A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. I'm uneasy about this chapter; I feel it gets worse towards the end. But hey, a few soppy moments, (as my sis would say, 'cheesy and lame') they're not that lovey-dovey though, lol.

Danielle sat leaning forward on the Mitchell couch. As she blew steam away from her coffee, Ronnie walked in causing the girl to hastily stuff her phone back into her jeans, almost spilling the hot drink over her.

"I'm sorry but Roxy has absolutely no taste in movies. All I could find was 'The Boys And Girl From County Clare', 'Die Hard'…" Ronnie flicked through the handful of DVD cases that belonged to her sister. "'Mama Mia'… um there's 'Twilight'…"

Danielle began to fiddle with her fingers again. What would she do? Should she tell Ronnie? Would she care? Well she couldn't hide it from her… "Ronnie I need to talk to you." Danielle's voice was soft but a little shaky.

Ronnie stopped and looked to Danielle, staring at the back of her head for almost half a minute before the seated female took a swig of her drink, resulting in Ronnie snapping out of her thoughts. She put the cases down on to the coffee table and sat down next to her daughter. "There's something I've been badgered to ask you as well." Ronnie laughed quietly attempting to lighten the mood, but her face dropped as a shiver down her spine signalled this was serious. They both sat in silence for a minute, Danielle circling the rim of her mug with her finger just as she had done in the café when they had met for lunch.

"Hey since when did you play the violin? Multitalented indeed!" Ronnie nudged Danielle's shoulder, hoping to shake some of the nerves out and ignite the bubbly girl Ronnie knew she could be.

Danielle obdurately let her eyes remain fixed on the television, currently displaying a reflection of the room in its 'stand-by' state. She smiled at the thoughts of the past, "Dunno really? I don't actually remember taking it up." Her voice lacked the enthusiasm it had delineated earlier.

Ronnie listened carefully, worried that someone was going to interrupt them any moment as Danielle recalled her past.

The girl's eyes dared not move, her finger mindlessly circling the never ending track. "I remember mum running down the stairs one breakfast time, really excited about something," Danielle smiled, completely lost within the recollection. "Apparently one of her best friends had just moved to England, coincidently buying the house right next door to ours." Danielle eventually decided to put her empty mug down onto the coffee table and look at Ronnie. She gave a small sigh, the type one gives when cutting a long story short. "Well her name was Karen, aunt Kaz we used to call her." Danielle's smile widened, her eyes drifting off to the side, almost objecting to take in current images in the fear of overwriting the current memory.

Danielle suddenly jolted her eyes back, practically reactivating them. "Well anyway, she was a stock broker who loved music. My brother joked about it when he first found out. Being neighbours we used to be popping in and out of each other's houses all the time; she used to show off her skills to me, I think she said I was the only one actually interested. I asked her to show me once and I guess it all went from there. I just used to jump over the fence to play the violin whenever I wanted to I suppose." She looked into Ronnie's eyes, "It's a great escape music is, almost like dreaming. Mum used to call me her leprechaun 'coz Aunt Kaz mostly taught me all the traditional Irish pieces."

Ronnie furrowed her brow, eyes slightly narrowing. Danielle picked up on the puzzlement. "She'd just moved over from Ireland, her and mum knew each other from childhood." Danielle giggled as Ronnie replaced her questioning look with one of realisation.

"That's what I'm being nagged about. Ben's to shy to ask but he was wondering if you could help him and Abbey out a little. I think he's got some sort of exam coming up. Grades or something," Ronnie squinted her eyes, trying her best to remember the exact phrasing Ben had used.

Danielle was quick to help the woman, speaking with a proud tone, the sort when a child pleases their parent. "Yeah the grade exams, I was doing my grade six before…" She trailed off suddenly causing Ronnie to look back to her. Daniele noticed Ronnie's concerned face,

Her sorrowful tone returned, "The day of the exam was the day…" Danielle cleared her throat, "well the day mum died."

Ronnie bowed her head, feeling quiet awkward but logically putting Danielle's need before hers. As she was about to verbalize words of comfort, fully-well knowing they would be unsuccessful, Danielle carried on.

"That's what I needed to talk to you about Ronnie," she looked up to the elder blonde, looking into her eyes as if they would give her an incline to the reaction she was about to face. Would Ronnie think she was being rejected and decide to forget her? "I need to go back home." She dipped her head and watched her thumbs initiate round two of the war.

