Lacey didn't return to the studio that evening. Instead, she went back to her apartment. She texted Danny, telling him that she wasn't feeling well and that she wanted to be alone for awhile. He questioned it of course, but didn't push her too hard. For that much at least, she was grateful.

Lacey felt as though someone had knocked the wind out of her, and she had no idea what to do, what to think, or how to feel. She couldn't talk to anyone about it – Vanessa and Phoebe wouldn't understand. They'd warned her that Danny would hurt her when she told them that they were seeing one another. She'd brushed off their concerns, falling head over heels for him without a thought or care in the world. It wasn't that she thought they wouldn't be there for her – they were her best friends, after all. But Lacey wasn't in the mood to hear the inevitable "Itoldyouso" from them - at least not tonight.

She was humiliated, thinking of her conversation with Jo earlier that day. How foolish she had been, trusting Danny implicitly. It wasn't as if she didn't know his history before she got involved with him. He never fell in love with anyone – there was a reason people called him a sociopath. The women before her could easily attest to his general indifference – hell, even Jo acknowledged that whatever their twisted dynamic was, it wasn't love. Lacey guessed she just thought she would be different. Clearly she was wrong about that.

Lacey cried herself to sleep that night, listening to sad love songs and wallowing in her sorrow. When she woke the next morning with the sun beaming in her eyes, she still felt small and weak. All she wanted to do was disappear.

Against her better judgment, Lacey dragged herself out of bed and into the shower. She let the cold water shock her system, trying to rouse herself from the depressed stupor she seemed to be in. She needed to see him, needed to have him look her in the eye and tell her that what Jo said was true. He owed her that much at least. She went through the motions of brushing her teeth and getting dressed, not even glancing at herself in the mirror and she grabbed her keys and coat and headed for the subway.


Danny was relieved to walk into the loft and see her there, sitting in a chair facing the water. He'd been going out of his mind all night trying to figure out what was wrong with her, and missing her in her absence. He still didn't know where she'd been all night or why she'd chosen to stay away, but he decided none of that mattered any more. He was just relieved she came back.

"Hey you," he said as he walked toward her. She sat stock still, not moving, not saying a word to him. Concerned, Danny knelt in front of her, turning her chin to make her look at him. He saw the red rimming her eyes and the puffiness of her nose and knew that she'd been crying. He moved to wrap his arms around her, but she pushed him away. Confused, Danny backed away, giving her space. His eyebrows knit together with worry – what happened to her last night?

They stayed like that for awhile – Lacey staring silently out at the boats in the harbor and Danny studying her profile, searching his mind for something to do or say to snap her out of it. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, she opened her mouth to speak.

"So, when is the baby due?"

One small sentence said in an eerie monotone. She didn't even turn her head to look at him as she said it, but Danny felt his heart drop to the floor. He considered his options at this point and wondered how she knew. He hadn't told anyone about Jo – not even Rico (his publicist and, incidentally, his best friend). He'd done everything he could to keep it under wraps until he was ready to tell Lacey – how could she know already? Then it dawned on him – Jo.

"Lace," he started, somewhat flustered and at a loss for words.

"When were you planning on telling me, Danny?" she continued, this time letting more of the anger show through. Okay, she was angry with him. He could deal with angry Lacey – he was used to dealing with angry women. It was the strange, non-feeling Lacey that had him worried.

"Or were you not going to tell me at all? Were you just going to let me continue walking around making a fool of myself while you and Jo sit in the corner picking out baby names?"

"Lace," he tried again, but now that she was talking it seemed that there was no stopping her.

"No Danny, I don't want to hear it. I don't want to be manipulated and pacified. How could you stand there and let me tell you that I love you – let me make love to you – and all the time you were lying to me? Why would you do that to me Danny?"

It pained him to hear the hurt in her voice – each word she spoke felt like a sharp knife slicing away at what they'd had until there was nothing left. "Maybe I'm just not meant to be happy," he thought as he looked at her beautiful, angry face. She continued to deliver her blows and he continued to take them, soaking up everything she said and responding with nothing, just letting her get it all out.

Finally came the worst part – "Is it because of what I told you about Archie? Is it because I wanted to take things slowly? Was I not enough, Danny?" Her anger was beginning to dissipate and he could now see the pain that lay beneath. He saw it then, all of her insecurities out in the open. She felt raw and exposed and alone – he needed to fix this.

"No, Lacey – God no! This has nothing to do with you or us. I stopped sleeping with Jo and anyone else long before us. I haven't had eyes for anyone but you since we met at my show, and I haven't slept with anyone else since before our first date."

He looked in her eyes, searching desperately for any sign of trust there, anything that might make him think there was a chance she believed him.

"I know what I was in the past – I was a dick to a lot of women. I don't deny or make excuses for any of that… but I haven't ever and won't ever do that to you. The last time that I was with Jo was nearly four months ago – before we started dating, before we did anything. I would never do anything to hurt you that way. Jo was a mistake that I was trying to fix and… it's complicated. But know that she has nothing to do with the way that I feel about you. You're everything to me, Lacey."

She looked at him, wanting to believe what he said but… "Then why did you keep it from me for so long? Why couldn't you just tell me? I know you've known for at least the last two weeks." She glared at him pointedly as she added the last part.

"Because I didn't know how to explain it and I was afraid of losing you," he told her truthfully. "I didn't think you would want me after I told you – I already come with enough baggage. I didn't think you would stay if you knew she's having my child on top of everything else."

Lacey didn't know how she felt about that. She was relieved to know that he hadn't been cheating on her, and she knew realistically she didn't have the right to be upset with him over something that happened before she was officially in the picture… but still the fact that he'd kept it from her bothered her, regardless of whether or not she understood his reasons. Finally the tears she'd fought so hard to keep at bay came spilling out, and Lacey curled herself into a ball, crying. She reached out her hand to him and he responded immediately, going to her and gathering her up in his arms. He picked her up and carried her to the bed, laying her down gently and climbing in beside her.


They lay like that for the rest of the afternoon, him holding her while she cried until she fell asleep. When she woke again just after sundown she turned to look at the man resting beside her. She traced the tips of her fingers over his profile, barely touching him. "I love him so much it hurts," she thought as she studied his face. She stretched, preparing to get out of the bed when she felt his arms tighten around her. His eyes, now open and alert, searched hers, imploring her not to leave him. He wasn't sure what he would do if she left him tonight.

Sensing his anxiety at her departure, she lay back down, returning to her previous position. She knew he needed her, just as she knew she needed him. She didn't know how they were going to deal with Jo and the baby, she didn't know how they were going to weather any of the inevitable storms that lay ahead of them. She only knew that, at that moment there wasn't anywhere else that she wanted to be. She felt the clouds gathering on the horizon, but they had survived this one… and for now that would have to be enough.


Okay guys - I know this one was a little shorter, but they needed to get this sorted out before anything else comes their way. Thank you for hanging with me - Lacey's sticking around for now. No promises on how long that lasts though - committing to Danny does mean committing to having Jo in her life, after all.

Thanks for your reads and reviews - KL