It had been a very uneventful day and most of it I spent indoors watching movies with Jack, Sean, and Henry. I didn't like just sitting and waiting for something to happen. I tried my best to keep my mind occupied but found it extremely difficult. When Danny came around to pick up the boys he told them to get their stuff from upstairs. Then he pulled me to him and just held me tightly.

"Rough day?" He kissed my cheek and buried his face into my neck,

"You could say that." When he pulled away he kissed me slowly. I kissed him back and when I pulled back I saw that he had his eyes shut and knew he was fighting off a sea of emotions. I kissed him softly once more,

"Really rough day then." He nodded but didn't open his eyes. I pressed my forehead against his and placed my hand on his cheek, "Do you want to talk about it?" He covered my hand with his and turned his head some to press a kiss against my palm,

"Not yet." We could hear the boys coming down the stairs and I nodded before pulling away. The boys ran towards me and hugged me tightly,

"We'll miss you Kyla." I smiled,

"And I'll miss you. But we'll see each other soon."

"Promise?"

"Promise." I kissed them both on the cheek and Danny told them to go out to the car. He kissed me softly again,

"I love you." It was quiet, almost like a whisper, but I heard it none the less,

"And I love you." I watched as he walked out to his car and helped the boys put their stuff in the car before heading off. I could see Henry giving me a worried look out of the corner of my eye,

"Something happened today. And whatever it was it wasn't good." I nodded but said nothing. I knew that something had happened today from the moment Danny had walked in. He was quieter than normal and his eyes were slightly red as though he had been crying. I didn't press him because I knew he would tell me about it eventually. I just needed to give him time.

Danny was only paying attention to half of the conversation Jack and Sean were having. His mind was elsewhere. He kept thinking about the photos and the video had seen earlier in the day. About the lawyer and this fake daughter. Most of all he thought about how he just wanted all of it to be over before it even really began. It would make life so much easier if he could just put a bullet in each of the Carmella's heads. He didn't want the people he loved to be in danger any more. He wanted to keep them safe and it killed him to know that at this moment he couldn't do that. Because the threat was out of his reach. But then another thought crossed his mind,

"Hey Jack, Sean."

"Yeah dad?"

"When we get to your mom's don't tell her about Kyla and I dating, I wanna be the one to tell her okay?"

"Sure dad."

"Thanks guys." When Danny pulled up to Linda's he felt his stomach drop a bit. This wasn't how he planned on telling her about him being in a relationship again. When he and the boys reached the doorstep he knocked twice and waited. A few minutes later the door opened revealing a slightly worried Linda. She smiled as her boys hugged her,

"Hey boys, did you have fun with dad?"

"Yeah, we had a great time!" Sean almost added 'with dad and Kyla' but remembered his dad's request and didn't say anything. Danny hugged them both,

"Why don't you guys go inside and let your mom and I talk? Okay?" They nodded and kissed their dad on the cheek,

"Love you dad."

"I love you too." They ran inside and once they were out of ear shot Linda looked back at Danny,

"So what's wrong?" He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck,

"Now I want you to listen to me alright? Do you remember when Kyla was undercover with the Carmella family?"

"How could I forget? I still get chills when I think about her lying in that hospital bed." He nodded,

"Well, they've got a big shot lawyer coming in and he's supposed to be able to get them out. Now I can't give you specific details but this isn't gonna be pretty. He's a hard man and he's good at what he does. And Marcus Carmella wants revenge. He's got one of his goons tailing Kyla right now." Linda's eyes widened,

"Is she alright?"

"She's a bit shaken up but she's holding together."

"So what exactly does this have to do with the boys coming home so early?" Danny sighed again and looked at the ground for a moment,

"This wasn't how I planned on telling you?"

"Tell me what?" Danny looked up at her and took a deep breath,

"I'm, ah, I'm seeing somebody again." At Linda's confused look he elaborated, "Not just somebody, ah… to be more specific, I'm seeing Kyla." Linda was surprised but smiled all the same,

"Wow, I wasn't expecting that." Danny chuckled a bit,

"Neither was I." Linda gave him a smile,

"I'm happy for you Danny. Kyla's good for you."

