Michelle was still setting at her table in Company in total shock. What was she going to do? She didn�t kill Mick, Theresa did. She had a range of emotions flooding through her, joy; happiness; hurt; fear; guilt. She was happy for so many reasons, this was their way out; she wasn�t a killer; the one thing that she thought would always cast a cloud over her marriage to Danny was gone. Yet, she was so afraid, how could she tell Danny, he had once cared for Theresa, he had been so gentle with her that night at Millennium when he thanked her for bringing him out of his shell, and all along she had been using him, he was just a pawn in her master plan. Would Danny go back to his old way of life and seek revenge? After all, that�s how they ended up together, he was seeking revenge, but he couldn�t do it to her, was their entire marriage, their entire love based on a lie. No, she knew Danny really and truly loved her he had proven it over and over again, but still......�Stop it Michelle� she said to herself. She was so lost in her thoughts she didn�t notice Kevin had joined her at her table.

�Hey, are you OK, Mrs. Santos?�

�Hmmmm, oh, sorry, yes Kevin, I think so, and remember it�s Michelle.�

�Sorry, Michelle, I heard everything. I can�t believe it, but you know I will back you up.�

�Thanks, I know you will, which is good, but it won�t be just our word.�

�What do you mean? I don�t understand.�

Michelle reaches in her book bag.....Kevin instantly understands.

�You mean?�

�Yep, I got her confession all on tape. Now, I just have to figure out how to tell Danny.�

�Are you ready to go home, I know Danny�s coming over later.�

�No, I need you to take me someplace first.�

They arrive at St. Michael�s, �Are you sure that you are OK, Michelle.�

�Thanks Kevin, I�ll be fine, I�m just a bit shaken by what I have learned today. I think Ray can help me figure out a way to tell Danny.�

�I�ll be waiting for you, and Michelle, don�t worry about Danny, he loves you, no matter how you were brought together in the beginning, he fell in love with Michelle Bauer.�

Michelle smiles a Kevin and goes in to Ray�s office.

�Hey, Ray.�

�Michelle, this is a surprise.� Ray looks at Michelle�s face and immediately knows something is wrong. �What is it Michelle, did something happen to Danny?�

�No, Ray, Danny is fine, for now, but he may not be for long.�

�WHAT, what do you mean?�

�Ray, I had another run in with Theresa today. Nothing like the first time, actually this was much worse and better all in the same time.�

�OK, Michelle, you�ve got me confused. What�s going on?�

�I don�t know how to tell you this, Ray, I found out today that I didn�t kill Mick, Theresa did.�

Ray is in totally shock, �Excuse me, what are you saying?�

�I think you need to listen to this.�

Michelle pulls out her tape recorder and plays the tape of Theresa and her confession to Mick�s murder. Ray listens to the tape in horror and shock.

�Michelle, do you know what this means?�

�I do Ray, Danny and I can finally be free, but it also means I am going to have to hurt Danny by telling him the awful truth. I don�t know how to do it.� Michelle lets go of the tears she�s been holding back since Theresa left her at Company. �Ray, this also means that our marriage all came out of a lie. What if Danny...� Michelle�s words are broken by her sobs.

�Shhh, Michelle, don�t, just don�t. Look at me, I know Danny. Yes, he came looking for Mick�s killer and that�s how he found you, but Danny fell in love with you BEFORE Drew told him you killed Mick. Danny did marry you to save your life, but it was just his excuse, he knew it was the only way to save you, but more importantly it was a way for him to be with you, and that�s all he ever wanted was a life with you. He just wanted a chance to make you see the real man, not Danny Santos, �Mob Prince�, just Danny Santos, the man totally and completely in love with Michelle Bauer. You should have seen him before your big wedding, he was beaming, he was so happy, and so in love, I never had seen him that happy, he was a changed man, for the first time in his life he was just a man in love with a woman, nothing more. You gave him that, and this truth will NEVER change the way he feels about you.� 

�Michelle, it�s going to be hard on him to learn the truth, to learn that Theresa never cared for him, that he was just a pawn, that she killed his brother, for no reason other than he was changing her plan, and might cost her the only thing she craves, power, but you and your love will get him through it, trust me. All you have to do is be honest with him and tell him the truth.�

