AN: So thank you guys for the patience and the reviews - as promised, the next two chapters will be posted back to back.

Also, I wanted to clear up a few things about the last chapter before we moved on. 1. - Danny didn't hit Lacey. I know it looked like he came close there when he slammed his fists into the wall, but even dark Danny wouldn't hurt her that way (someone else maybe, but not her). Still, the fact that he killed his aunt clearly demonstrates that, given the right catalyst, he has the propensity to be violent (remember that - that's important later on).

2. - Danny didn't sleep with Jo. He was just being an ass, and feeling himself a little too much.

This one and the next are full of angst as well... it'll get better (eventually), but for now they're still going through. Song inspirations for this chapter were: Stay by Rihanna/Mikky Ekko and Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus (don't judge me)

Enjoy!

"Why don't you just go – it's clear you don't want to be here anymore. You've told me over and over again about how you 'can't handle this anymore'. Well, if that's the case, Lacey, then what are you still doing here? Get the fuck out! Get out!"

His cruel words were on repeat in her mind as she lay in the backseat of the taxi, a sobbing, crumpled mess. Making her way back to the little apartment she'd all but abandoned in her last few months with Danny, it took everything that she had to even get herself inside the doors and into bed. She stayed in bed for the next several days, sleeping and crying, leaving only long enough to use the bathroom. She wasn't sure how many days had passed before a knock came to her door. Her visitor beckoned her several times, but Lacey stayed still, wanting to be alone as she drowned in her sorrow. Finally, once the incessant knocking refused to be abated, she got up to answer. Unsteady on her feet from exhaustion and lack of eating, she stumbled to the door to see who it was.

"I'm coming!" Lacey rasped as the visitor continued his assault on her door, becoming more and more insistent as the minutes passed. Finally, she made it there, slinging the door open without even bothering to look through the peep hole or ask who it was.

"What do you want?!" Lacey grumbled, exasperated already as she saw who was on the other side. Rico (Danny's publicist/best friend) had come to check in on her. "Great," she thought to herself, "he's sending in his lackey to do what he can't be bothered to do himself."

Rico stepped inside the apartment, a look of shock on his face. He had expected that Lacey would take her fight with Danny hard, but he hadn't expected to see the complete mess that stood before him. Lacey looked as though she hadn't eaten in over a week, and hadn't slept in even longer. She had always exuded confidence and grace in the times when he'd met her before, but now, standing there in her giant tee shirt, hair messily strewn about her shoulders and makeup streaked down her beautiful face, she just looked frail, and lost, and afraid. Rico knew that Danny would not be pleased to hear about the sad state that Lacey was in – regardless of how many fights they'd had, he knew Danny was crazy about her and never wanted to see her hurting.

"Lacey," Rico said as he stepped forward to her, raising his arms to offer her a hug.

"Don't," she spat as she stepped back out of his grasp, "don't touch me. What do you want Rico – why are you here?"

"I came to check on you, Lacey," Rico started, "Danny and … everyone was worried about you. He's been calling you for over a week, but you haven't answered. At first he thought you just needed to cool off after your fight but then, when you kept not answering, he sent me to check in on you."

"If he cared so much, he would have come himself," Lacey said, "face it, Rico – Danny doesn't give a shit about me. He made that abundantly clear the other night."

Rico hesitated, thinking to himself, "Oh no, what has he said to her now? She's never been this upset by their fights." To her he simply said, "I don't know what he said to you Lacey, but whatever it was, he couldn't have meant it. He's lost without you – he wants you to come home."

"If he were so lost without me, he wouldn't have sent me away," Lacey stated icily. "I didn't leave him, Rico, he told me to leave. He told me to get out and to never come back. "

"He didn't mean it Lacey! He misses you." Rico was getting desperate – this wasn't going so well.

"He meant exactly what he said. He chose his words carefully, and he made sure that they would have the most impact. He hit me right where it hurt, and he meant every single word, Rico. Every. Single. Word. " Lacey unleashed all the hurt and anger she'd been feeling throughout the week on Rico, sure that he would convey the message back to Danny. "If he really cared about me, he would have come to find me himself instead of sending you. I've stood by him through so much, only for him to treat me this way. I'm not going back to him again, not this time. Not after…"

Lacey's words faltered as she dropped to the ground, crying again. "Dammit!" she thought to herself, "Why am I so weak? Why do I have to fall apart every time? How many times does he have to hurt me before I finally get the picture? He. Doesn't. Love. Me. Danny Desai doesn't love anyone but himself."

Lacey had been crying so hard that she didn't realize she'd voiced her thoughts aloud. Rico stood stunned in the doorway, at a loss for how to help her. Finally, he picked her up and gently carried her back to her bed, laying her down and holding her as she cried herself completely out. Once she had fallen asleep from the pure exhaustion, he covered her up and made her a fresh glass of water to sit at her bedside table along with some extra-strength Tylenol. He wished that he could tell her that Danny loved her more than anyone else in the world, but he knew it was no use. The only person who could get that message across to her was the man himself, and Rico knew his friend was too stubborn and afraid to really go after her. Danny, he knew, simply assumed that this was one of their usual fights, and that she would eventually get over it. However, seeing the complete brokenness of Lacey that afternoon, Rico wasn't sure she ever would, or that she would ever come back to Danny. His heart broke as he looked in on Lacey's sleeping form one more time before leaving, wondering idly when (if) he would see his friend again. Rico knew as he left without a doubt that she wouldn't be coming back to the studio any time soon. He also knew, as much as he hated it for Danny, her leaving him was probably for the best.

