Here's your second chapter. I hope you enjoy. Not quite as much angst as the first chapter. My muse totally died there for a while. Sorry. Hope this is good enough to make it up to you.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

The pizza place mentioned, I totally came up with off the top of my head. If there one out there, It'd be pretty freakin' awesome


I shook my head as I slowly woke up. I lifted my head and looked at Eric; his head was leaning back against the back of the couch. I smile at his sleeping form before I turn and look at the clock. My eyes widen when I notice it is after four o'clock in the afternoon. That means that Danni should be home by now.

I stood up and walked to the bottom of our stairs and called, "Danni?"

After a minute, my daughter came into view, "Yes, mama?"

"Why didn't you wake me when you got home?" I asked with a smile, relieved, as I made my way up the stairs.

She shrugged as I reached her and hugged her, "I came in off the bus and you and papa where asleep on the couch. I didn't want to wake you if you were tired."

"Thanks," I smiled and let out a small laugh. "So, what would you life for supper?"

"Pizza," she answered and I did laugh. Apparently, not ever everything changed; pizza is still what the kids aimed for.

"Alright, let me ask you father. Did you finish your homework?" I asked.

"Almost done," she answered, turning around to re-enter the office where she does her homework that she had exited moments before.

The smile stays on my face as I make my way back down to husband who was still asleep on the couch. I approached him and bent down, gently kissing him. I leaned back and he slowly opened his eyes, and smiled back at me.

"What does she want," he mumbled jokingly.

"Pizza," I answered with a look that said I knew he wouldn't refuse, especially since it seemed that I wanted pizza just as much.

"Okay. I'll order Monsia's, how's that?" he asked, naming a pizza place, which he knew Danni and I love.

"Sound's good to me. Danni is finishing her homework and then she'll be down," I informed him.

He nodded and gave one last smile before going into the kitchen to find the menu for Monsia's. I fell back onto the couch and closed my eyes; he had looked more like his old self when I woke him up. Today was what we needed, time to relax and think about everything. And, most of all we just needed to be with each other without a care in the world, something we haven't been able to do in a long time.

I heard Danni running down the stairs and then flop to my left side on the couch. I opened my eyes and looked at her. She had that look on her face that told me she wanted to tell me all about her day. I nodded slightly and her smile broadened to show all her teeth.

"So, we were playing football today at school and Jonathon told me I couldn't play 'cause I'm a girl," she started. I smiled, knowing where this was going. She was a tomboy, something that I wouldn't deny and didn't mind one bit. It made her so… her. "So, I challenged him to one on one. I totally whooped him," she continued. "Football starts in a couple weeks. I can't believe soccer season is over. We were great."

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather play softball?" I tried. She had wanted to play football for years, but we wouldn't budge. So, she stuck with soccer, which she had been playing since she was three, the youngest age she was allowed. Finally, this year she got us to allow her to do football, but she said she wanted to stick with soccer too.

"Nope," she shook her head, "the two footballs for me please."

I laughed, "Okay, okay."

"Pizza is ordered," Eric announced, sitting down on my right side.

"Yes!" Danni cheered. Then her attitude changed, "Guess what Taylor Cone said today."

Eric and I looked at each at the mention on the girl who had made the comment about Eric and me a couple days ago. He smiled and turned to her, "What?"

"She said that the Rebels are planning on trying to overthrow them again. I don't believe it. It's been like ten years," she told us.

Eric and I were both momentarily stunned at this. Talking about such stuff can get you into a lot of trouble if you weren't careful. Plus, to the most of their knowledge, nothing new was being planned.

I took the initiative to start this time, "It was over three-hundred that we were free before they came in."

"Yes, but this is something that you can't talk to freely about, you know that?" he asked.

"Yes, but I trust you," Danni told us.

Eric nodded, "Okay, then what you have to do is just trust the Rebels, okay? Trust who is doing what's right," he told her.

"How do you know who's doing right?" she asked, he face sad. "You hear so much, I just don't know what to believe."

"You just know. And, you have to trust those around you," I jumped in.

She nodded, "Thanks." Then, she got up and walked up the stairs and into her room.

I leaned against Eric. The fighting is something we didn't expect to come back. We thought it might, but also didn't think it was possible at the same time. Everyone had become so scared.

"What will we do?" I ask him. I want to be part of this. This time, I want to help; I want to show my daughter what it's like to grow up with real freedom.

"What ever we have to," was his cryptic answer.

I sighed. I understood him; us doing anything could put Danni in so much danger. Calleigh and Ryan flashed through my mind as I thought of it all. With Horatio and Yelina gone also, the team that had formed here in Miami would be greatly hurt. I'm not even sure how possible it would to revolt at all around here. With all the torture headquarters having been set up around here, no one wanted to try anything.

There was a knock on the door. The pizza, I expected. I rubbed a hand across my face and got up and went over to the door. But, as I opened the door, I was faced with something I didn't expect.


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