�I do, Ray, I know you are right, I�m just really scared. What if Danny wants to handle this the �family way�? He can�t do that, I can�t let him do that. It would cost him too much and Theresa and revenge is not worth it.�

�You can convince Danny to do this right, take care of Theresa without getting his hands dirty. Danny�s hands are clean because of you and you are the one person who can convince him to keep them that way.� 

Michelle gets up and hugs Ray. �Thanks Ray, you have been a big help. Now, I have to meet Danny, and tell him the hardest thing I will ever have to tell him.�

�I love you both Michelle, you guys will be fine.�

�Kevin, I�m ready to go home now.�

�Sure thing, Michelle, sure thing.�

Danny�s car is at the lighthouse when Michelle and Kevin arrive.

�Michelle, it will be fine. I�ll be in my room if you need anything.�

�Goodnight Kevin, and thanks.�

�Danny,� she says pulling slightly away and taking his hand.

�Yes, Baby?�

�Come with me, I have something to tell you.�

+++

Michelle leads Danny over to the window seat, she has no idea how to tell this man who has become her everything what she has to tell him. She is so afraid of what he will do, how he will react. This is the hardest thing she has ever had to tell him, in their past she had caused him pain, just as he had caused her pain, but it was pain that they had each created, and together they made it through. This was so different, could she do this, could she inflict a pain on him that he may not be able to handle?

Danny sees the fear and pain in Michelle's eyes, her hands are shaking as they hold his hands, he can see she is teetering on the verge of tears, and he is scared to death.

"Baby, what is, your scared to death, you know you can tell me anything. No matter what it is we will figure it out together."

Michelle looks into those ebony eyes that know her inside and out, she draws her strength from his eyes.

"Danny, I saw Theresa today�"

"Damn it! What did she do to you this time? She didn't feed you more lies did she, you know better than to believe her!" 

"Shhh, sweetie, calm down, no it's nothing like that, I could have handled her telling me those lies, but what she told me today was a terrible truth. You have to promise me that you will listen to me before you say anything. I love you Danny, please hold on to that OK?"

"Babe, you're scaring me, just please tell me."

Michelle draws a breath and decides to tell Danny the same way she told Ray.

"Danny, what I found out from her today was that I didn't kill Mick."

"What are you talking about, and how the hell would she know that?"

"Because, she knows who really did kill him, Danny, honey, it was Theresa, she killed Mick."

"What!? That's crazy, why would she tell you that, I don't believe it, she wasn't even here when he died."

"Danny, please, it's true. Listen to this." Michelle gets the tape recorder and plays the tape for Danny.

The fury and hurt on Danny's face is like nothing Michelle has ever seen. He can't contain his anger, "That miserable Bitch," Danny says pulling away from Michelle he heads for the door, a look in his eyes Michelle has never seen, "I'm going to kill her, but not before I make her suffer."

"DANNY, STOP! You can't go, please calm down, I know this is terrible, but please listen to me, you are NOT a killer, no matter what she did, we will figure out a way to make her pay TOGETHER, and it won't be the "family" way."

"SHUT UP, MICHELLE, YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT."

Michelle felt like she had just been slapped, she physically shrunk herself back in her seat, unable to stop them her tears start to fall.

Danny was beyond furious, he wanted to strangle Theresa, but beyond his anger was his fear. The same phrase kept going through his head, "it's all a lie", he knew that Michelle loved him, but his fear; anger and hatred were clouding his judgment. Then he heard her crying, the sound of her tears made him realize just what he had said to her and how terrible it sounded when he said it.

He was by her side in a heartbeat. "Oh, God, Baby, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. What have I done? I never meant to take this out on you. I know it's not your fault. Please, don't hate me on top of everything else. It's bad enough that we are a lie you probably won't want to be with me�."

Michelle's head snapped up at Danny's last statement. "Danny, stop it! I could never hate you, I understand why you said it, but it just hurt me, and scared me. Danny, I love you. We are NOT a lie. True, I didn't kill Mick, but we both believed I did, I did hit him that night. Yes, we met because you were looking for his killer, yes, you married me to save me, but even then you knew that wasn't the real reason was it?"

"What do you mean? I knew I couldn't kill you."

"And why did you know that Danny? It was because even then you were in love with me and you wanted to be with me, try to build a life, you knew there was something good between us. Ray told me as much earlier today." 

"Ray, what does he have to do with this?"

