This fic is rated R
Danny went in to check on Pilar one last time. She had finally fallen asleep but it was only because pure exhaustion had finally taken over.
She had been crying all night long. Danny looked at the clock. It was 3:30 AM. He would need to get up before 9:00 to go back to the hospital to help Federico with the arrangements. Ray had come in last night a little before midnight. They had let him stay and spend some time with his grandmother. He was going to meet with them in the morning also.
He needed to get some sleep badly. He undressed and slipped in between the cool sheets. He had been running on nothing but coffee and adrenaline for the last two days. He didn't know how long he was going to be able to keep going like this. He couldn't remember when he had eaten last. He would have to grab some breakfast in the morning for sure.
He had called Michelle but no one had been home. He had left a brief message telling her about his grandmother's death. He told her they were going to grab a room at the local Holiday Inn and that he would try to call her tomorrow.
Michelle, where are you? he said to himself. If only he could hold her.......
Pilar had noticed earlier that he was wearing his wedding band again and had asked him about it. He hadn't answered her.
He closed his eyes and let the exhaustion he himself was feeling wash over him. His mind was brought back to something Pilar had said earlier. She had said that Michelle was insistent about knowing when he answered Pilar's email informing him of Dietz's death. Why did she need to know that? He would find out tomorrow when he checked his mail. He had to check in with Frank anyway and he had already asked one of the nurses where the local library was so he could use one of the computers to access his email. He could think about all of that tomorrow , he thought as sleep finally claimed him.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Michelle was lost. She was afraid that might happen. She had never even been to New York before much less try to drive around in it. She checked her map again to make sure she hadn't turned off on the wrong road from the interstate. No, she had done that part right. She would just drive around until she found something that would coincide with her map.
She had gotten Danny's message about his grandmother. She had gone to the car to get her books when Danny had called and she had missed his message by seconds.
She had called information and had gotten the number for Mercy Hospital. She had called and had him paged but gave up after twenty minutes when no one answered the page. They must have already left. She called information again this time to get the number for the local Holiday Inn. She had been surprised to find that there were three of them and she had asked the operator for all three numbers.
She had already made her decision to go up there. She knew what Danny had told her, but she had also heard the almost desperate tone in his voice when he was leaving his message. He was grief-stricken over his grandmother and she would go to him. She would face his wrath if necessary but her gut was telling her to go to him.
She tried the telephone numbers that the operator had given her and she had hit paydirt with the second one. They had some Santos registered there for the night. She called Pilar and had talked to her for a few minutes and told her what she was doing. Pilar said she was happy she was coming, Danny needed her. Michelle filled her in on her and Danny's conversation at the hospital but Pilar told her to come to her room first, she would make sure she got into Danny's room.
Finally she found a street that matched one on her map. She pinpointed her location and was able to establish a route to the hospital. She was only a few miles away.
I'm coming Danny, she thought, I coming.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Pilar was awakened by the knock on the door. she got up and answered it. It was Michelle. Michelle grabbed Pilar and hugged her and told her how sorry she was. Pilar hugged her back and gave her Danny's room key, "Go to him" she said. "He needs you". and Michelle nodded.
She hugged Pilar again and then started to the room down the hall. She placed the key in the lock and turned it slowly. She didn't want to alarm him by coming in there making a lot of noise.
She stepped in letting the light from the hall illuminate the room long enough that she could see where everything was in the room.
She spotted the bed. She saw Danny's head peeking out from under the covers. She closed the door and walked softly to the bed.
Danny was a light sleeper, she remembered, and she didn't want to wake him when he looked so exhausted. This was the first time she had seen him since he had left for California, not counting her dreams of course. He looked so tired. There were dark circles under his eyes. His face was relaxed in sleep and he looked peaceful.
She sat down on the edge of the bed, hoping not to jar the bed too much and wake him, and watched him sleep.
She watched as his eyebrows would squinch as if he were dreaming about something painful. His grandmother, Michelle thought, He's dreaming about his grandmother. His face contorted with obvious misery. Whatever he was dreaming about was obviously tormenting him. She couldn't take it anymore.
She reached up and placed her hand on his face. She cupped his cheek and softly brushed her thumb back and forth across his cheek in a tender manner.
It worked. His eyebrows unfurled and the hard line his mouth had contorted into, softened. She sat there and continued to stroke his cheek.
He began to stir and she removed her hand. He must have felt the separation because his eyes opened and his hand grabbed her wrist as she was pulling away.
He saw her then. He didn't say anything. Their gazes were locked. Please don't let this be a mistake, she thought.
He sat up then and grabbed her. Not a rough grab, but a desperate one. He drew her to him and hugged her close. He began to cry. She let the covers fall back and she stroked his bare back while he cried. He buried his head into the hair at her neck and she felt the wetness of his tears, but she didn't care. She continued stroking his back as a mother would a frightened child.
She held Danny until his tears subsided. He was the first to pull away and looked at her "Why" he asked.
"Why what Danny" she asked.
"Why are you here?" he croaked.
"I couldn't stay away Danny, I got your message about your grandmother. I just missed it. I had to run to the car for something and you called while I was in the garage. I am so sorry Danny. I know how much you loved her and I know how much she loved you. I know what you said on the phone, and you told me not to come, but I wanted, no I needed, to be here for you" she said.
He cupped her face with both hands and brought her mouth to his. Hard. It was a desperate kiss. One full of pain and Michelle was not convinced it was all about his grandmother.
