Hi, everyone. I know there are lots of stories in here about Danielle and Ronnie. I really enjoy reading all of them. In fact I enjoy it so much that I decided to give it a shot myself. I hope you can get through one more. Please review and let me know what you think. Even though the beginning approach is quite similar to other stories I have some ideas on how this story would develop, which were not used in any other story, unless I missed it. Anyway, let me know if I should carry on.

Danielle was standing outside R&R, trying to compose herself before entering. Her heart was pounding violently. She took a deep breath and placed her hand on her chest hoping that it would help calm her nerves. Useless, she thought slowly pushing the door and making her way down the stairs. She felt as if the steps were miles away from one another. She made her way down these stairs so many times, but for some reason today this journey seemed so long, so tedious. The club was filled with guests. The Mitchells, The Slaters, The Brannings, The Truemans, The Masoods, The Beales. Their faces, their gestures. They looked like cartoons. Danielle smiled at the thought that if she concentrated hard enough, she would come up with a nickname for everyone and each of them. After all she has known them for quite few months, and there was never much to do when she was working on the stall. Danielle never understood people from Walford. They were always busy, always in a rush, never had time for a chat or a smile everything seemed like a waste of time, like too much of an effort. Even if someone forced a smile it was never honest, never genuine. She took a few minutes to look around. Her eyes were focused, scanning the place. Then suddenly stopped reaching their target. There they were, The Mitchells, that one family she wanted so much to be a part of. They were so proud, so powerful. She always admired them wishing to have at least a tiny amount of that pride and power. But not, today. Today, in her eyes they were worthless. Their chests were filled with ice instead of hearts. Especially hers, Ronnie`s. Danielle stood for a moment at the bottom of the stairs thinking about all her encounters with Ronnie, all the horrible things she told her, all the pitiful looks she gave her, anger, hatred she saw in her eyes, and then the warmth, her smile the touch of her hand when she went with her to the clinic. The softness of her voice when she hugged her, the beautiful scent wrapped in her coat. So many signals, so different, so much hot and cold, so confusing. After a while Danielle shook her head trying to push away those thoughts, she had to focus. She was there for a reason, she had a plan. She must have been standing like this for at least five minutes, but no one noticed her. For all these months she has learnt so much about the residents of Albert Square, she has seen so much and changed so much, but for them she was still the same, still invisible.

Danielle walked slowly towards the office, assuming that Ronnie would be there as she couldn`t see her among the guests. She gently pushed the door and walked in. She stopped for a second thinking that maybe she should have knocked, but to her surprise the office was empty. There were papers everywhere covering both desks and the sofa. Danielle let a tiny smile thinking that Ronnie must have had a major disaster with this engagement party because she was usually very organised. She put her hand into the pocket of her trousers and took out the most pressure thing she was protecting for almost her entire life, shiny, beautiful locket. She opened it gently to look at the picture one last time. She has known this picture very well, every tiny detail every crease that has emerged over the years. She could feel tears filling her eyes as she looked at the face of her mother. All those years, all those hopes and expectations she hid within this locket, the future she saw in her mother`s eyes. All of this was now crashing down. The dream was so sweet, but the reality was so bitter. This was it, she didn`t come here to see her dream coming true, there was no chance for that anymore, not after Archie told her that Ronnie knew her secret and told him to get rid of her. It was easy to believe him, after all Ronnie herself said that having her baby was the biggest mistake of her life. Danielle came here to tell her that she was done, to tell her that this time she was rejecting her, that she didn`t need her anymore. Danielle closed the locket and slowly placed it on the table. She turned around as the sound of the music became louder and clearer indicating that someone must have opened the door. She didn`t see anything except big blue eyes filled with anger staring back at her. The face, the expression she knew so well.

- "What are you doing here, Danielle? This is a private party, and I don`t need your useless help." – Ronnie threw her coat angrily on the desk, over the locket and a pile of papers and made her way to Jack`s desk.

- "Well! Whatever it is I haven`t got time for it anyway, so why don`t you just leave." – she continued without even looking at Danielle, just going through some papers she took out of the draw.

- "I... I came to say goodbye" – Danielle whispered trying to avoid looking at her mother.

- "Goodbye? What do you mean?" – Ronnie asked indifferently a bit annoyed that Danielle was still there.

- "I`m going home, back to Telford and am not coming back" – Danielle replied quietly, feeling a lump forming in her throat.

- "If that`s what you decided. Don`t worry I won`t have problems with replacing you." – Ronnie spoke coldly still not looking at her daughter. – "Oh there it is" – she added after a while, happy that she found what she was looking for.

- "You don`t even care?" – It was more of a statement than a question, whispered to herself, frightened that Ronnie would feel offended and start to yell at her. Danielle was always like this around Ronnie, nervous and terrified.

- "Hmm?" – Ronnie was reading through the papers not even noticing that Danielle was talking to her.

- "You`re not listening" – Danielle shouted surprised as she didn`t know where this sudden strength came from. It was all this anger and pain that she was carrying for all these months. All these words desperately waiting to be spoken, for so long.