Ronnie let the words sink in. What had Danielle meant? Where had Ronnie gone wrong? She had thought today had gone brilliantly, how could her own satisfaction have overlooked something Danielle hadn't? Ronnie was trying her best, if only someone could tell her where she was going wrong, why was everyone so rapidly judging her? Ronnie needed answers, but the most important entity here was Danielle. She tried to speak as calmly and lovingly as possible, but her words were rushed "Have I done something? Please…"

Danielle looked at Ronnie's flushed face and brimming eyes, "No! It's not you, it's me…" Danielle heard how idiotic she sounded, so corrected herself with alacrity. "What I mean, well my Dad needs me…It's the anniversary of my mother's death next week, you have to understand Ronnie I must see him…"

Ronnie ignored the lump in her throat as she tugged at Danielle's upper arm until she felt the girl's head rest on a welcoming shoulder, turning her own head so that she could kiss Danielle's hair. "Oh of course I understand sweetie," she whispered, gently stroking Danielle's soft blonde hair.

Ronnie's mind was racing. She had only just found her baby and already it felt like she was being taken away. The dream was drawing to a premature end; all Ronnie could do was aim not to wake up.

Danielle's heart rate decreased steadily, her mind wondering what Ronnie was thinking. She needed the reassurance that Ronnie was on her side, prepared to wait, to be there for her. Maybe that was way too much to ask from this woman. In only a week, Danielle found it impossible to remember exactly how she had felt at Ronnie's countless rejections. Those thoughts, images were rapidly fading out of her conscious mind, no longer constantly at the forefront of her thoughts. Such a transformation in one week, Danielle couldn't figure out whether to fear the revolution or to appreciate it.

Ronnie sat close to Danielle, utterly devoted to holding her close, to never let go of her baby, the one who relied on her for protection…or at least, that's how it should have been.

Danielle shot her head up from Ronnie's shoulder, "Oh shit, the club!"

Ronnie tried to register what Danielle had meant.

"I'm on training, I totally forgot." Danielle's horrified face made it hard for Ronnie to breath. Something about it sucked all the oxygen out of the room, but it seemed Ronnie was the only sufferer. "Hey don't worry about that, it's alright, honestly" Ronnie desperately wanted to comfort Danielle, to be a fraction of the motherly attribute she was mourning for.

Danielle mentally kicked herself. How could she have been so immature, promising her dad that she would visit without even informing her bosses? How could it have just slipped her mind, she was on a trial period!

"No…" Danielle had asked for no favours, in this sense, Ronnie was her employer. "I need to phone Jack" She lifted her self from the sofa as the clingy material of her jeans prevented her from reaching her phone.

Ronnie hastily rose to her feet as well, "Look it's late, why don't you just call him tomorrow when he's working?" Had she sounded too obvious? Ronnie was quickly devising a plan, but she needed time to execute it.

Danielle hesitated, looked to Ronnie and nodded her head. "Yeah you're right." She sat back down, burying her head in her hands. It just slipped my mind; I mean I'm not taking it for granted but you…"

"Danielle, you've got plenty to be thinking about. Now I understand you need to be with your family, as long you need, but just remember I'll always be here for you okay?" This was a point Ronnie was determined to firmly place in Danielle's brain. As hard as it was proving, trying to understand how Danielle felt was important. Knowing that she had a whole other family out there was disbelieving, the thought of her being so far away was stomach-churning.

"I told my dad I'd stay for a few days, but if Jack gives me the time off…well I'll see what Jack says, but I doubt I can get more than a few days."

A sudden thought came to Ronnie's mind. If Jack refused Danielle more than a few days, she would be returned to Ronnie by the end of next week!

What was happening to her?! All of a sudden, Ronnie felt a sharp twitch in her chest, her heart throbbing in her ears. How could she be so selfish, placing her longing before Danielle's need of reassurance? She was nothing like her father, she never would be!

Ronnie turned around and hugged Danielle tightly, pushing the girl's hair back gently behind her ears. "I'll be here when you get back okay? If you need anything, anything at all Danielle, I want you to let me know…" She held her girl for what seemed like a small number of seconds, but actually a few minutes had passed.

Danielle embraced Ronnie impenetrably, amused at her own apprehension from half an hour ago. The caring, loving Ronnie was definitely someone to return to. She expected thoughts of Ronnie to linger in her mind during her visit back home, but she wanted to hang on to Ronnie's words, phrases guaranteeing a reunion when she returned. Only then would her mind be set free from the smothering what if's. She could do without them; all she wanted was the knowledge of Ronnie anticipating her return to vanquish all the ideas of rejection. Danielle knew herself all to well. One and-a-bit weeks did not have the qualification to stop Danielle's ambiguity. Only time would tell whom Danielle would return to. For now, Danielle had to concentrate on her family, her mother and keeping her memory alive.

"Oh Crap!" Danielle lifted herself once again from Ronnie's support. "I wonder if Stace will cover the stall." Danielle looked thoughtfully to Ronnie who burst out laughing moments after Danielle did.

Thanks for all your reviews! Keep 'em coming, especially this chapter, really don't know if it's any good. Always room for improvement, just lemme know guys! :-D