Danny had never kissed her like this before. He was in pain and was trying to relieve it. She allowed him to kiss her roughly like this because he needed to expend some of the emotion he was bottling up inside.
Soon the kiss took a drastic turn. Danny's tongue began to get involved and she began to get dizzy. He stroked the inside of her mouth with his tongue and challenged hers to duel with his.
She didn't resist and soon they were involved in a full-fledged eating kiss. His mouth devoured hers. Soon it was traveling across her cheek, to her ear, down her neck and finally onto her shoulders.
His hands were feeling around at her back. He was caressing her back in a similar fashion that she had caressed his earlier.
"Michelle, he managed to mutter, "Oh God Michelle" and then his tongue resumed its journey. He planted soft, wet kisses all over her face and neck and Michelle felt herself arch her back to allow him freer access to her neck area.
Someone moaned. She couldn't tell who it was but it made Danny kiss and caress her more urgently.
He began to pull at her sweater, trying to free it from her skirt. He finally worked it free and placed his hands inside her sweater. One hand went immediately to cup one breast and the sensation that ran through her body at his touch was electrifying. He massaged her through her brassiere. Her breast responded by tightening into a tight bud. He rolled the nub between his fingers and Michelle couldn't stop the hiss that came out of her mouth.
Michelle thought she was going to die from the pleasure. She felt herself grow damp in her most feminine area. What he was doing to her body was amazingly similar to the torrid dream she had had about her and Danny just the other night. Her body had responded then as it was now. He was manipulating her body in such a way that Michelle felt completely helpless. He could do anything he wanted to her now, she was that far gone.
Danny thought he had died and gone to heaven. Michelle was in his arms. She had come to him. He hadn't asked her too , she just had. She was here. She was kissing him as urgently as he was kissing her. He reached around to her back and unclasped her bra. He lifted her sweater up to reveal her perfect breasts. They were tipped with tight pink nipples. He lowered his head down to kiss them. Softly at first, then he began nuzzling and licking them as if they had been dipped in the sweetest honey.
She was squirming uncontrollably in his arms now. Now was not the time for gentleness. Soon, they both were working together to free her of her clothes. The blanket had fallen down and Michelle saw that he had been sleeping nude.
Hands brushed against hands in their urgency to remove any barrier between them. Michelle didn't know what this feeling was that made her act with such reckless abandonment, but if she didn't mate with this man soon, she was going to die.
Nothing else mattered at this moment. They could have been the only two people in the world right now. The outside world ceased to exist. They were two lovers who were caught in a maelstrom of feelings neither of them could deny.
Finally, Michelle was freed of her clothing. She stood before Danny naked and unashamed bathed in the moonlight coming in from the window. Danny looked at her appreciatively. She was a vision. His angel. She was perfect and if only for tonight, she was his.
Danny took her hand and pulled her to him again. Michelle pulled the covers off the bed so she could have access to his body. She knelt down and planted kisses on his chest. Her hair fanned over his chest and he buried his head in it. Her kisses trailed down lower and lower until he stopped her.
No words were spoken, none were needed. He pulled her head up and they looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity.
Danny maneuvered her onto her back and they completed themselves with each other with both of them in tears when it was over.
Afterwards, Danny moved himself off of her and positioned himself behind her. There he held her until sleep came. Nothing had felt so right and he knew that when the time of his life was over, that this would be where he hoped he was, locked in Michelle's embrace.
He buried his face in her hair and fell off into a dreamless sleep, When he woke at 7:30 the next morning, Michelle was gone.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Meghan was just putting the first of the books that had been returned the night before back on the shelves. The library wasn't set to open for another fifteen minutes. She looked out the window, That man was still there. He had gotten here thirty minutes ago. She had tried to tell him the library wasn't open yet but he wouldn't listen.
His stare was unsettling to her so she decided just to let him in, let him do his business then maybe he would leave. He was definitely giving her the creeps.
She unlocked the door, He muttered a curt "Thanks" and went to the computer area. He turned one of the computers on and began typing like a mad man. Then she saw his expression change. No longer did he look like a man possessed. He looked softer, approachable even.
She went back to her stocking duties and completely put the handsome stranger out of her mind.
Danny continued to stare at the screen. The subject line said, Hi, it's Michelle. He couldn't make himself open it. He read everyone of his emails, noted them in his pad and then stared at the screen.
She had written him an email. It was the one right before Pilar's telling him about Dietz. Pilar hadn't known that Danny already knew about Dietz, had in fact watched him die. This was why Michelle wanted to know if Danny had responded to her email. Michelle had sent him one too.
He took a deep breath and double clicked the message line. He closed his eyes and was afraid to open them. feeling like a jerk, he finally opened his eyes and began to read the mail.
He was stunned. He reread the email four more times. She loved him. She had tried to catch him at the airport. She hadn't known he had stayed in Springfield. She was pouring her heart out in an email.
He couldn't believe it. Michelle loved him. He knew she was developing feelings and he had hoped that one day they would turn into love, but she was telling him that she loved him.
But she had been gone when he woke up this morning. Why had she left if she loved him. He had told her not to come and she had anyway and she was probably sure he was going to be mad. That was why she left. He would go to her when he returned to Springfield later this evening. He would tell her he read the email and he loved her too.
He checked his watch and switched off the computer. It was time to meet with Ray and Federico at the hospital and then they had a funeral to arrange. He smiled to himself when he remembered what grandmother had said to him. Get Michelle, I am grandmother, I am going to get her as soon as I get back to Springfield.