"I went to see him today, that's why I was late getting home, I was so shaken by what Theresa had told me, I needed to get his perspective and his advice. He was a big help. Plus, I have a confession to make."

"What's that Babe?"

"I was afraid that you would want to leave me because of the truth. Ray made me see that would never happen. He told me how happy you were on our wedding day, how much in love with me you were. Our love has nothing to do with the circumstance we met in, our love is our fate.

Danny lets out a small laugh, "My fate, right. This little truth of Theresa's makes me see that nothing before you in my life was real and true. All my life I was just a pawn in someone else's game. My mother used me and groomed me to be the head of the family, Theresa used me and convinced me she had feelings for me, just to satisfy her own sick lust for power, hell, Mick even used me to get what he wanted. Michelle you and our life together is my only truth. My entire life has been a game until you." Danny breaks down in broken sobs, Michelle kneels in front of him just holding him and letting him cry.

"Danny, we are going to be fine, let the past go, it doesn't matter, our love is real and true and it's not going anywhere, you are not anyone's pawn anymore."

Danny looks into Michelle's eyes, his eyes full of pain, love and raw need, he pulls into a tight embrace, "Michelle", his voice a mere whisper, "please, just love me."

+++

"Michelle", his voice a mere whisper, "please, just love me."

Michelle's response to Danny's whispered please is to begin to kiss his tears away, while she is gently working to remove his shirt. Once her task is complete she showers his chest with the same loving kisses she just bestowed his face, working her way down his stomach, and back up, while she pays special attention to his glorious chest she works the buckle on his belt, and removes his pants.

Danny's heart is so full of love for this beautiful woman who is his wife, he is in awe. After he just hurt her, and all the pain she too has suffered this day, she can still totally concentrate on him and removing his pain, her attention is working, all the anger and pain is melting away, and all he feels is her love, and he knows it is their one true thing and always will be. Danny draws a sharp breath when Michelle's gentle kisses move even lower, to his already partially erect manhood.

Michelle mouth is doing magnificent things to him, he grows harder by the second. She wants to give this man everything, all the pleasure she can, in every way she can, to erase his pain. In that instant she knows that she will bring him to completion with her mouth. She's never done that before, always a bit afraid of what it would be like, but this time she knows it's right. It's just for Danny.

"Mmmmm, baby, that feels so good," Danny moans, "but you better come up here and stop, cause I can't take much more."

Michelle looks up at him, and just shakes her head no. She stops her attention to his throbbing manhood long enough to say, "No, Danny, I want to do this for you, for us, let me love you this way." She then turns her attention back to his beautiful erection, and brings him to completion. The sensation of him exploding in her mouth is indescribable, she is shocked by the heat of his fluid, the taste is not what she expected, but the feel of him pulsing inside her is amazing. She feels herself growing wetter by the second.

"Michelle, Oh, God, that was amazing. Making love with you is always an amazing, wonderful experience, but that was...I can't find the words, Baby, I love you." He pulls he up to him and plunges his tongue in her mouth, tasting himself in the process.

He sweeps her into his arms and carries her to the bed, depositing her in the middle, his eyes reflecting the same fire of desire that is blazing in hers. "Now, it's my turn."

Danny begins his work, removing Michelle's clothes, piece by agonizing piece. He then lavishes her breasts with his mouth, licking and kissing every inch, he moves his hand to her mound of honey curls and separates her with his fingers, he is rubbing and stroking, moving in and out , all the while Michelle's moans of pleasure driving his manhood to grow harder by the second. Danny moves his mouth from her breasts, and moves down, replacing his fingers with his lips and tongue.

"Oh, Danny, I can't�. feels so good,", Michelle can't even form a sentence her mind is full of the pleasure Danny is giving her body.

Danny pulls his mouth away, long enough to moan, "Come, on, Baby, you know you want to, come for me, I want to taste you."

"Yes, Danny, Yes," she cries, as her body explodes, giving Danny exactly what he wants.

Satisfied, and tasting of her, he slides up her body and drives himself deep inside, what feels like home to him. Their loving is fast and furious, both beyond all control, they come together screaming each others names. Danny collapses into her body and rolls them to their sides.

"WOW, Danny, that was�

"Amazing, I know baby, believe me I know."

"Michelle?"

"Yes, Danny?'

"Thank you for loving me."

Part 12

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