Lacey woke with a start to the sound of the city coming to life outside her window. The last slivers of sunlight cut through the darkness in her dimly lit apartment, and she realized that it was evening once again. She sat up groggily, not immediately noticing the figure sitting in the chair in the opposite corner. The vertigo she experienced as a result of not having eaten in almost a week made her lie back down immediately, and she closed her eyes, mentally willing the room to stop spinning.

"Hey beautiful," came a low voice from the other side of the room. Initially, she thought she must have imagined it, but soon the figure got up from the chair and made his way to the bed. She sat up instantly, balling herself up into a protective cocoon as he sat down beside her.

"Why are you here?" she asked him guardedly, "and how long have you been sitting there?"

"I'm here," he said gently, "because I missed you, and I wanted to see you. I've been here for a couple of hours. You've been asleep since this morning." Danny reached out to touch her face, and couldn't ignore the hurt he felt as she recoiled from his touch. "Are you afraid of me, Lace? Do you think that I'm going to hurt you?"

"You couldn't possibly hurt me any more than you already have, Danny," Lacey spat coldly, "and don't call me that. It isn't fair."

Danny could see that she was angry with him and determined to freeze him out. Maybe he deserved that after what had gone down between them in the days before. God, what had he said to her again? "You're the idiot that keeps coming back to me. If I hurt you so much, why don't you take the hint and leave me the fuck alone?" How could he have thought, much less said such awful things to her? He would have to make it up to her, he decided. And he would start that right now – by taking care of her.

He got up from the bed and went into her bathroom, running her a warm bath. He added all of the relaxing essential oils that he found beside the tub, and once it was full enough for her to relax comfortably, he went back to the bed to get her. He carefully undressed her, picking her up and depositing her in the bathtub. When he went to help her bathe herself, she froze up, brushing his hands away.

"I don't need help," she said to him, "just wait outside please."

Danny did not want to leave her alone, but did as she asked. He hurt deeply seeing the pain he had inflicted on her. He wanted to show her that he hadn't meant any of it, and that he was sorry. As he waited outside the door for her to finish her bath, he began to look around her bedroom. It was obvious from the state of disarray of the room that she hadn't done much over the last week except cry and sleep. He wondered if she'd eaten at all since she left his studio, and assumed that she hadn't. He quickly walked out of the room, placing a quick call to her favorite restaurant for a delivery order. He then set about making her room more comfortable for her when she returned. He changed the stale sheets, and exchanged the tear-stained pillows for clean, fluffier ones. He collected the stray clothing she had discarded earlier and placed it in her hamper, and then lit a few of her aromatherapy candles to create a relaxing mood for her. Lastly he put on some music for her, the soft rock that she always liked to listen to. Moments later, the food was being delivered, and he went to the door to collect his order and pay just as she was exiting the bathroom.

After closing the door behind the delivery man, he beckoned her into the front room, where he was setting up dinner on her coffee table. She watched him silently as he prepared her plate for her, and pushed her to eat. Lacey hadn't realized until then just how hungry she was. Lying in bed all week hadn't required the expenditure of much energy, and the emotional pain that she felt largely overshadowed the physical pain the hunger must have caused her – she hadn't even noticed it. Now though, she struggled to remind herself to pace her food intake, knowing that although she was famished, eating too much too quickly would make her sick. She ate a few bites from her plate before pushing it away – it was too rich and she could feel the queasiness coming on.

Danny, anticipating her weakness, went to her, scooping her up and carrying her back to bed. She sunk down into her pillows, enjoying the feel of fresh sheets and pillows. Danny hesitated standing over her, not really sure what she wanted him to do at that point. Lacey pulled him down to her, and he situated himself lying in the bed beside her, his arms around her. She still hadn't spoken to him since she took her bath earlier, and he was somewhat worried about that. Still, not wanting to push his luck, he simply put his arms around her, holding her and nuzzling her damp hair.

They lay that way for some time before Danny spoke to her again. "I'm sorry, Lace," he said to her quietly, thinking that she'd fallen back asleep in the quiet in between. She shifted, turning around to face him. She looked deep into his eyes and began crying. He leaned in, kissing her cheeks and tasting the salty tears that spilled down her pale cheeks. She had lost much of her color over the last week, but to him she was still beautiful. He made his way from her cheeks to her lips, kissing her gently at first, but becoming more forceful as she responded. Sex was always the way they had made up from these fights in the past. Their physical connection to each other transcended the hurt caused by the words they couldn't say to each other sometimes. He needed to show her now how much he loved and adored her. He could feel her on the edge, slipping away from him, and he knew he needed to bring her back to him before he lost her forever.