"She'll probably call you or something soon. But, um, you see the guy stalking Kyla, well, he's been taking pictures of her. They're on a phone and he sent it to her the other day. They date back to at least two years. And some of them are extremely personal ones that there's no way he could've taken without being seen." Linda nodded but still didn't get where he was going, "Kyla came over the other night and she told the boys a story before they went to sleep. There's a picture of them in the phone. And of us dropping the boys off at school." Linda's eyes widened as she saw what Danny meant,

"Dear God…"

"Yeah, so I thought it would be best to bring them back here and have a undercover cop stay nearby." He saw the angry look in Linda's eyes but then he saw it dissipate into a sad look,

"Kyla must feel terrible right now. She always took threats to her family so hard." He nodded,

"She's calling Lauren tomorrow and having her and Jacob take a vacation somewhere for a few weeks. And she's already tried distancing herself from us." Linda chuckled,

"Like that'll happen. You've already got her stashed away with Henry to watch her don't you?" Danny smirked a little,

"I thought about tying her up and throwing her in the closet." She laughed,

"She'd just find a way out." He chuckled,

"Yeah." A silence fell over them and Linda put a hand on his arm,

"I am happy for you Danny. For both of you. Kyla can understand your job far better than I ever could, and she's your best friend."

"You sure you're okay with this?"

"Danny, if I wasn't okay with it I would say something."

"I'm sorry about all this-"

"No, this isn't your fault and it isn't Kyla's. It's the Carmella's. Tell her I said that will you? And that I look forward to hearing from her." Danny nodded and pulled his keys out,

"The cop should be here tomorrow morning. I'll let you know when things die down." She nodded and watched him as he walked back to his car.

I was lying on Danny's bed looking at an old photo that was sitting on his nightstand. Frank and Danny had yet to come home and it had been almost an hour. I was beginning to worry. I was thinking about what if Jared had got hold of them, or if they were run off the side of the road. Henry had told me to go upstairs and relax. But relaxed was far from what I was. The photo that I had been staring at was of Danny, Jamie, Joe, Erin, and I at the beach in Florida. My grandparents and the Reagan's decided to take a combined family vacation over the summer. I was seventeen and Danny was twenty five. It was also the summer before he left for Iraq. I remember the day he told me he was going to join the marines.

It was a beautiful spring night and Danny and I had decided to sit out and watch the stars for a bit while our families played games inside. We sat on the porch swing just outside my house slowly going back and forth.

"Kyla?"

"Hm?"

"I have something I want to tell you." I looked at him and smiled,

"What is it?" He sighed and looked at the ground for a long time. I frowned, "Danny, what is it?"

"I'm joining the marines." I laughed,

"No really, what is it you want to tell me?" He took hold of my hand and squeezed it,

"No, baby girl, I'm being serious. I'm going tomorrow to sign up." I pulled my hand out of his grasp and stood up,

"No… no you're kidding. Please, Danny, tell me you're joking." I felt my heart sink to the bottom of my stomach. He stood and sighed,

"I'm not kidding. I-"

"Why?!"

"Because I want to make a difference. I want to help."

"Then stay here and help, don't go over there!"

"Kyla-"

"No, don't Kyla me Danny. I may be seventeen but I'm hardly a child. I know what war is and know that people don't always come back. I don't…" I choked on a sob at the thought of losing my best friend. "I don't want…I can't…"

"Come here baby girl." I walked into his open arms and cried,

"I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me. I'll be back. I pro-"

"Don't. Please don't. Don't promise something that we both know you can't ensure." He pulled back and looked me in the eye,

"I'll be back. You won't get rid of me that easily." I laughed despite the tears,

"Why do you do that?" He smiled a little,

"Do what?"

"Make me laugh when I cry." He pulled me into another hug,

"Because I love to see you laugh, not cry."

I heard the door open and I could hear Danny and Frank's voices. I jumped up off the bed and ran down the stairs and when I saw Danny I ran to him and threw my arms around his neck.