- "I told you I haven`t got time for this!" – Ronnie answered showing how annoyed she was with Danielle`s outburst by grabbing her arm to lead her to the door.

- "No!" - she screamed pulling her arm and taking place right opposite Ronnie. You have to get in her face. She could hear Roxy`s words in her head. – "This time you have to listen!" – her voice was dark and deep, it pierced through Ronnie to the bones.

- "You need help Danielle" – she answered back, trying to grab her arm again, but Danielle stepped back before she reached out.

- "No, you need help! You have no natural feelings!" – she didn`t even have to force these words they were just coming out so easily, they wouldn`t stop. – "You`ve hurt me more than anyone ever could. From the beginning you`ve cursed my life."

- "I don`t know what you talking about" – Ronnie was shocked by Danielle`s accusations. How did she hurt this girl, what was she blaming her for, she was a complete stranger. If she ever did anything, she helped her. She went with her to the clinic, she was there to support her when she had an abortion, well, at least she tried.

- "What do you want from me Danielle? I am not responsible for you. It was up to you to..." - she was trying to talk some sense into Danielle pointing her finger at her, speaking the words coldly and slowly as if Danielle was insane and disturbed. As if the pace was any faster she wouldn`t be able to process what Ronnie was throwing at her. But she wasn`t allowed to finish.

- "Responsible? I don`t want your responsibility! I don`t need you, not anymore! I am rejecting you just like you rejected me 19 years ago." – her chin was trembling with every word, her eyes were filling with more tears, her hands, her entire body was shaking. All the hurt, the pain, the rejection all these emotions she has tried to suppress for so long were now bursting out.

- "Re... Rejecting? ... Rejecting you? What are you talking about?" – she didn`t know what Danielle was talking about, she thought that maybe even Danielle herself didn`t know. How could she reject Danielle 19 years ago? She had nothing to do with her. She was just some kid, Stacy`s Slater friend, all the time her tail, all the time in her shadow.

- "Don`t pretend that you don`t know. Just tell me, tell me why did you give it away with me. You wanted me to have a hope? A hope for what?" – she was screaming her heart out, desperate to know the answer, to understand why would her mother give her a locket with her own picture, why would she leave her contact details in the adoption agency and now treat her like dirt, like something that gets stuck to the shoe and drags after you wherever you go.

- "Give away what?" – Ronnie was now even more confused and even more annoyed.

- "The locket!" – Danielle shouted pointing towards Ronnie`s chest where she could see the same locket, the same as hers.

- "How do you know about that?" – Ronnie asked with a shock on her face and reached out to grab her locket, her baby. How did she know? Ronnie`s mind was rushing through all the conversations she had with Danielle, searching for an answer, but it wasn`t there. They talked about her baby, about the adoption, vaguely, but she never mentioned the locket. It was impossible, Danielle couldn`t have known.

- "I told her!" – Suddenly everything became clear. Archie was standing by the door looking at both of them. His face was calm, composed. He walked slowly towards Ronnie and stopped by her side.

- "I`m sorry V. Danielle came to me a few days ago. She claimed to be your daughter. I tried to explain to her. It was then when I told her about the locket that you gave away with Amy." – looking straight into his daughter`s eyes making sure she wasn`t looking at Danielle, placing his hands on Ronnie`s shoulders, once again he was trying to rip her heart out, to take away her precious baby. – "As you can see she is quite insane." – he added.

Ronnie didn`t say anything just nodded in response, swallowing a lump that formed in her throat and rushing back the tears filling her eyes.

- "No you didn`t. You`re lying. I have it here. I`ve put it on the desk" – Danielle grabbed Ronnie`s coat and threw it on the sofa trying to find the locket in the pile of papers, but it wasn`t there. – "It was right here, just here." – she was shouting, her voice was desperate, her hands were pushing the papers away from the desk. But it wasn`t there she couldn`t see it. The only proof that she was telling the truth vanished.

- "It was there! You have to believe me!" – she turned to Ronnie, her eyes were begging to believe her to understand.

- "No! You`re wrong! You`re lying!" – Danielle could feel her mother grabbing her arms, her fingernails sharp, hurting her. Ronnie was dragging her outside the office, passing all the guests, everyone shocked not understanding what has this girl done to upset her so much.

- "You`re my mother! You are! You have to believe me!" – Danielle was trying to release herself from Ronnie`s arms, but she was too strong. She could feel her feet barely touching the stairs, as Ronnie was dragging her towards the door. Then she felt her body pushed through the door and a cold wind on her face drying the tears and finally a rough texture of the ground.

- "You stay away from me! I don`t want to see you ever again! You pathetic, little freak! Who would want a daughter like you?" – her words were like a knife cutting through every bone, every vein of Danielle`s body. She was shaking. Her chin was trembling. This was her mother, she was saying these words. They were so painful, ringing in her ears as she picked herself up. This was it, there was nothing here anymore, there was no strength, no power to fight anymore, she was done, she had to leave.