmen.
Michelle looked all around but no one was there. At first she expected to see that girl again. The one who had practically been living in her shadow for days, but she wasn't. Somehow, Michelle would have felt better knowing that this girl was around. That she was the one who put this up there, but when she saw no one watching her, Michelle got scared and ran to her car. She had to find Danny. Maybe he could help......he had to remember Michelle told herself trying her best not to break down and cry.
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Setting: Santos house. Carmen is on the phone.
"We have waited long enough!!"She started in a hard and determined voice.
"Vamos! No hay tiempo para perder! Michelle tiene que pagar.......ahora y para siempre!" Carmen said in one breath.
(Let's go! There is no time to waste! Michelle has to pay.........once and for all!)
"They are at the lighthouse." Carmen blurted out before hanging up the phone. She looked at herself in a mirror, rearranged her hair and smiled to herself.
"This time Michelle you will not take my family away. You will regret trying only once." she whispered through her teeth.
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Setting: Michelle's car.
Michelle barely saw where she was going. Thank God she knew the way to the lighthouse by heart because she wasn't paying any attention to the road in front of her. Her mind was drifting to other things......
"Rick would kill you Michelle! Focus!!" she told herself.
Then at the mere thought of the word 'kill', she felt a shiver going through her entire body. Something was wrong. She knew it. She could feel it. The same way she had felt it when Danny had his accident. She had a feeling something was not right then and she knew the feeling. It was the same one now.
Her thoughts went back to that note. That mysterious note that had scared more than just the hell out of her, with only a couple of words.
"It can't be Carmen" Michelle suddenly realized.
"It can't be her. She isn't the kind of woman to warn her targets" She continued half stating a fact, half trying to convince herself.
Michelle tried to shake these thoughts away and concentrate on the road in front of her. The road to Danny. Maybe he knows........but she stopped herself there, tears threatening to fall at any moment. "He has to remember......" She whispered. "He has to......"
By times Michelle felt like Danny was back to his old self. Sometimes, a simple look of his, those that could melt her heart and mend it all at once. A simple touch, those she craved so much ever since Danny had kissed her goodbye in her kitchen. Even the simplest expression on his face or a move he would make made her feel like he was exactly the man she had fell in love with in the first place. It was so easy to say it now. "The man I love" she kept repeating constantly as if she wanted to make up for all the waste of time she had hated him. She had denied it all along. And BOY had she denied it!!!!!But all these little things felt so familiar. One minute he was the Danny she knew and loved and the other he was asking her questions and being totally strange.
Michelle's car stopped and she got out spotting Danny on the beach. He was looking away, lost in his thought. Something was different about him. Something had changed.
She ran to him, hiding the note in the pocket of her jeans.
"Danny?" she said to scoop him out of his thoughts.
"Michelle" he said turning around to face her.
"I.....I got some things. Something wrong?" she asked not certain he would really answer.
"I have been thinking Michelle. Maybe you should go back to the Bauer's house......." He started looking over her shoulder.
"What? What are you talking about? I am not leaving you......"She insisted.
"It would be best......"
"Best for what Danny? What's going on?" Michelle asked angrily.
She had no idea what was going on and of course.....Danny wasn't giving her any answers. But she was certain of it now. Something was going on and Danny knew about it. How? Why? Who? And to this last question she had only one word hanging in her head......or was it one name? She had brought Danny to the lighthouse to keep him away from Carmen. Her jaw clinched at the simple thought of her name. But somehow something was happening and Carmen was involved. She could feel it, and it wasn't a good feeling. Nothing was good when it came down to Carmen Michelle reminded herself.
Danny just looked away. his plan was failing. He couldn't ask her to leave because she would figure it out. And knowing Michelle she probably wouldn't leave in the first place......and the fact is he didn't exactly want her to leave.
Suddenly a loud and familiar noise came disturbing both their thoughts. A car was flying away in the fog. Michelle jumped at the noise and Danny reached out to grab her arms. He hurried her to the lighthouse. Michelle didn't know what was going on but Danny's eyes were cold and dry. Michelle's were panicked and wet. They ran the stairs and Danny stopped Michelle abruptly.
Someone had knocked the door down and Danny asked Michelle to stay back. Of course......how could she? She followed him inside as Danny pulled out a gun. Michelle froze at the sight of Danny's gun. He was back. She could feel it again.
Danny's face turned pale as he entered the room. His eyes widened and he dropped the gun to the floor. Michelle hurried beside him and the same expression fell upon her own face.
Right there. On the bed. There she was, Michelle thought. That girl. In Adidas pants and old sweater......she was lying face down bleeding to death on the bed. their bed. Michelle got a sick feeling and hid her face in her hands. Danny rushed to the girl and tears began to fall from his eyes.
"Sarah!!" He yelled in a cry.
"Why......?" Michelle thought. Her mind wasn't working clearly but what she was seeing in Danny wasn't either. Why was he crying? He reached out to the girl and turned her on her back, cradling her head. After a moment of instant shock, Michelle rushed to them and asked to call an ambulance as Danny was taking her pulse.
"She is not dead!" he yelled wiping the tears away.
"Who.......What......Give me your cell phone!!" Michelle shouted in confusion.
"No!!! We can't bring her to the hospital Michelle!!!!" Danny shouted taking the phone away from Michelle's hands in a quick move and threw it on the floor with a rage she had never seen before.