"What's wrong?" I pulled back and kissed him once,

"I was worried about you. Both of you. I thought that Jared… well, I thought that you might be hurt." He chuckled and kissed my head,

"No, no problems. Just a lot of traffic. There was an accident on my way back. Dad and I got caught up in it." I pulled back from Danny and hugged Frank. He chuckled and hugged me back,

"You worry too much Kyla." I chuckled,

"I know." The four of us had dinner which consisted of spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread and red wine. I had half a glass and no more. Danny chuckled at me when I declined Henry's offer of a refill. I shook my head with a smile. Conversation was kept light and away from work. When dinner was over Danny and I did the dishes. And when I say we did the dishes I mean I did the dishes and Danny just distracted me. But they did get cleaned and then we said good night and headed upstairs. Danny took a shower and I changed into a comfortable pair of sweats and a tank top. I was lying in bed just staring at the wall. My mind was running away with itself. I was thinking about the Carmella's and what could happen and if I was doing the right thing by staying. I knew that I didn't want to run from the family but I also didn't want them to get hurt because of me. Henry, Frank, and Danny had made it very clear that they could take whatever was thrown at them and that I was part of the family and I wasn't going anywhere. I was pulled from my thoughts though when I felt warm arms wrap around my waist and lips on my neck,

"What are you thinking about?" I turned over and snuggled into his chest,

"Everything. Earlier I was thinking about when you told me you were going to join the marines." He chuckled,

"I remember that. You wouldn't let me promise you I'd come back."

"I was terrified that if you promised me that, then you wouldn't come back." A comfortable silence fell over us before I asked him about earlier, "What happened today?" His grip around me tightened a little,

"I asked Erin to give me all that should could on this Lawyer that the Carmella's have. He's a tough guy. He gets scumbags out all the time." I kissed his chest before looking up at him,

"You're not telling me everything. What else happened? You can't lie to me Danny." He chuckled,

"I never could." He sighed, "I saw the photos." I nodded,

"And the video."

"Yeah… and the video." I could hear the pain in his voice and sat up a bit. I looked down at him,

"You weren't supposed to see that. It wasn't meant for you to see." I lightly ran my hand over his cheek before kissing him softly,

"I should've never let you go. I should've protected you."

"Danny, you couldn't have known. Nobody could've." I kissed him again before lying back down and resting my head on his chest,

"Still, I feel like I should've done more." I knew that no matter how many times I tried to tell him there was nothing he could've done he wouldn't believe me.

"How'd it go with Linda?"

"Good actually."

"She's not upset with me?" I felt the vibrations from his chuckle,

"No, she told me to tell you that this isn't your fault. That it's the Carmella's fault. And that she looks forward to hearing from you." I smiled a little,

"Well at least that's one thing that's gone right."

"Nah, there's lots of things that have gone right."

"Really? Like what?" He shifted a little so that I was looking him right in the eye,

"Well, I got you back in my life. Then I get the chance to date my best friend. And now, I'm lying in bed with somebody who I love very much and want to be with for the rest of my life." I smiled at him before he kissed me, "And I hope she stays with me." I knew what he was asking. I knew he was asking me not run and for once I let my heart rule my head,

"She will. Because she's tired of running and now that she's got you she doesn't want to run away from you… Because I don't want to be away from you." He kissed me softly and I smiled into the kiss, "I love you Danny."

"And I love you Kyla." And with that we fell asleep. No dreams. No nightmares. Just peace. A little bit of peace in this sea of chaos.

Early the next morning I woke to Danny's phone going off. He groaned and rolled over to pick it up,

"Hello?" It was quiet so I could hear the person on the other line,

"Danny, it's Jackie. Listen we have a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"The lawyer. Leon Walter, just arrived in Georgia on a flight from Italy."

"Okay, well, we knew he was coming so I don't see the problem."

"Danny… there's a woman with him. The name she came into the country with is Nicoletta Carmella." Danny sat up in bed,

"I'll be down in twenty minutes. Find out where she is and dig up as much information on her as you can."

"Got it." When he hung up the phone he turned to look at me. I swallowed hard,

"Go. I'm not allowed to leave. And I won't run. I promise." He kissed me once,

"You'll be alright?"

"I'll be fine."

"I'll keep you updated." He kissed me again before pulling away and getting dressed, "We'll get 'em." He took hold of my chin and made me look at him, "You're safe Kyla." He kissed me again before leaving the room and heading down the stairs,

"But are you…"