So here it is, my 2nd Spooks story. This idea came to me a couple of days ago, and I just had to write it down. I was devastated when Zoë left in 3x06, and my mood didn't get any better when Danny died in 3x10. So perhaps this'll cheer people up who were just as devastated by these events as I was. Of course this story is completely AU, but this hasn't stopped any writers before :) Enjoy and please review.

Chapter 1: Life Changing Decisions

"Are you sure about this?"

"Positive. I just can't do this anymore, Harry."

That last op had been the final straw for Danny. When he knew those terrorists were going to execute one of them, he knew he had to do it. He had to sacrifice himself. He didn't feel as if he had anything left to live for; no girlfriend or any other close friends to speak of, as his job made it practically impossible. He didn't see his family very often because of his job. And a few months ago he had lost Zoë forever, again, because of his job. He'd lost interest in life altogether, and felt it didn't matter whether he lived or died. However, this wasn't the case for Fiona. She had Adam and Wes, her whole life ahead of her. If either of them had to die, it would have to be him.

So he had taunted the terrorist, lured him out, made sure he would decided to shoot him and not Fiona. It had been quick, and he couldn't remember feeling any pain. He didn't even remember falling over and his body hitting the ground.

But miraculously, he had woken up again. He had opened his eyes to completely white surroundings, and even though he wasn't a religious man, for a second he had wondered whether he was in heaven. As it turned out he was in hospital, and he had been for the past week. He was pronounced dead on the scene , but when they arrived at the hospital it seemed he was still alive, but only just. He was operated on immediately, to get the bullet out, and was then put into a comatose state to allow his body to recover from the severe trauma he had suffered. And now that he had woken up again, he didn't know whether to be disappointed or thankful. The doctors told him that he had been lucky, and his current condition was nothing short of a miracle. He would need plenty of rest and time to recover, but his current prognosis was that he would make a full recovery.

In the days that followed, he wasn't able or allowed to do much, but it gave him a lot of time to think. He decided that he didn't want to return to his job as a Spook. As much as he had enjoyed it first, it just wasn't the same anymore. Too many things had happened, and he had lost too many people to be able to still enjoy doing it on a day to day basis.

He had contacted Harry, to tell him about his decision and to go through a few details with him. Harry was shocked to hear from him, as everyone still thought that Danny was dead. He was even more shocked when Danny told him he wanted to keep it that way.

"You're not serious about this, are you?" Harry asked.

"I am. I need a fresh start, and I feel this is the only way to do that."

Harry pursed his lips together, as he thought of what to say next. "But what about your family? Your 'body' has still not been released because it is part of an ongoing investigation, but they will want it back soon for your funeral. And do you really want to put them through all this misery, when you're not really dead?"

"It's not ideal, I know that. And perhaps someday I will contact them again. But for now I just need to get away. So I'm counting on your discretion Harry." He said.

"Don't worry, I know how to keep a secret. I didn't become a Spook for nothing you know."

" Good. As soon as I'm fit enough to get discharged, I'm out of here." Danny said.

"Any idea of where you're going yet?" Harry asked.

"Abroad." He replied. "I haven't decided on the country though."

Harry nodded. He had a faint idea where Danny might be heading, but he didn't say anything.

"So I guess this is goodbye then Danny."

The two men shook hands.

"Oh and one more thing Harry; I don't suppose you could eh..provide me with a passport and such?"

"Expect a package to be delivered later today."

"Thanks Harry."

"Good luck." And with that he left the hospital room.

It took 2 more weeks before Danny was discharged. He was an active person by nature, so staying in and doing nothing had driven him nearly insane. Since everyone thought he was dead, he obviously didn't get any visitors, so each day had felt like a lifetime. He'd spend most of his time thinking about what to do next. Harry had kept his word, and a new passport in the name of John Franks had been delivered that same day. So he knew that he could go wherever he wanted as soon as he got out of hospital. His destination was the only thing that didn't need much thinking about; he knew exactly where he wanted to go.

oOoOo

Halfway across the world, a young woman was rushing down the streets of a busy city, carrying a heavy bag of groceries and trying to balance a pile of books in her arms. She stood out in the crowd of people, as she was tall, and blonde, unlike most of the other people, who were shorter and mostly dark haired. The woman was Gina Hamilton, who in her previous life had been Zoë Reynolds. And the city she was currently walking through was Santiago, the capital of Chile, and her new home for the past year.

"Will, are you there?" She called out as she stumbled through the front door, nearly tripping over the mail in the process. She dumped the groceries in the kitchen, and went into the living room to put the books on the coffee table. She sighed as she took in her surroundings. The flat was a mess, and had been in this state for a while now. Will's probably still in bed, she thought. Lazy bastard.

She called his name again as she made her way to their bedroom. He was indeed still in bed, lying in much the same position as she'd left him in this morning; on his back, snoring loudly.

"Will!" She was getting annoyed now.

This worked, as he instantly sat up straight in bed. "What's up?"

"What's up?! It's 1 pm and you're still in bed, again! I rush home during my lunch break, pick up some groceries on the way and bring you some books to read and you're still in bed and the flat's a mess. I just don't know how much more of this I can take." And with that she stormed out of the bedroom.

Will followed her out, and found her sitting on the sofa, her head resting in her hands. "I'm sorry Zo, I just don't know what to do. I don't have a career anymore, I don't speak the bloody language, and you're away all day."

"Well you could make an effort!" She snapped at him. "I made an effort to learn the language and to get a job!"

"Oh come on, cut me some slack Zoë! It's not as if I've enjoyed sitting around doing all day. I gave up EVERYTHING to be with you!"

Zoë was fuming with anger now. "You're not the only one who gave up everything. At least you had a choice! You could've stayed in England if you wanted to, and you can still go back. I, on the other hand, can never go back. I didn't have a say in the matter; it was either prison, or leave the country. Now I know I can't go back, I will have to stay here, so I'll have to try and make the most of it. And if you can't do that, I don't know if I can continue this relationship with you."

This frightened Will. He sat down beside Zoë on the sofa and took her hands in his. This isn't what he wanted, he'd never expected it to go this far. "Zoë please don't say that. We belong together, you know that and I know that. I moved halfway across the world to be with you, because I love you."

"I'm sorry Will, but your love alone is not enough," Zoë said as she angrily wiped the tears off her cheeks. "I love you too, you know that, but if you can't make the effort to try and start a life here with me, then there's no point is there? You hardly leave the house, you haven't made any friends and we don't do anything together. I'm sorry Will, but I'm afraid we're finished."

After their fight, which had ended in an inevitable break-up, Zoë had gone back to work. She worked in a little English bookstore with very few customers and no other staff, so her days were spend in mostly quiet solitude. Normally she didn't mind, but today she did, as it gave her far too much time to go over the events of her lunch break again and again. She came to the conclusion that she'd done the right thing, however it did mean that from now on she'd be all alone in a strange country, with nothing or nobody left to link her to her old life. In the past year she had made a few friends, but it was all superficial, and so far she'd never felt the urge to get closer to any of them. The language played a part in that, although her Spanish was improving every day, but the main issue was that she felt she had nothing to talk about. Anything about her old life was obviously off-limits, and she hadn't exactly been leading an exciting life since then, so it was safe to say that her topics of conversation were limited.

When she came home that night, she noticed that Will had already left and taken all his things. There was a little note on the fridge saying that he was going back to London, since there was nothing to keep him in Chile any longer. She collapsed there and then in the kitchen, crying. Crying for her empty life, crying for all the loved ones she'd lost or had had to leave behind, and all the inevitable lonely days the future would bring her in this alien country.

TBC

Hope you enjoyed. Please review :)