The next thing Danielle knew there was another gentle knock on her door. Had she fallen asleep again? Reaching over for her phone, she checked the time. It was 8 AM. Her jaw dropped in shock. Last thing she'd known it'd been 21:00 the night before. For a second she was disoriented, not at first certain where she was. Then it all came back to her. She was in the hospital because of Adam, who was now dead. She gingerly got out of bed and headed towards the tiny en-suite bathroom. It was then she felt the warm hand on her arm.

"Michael?" She croaked; her voice hoarse. Her throat felt as dry as paper and she was thirsty. The killer guided her towards the bathroom door. She reached up and touched the hand that was on her arm. "Thanks," she said. When she came out, Michael took her hand and led her back to the bed. "Have you been here all night?" Danielle asked, but was sure she already knew the answer. Yes. She felt another rush of affection for him, unable to stop it.

Yes he was a masked killer who'd just cut a man's head off and slit another's throat last night, but he loved her and she loved him. That she could and would not change. Michael must've pressed the call button while she was in the bathroom as a few minutes later, a nurse tapped on the door. As she entered, Danielle could smell the delicious smell of cooked breakfast.

"Good morning Danielle, how are we this morning?"

"Stiff," Danielle said truthfully. "I ache everywhere and feel like I got hit by a bus!"

The nurse made a sympathetic sound. "I'm sure you do. Dr Merrick will be in soon to talk to you about your scans and injuries. He would've done so last night but you were out like a light."

Danielle blushed. "Sorry."

"Don't be silly," the nurse chuckled. "It's hardly surprising after what you went through. I've brought your breakfast. Sausage, scrambled eggs and biscuits."

"Oh my God," Danielle smiled. "Thank you, I'm really hungry and that's my favourite! Again! How do you guys do that?"

The nurse laughed. "A little bird told us." Danielle didn't have to think too hard about who that little bird was. Joanne. Her heart swelled with love for her guard and friend all over again.

"Can I get you anything else?"

"Please can I have some more water? Did you bring me more painkillers?"

"I did indeed, and your water pitcher is right here, there's enough for a glass in it, but I'll refill it for you right now." She poured water into the glass then picked up the empty pitcher.

"Thanks," Danielle said.

"No problem," the nurse said cheerfully and left.

Danielle picked up the 2 pills and swallowed them with the water. What she'd said to the nurse was true. She was aching all over and felt very stiff. Michael rested a hand on her arm so she knew he was there, and within 5 minutes the nurse was back with her refilled water pitcher.

About 30 minutes later, there was another soft knock. The door opened and Danielle heard Emma's voice. "Hey sweetheart, it's me, Joanne, Colin and Dave, with Dr Merrick. Are we ok to come in?"

"Of course," Danielle said, surprised. Where were Rick and Jack and why were none of them at Charlotte's bedside?

As if reading her mind, Colin spoke. "Rick and Jack are grabbing coffee and Tim's watching Charlotte. We all wanted to be here for this if you don't mind."

This? Danielle didn't like the sound of that.

Dr Merrick came up to her bedside. "Hello Danielle, how are you doing?"

"I'm aching," Danielle admitted. "Your nurses have been amazing, but I'm really stiff and I feel like I'm stoned!" She laughed a little at this.

"That'll be the painkillers," Dr Merrick said. Joanne closed the door.

"Um…" Danielle started. "Should I be worried that so many of you are here?"

"Not exactly," Dr Merrick said slowly. "But they all wanted to be here for you while I speak with you."

"Thanks," Danielle turned her head towards them all. "I really appreciate this."

She could hardly believe what happened then. Michael must've tried to step out, because she heard Colin's voice. "Nah man, you should be here for this too, you love Danielle as much as we do."

"If you want to talk to me alone," Dr Merrick said. "You only have to ask, ok?"

"Got it, thanks doc."

"No problem. Ok. So Danielle, I need you to be honest with me please. Did you hit your head at any time during your… ordeal?"

Danielle sighed. She'd been hoping this wouldn't have to come up. She hated thinking about it. "I hit my head on the cupboard door," she admitted. "Adam and his cronies were insisting I cook them dinner and they left a cupboard door open which was exactly my head height."

"Motherfuckers," Colin muttered. Dave slammed his hand against the wall.

But Danielle was pretty sure that wasn't the instance Dr Merrick was talking about. She'd obviously done some damage, would a cupboard door do that much? "I also hit it when…" she took a breath. "When Ashley and Adam were…" she swallowed. "When Adam and Ashley were raping me," Danielle started again. "They got… their dicks inside me and my head slammed against the wall when they started thrusting. In total, I think I hit my head at least 10 times during the 2 attacks. W… why, Dr Merrick?"

"Now, you have no need to and I don't want you to panic," Dr Merrick said. "But you do have a little bruising on the inside of your skull and you also suffered a very slight bleed on the brain. I wanted to know how that was caused."

"Is it serious?" Danielle asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"No not at all," Dr Merrick assured her. "It'll heal perfectly and by itself, you just need to be careful for the next 48 hours or so. But I know you have plenty of people to keep an eye on you."

"Isn't that the truth," Dave said and Danielle just knew he was looking straight at Michael when he said it.

"Will I have a scar?" Danielle blurted before she could stop herself.

"You'll have a small one yes, but it'll be hidden by your hair. Please don't worry Danielle, no one will see it, I promise. Other than that Danielle, you're going to be just fine. Apart from your cuts of course which we will give you painkillers for as long as needed, we just have to look after your head and you'll be good as new."

"Thank you Dr Merrick," Danielle said, feeling close to tears again. She desperately tried to fight them off. "How long will I need to stay here?"

"We'll just keep you here for another night," Dr Merrick said. "To keep an eye on your head. If you start feeling at all nauseous, dizzy or suffer memory loss, please tell one of the nurses immediately. We will monitor you tonight just in case. If you feel fine tomorrow, I will discharge you. Ok? Do you have any questions for me?"

Danielle hesitated, then asked what she really wanted to know. "Dr Merrick, when can I come off all these monitors? They're really loud and it's hard to sleep without the help of medication."

"Aha," Dr Merrick touched her hand. "You beat me to it Danielle. Nurses are going to come in as soon as I've finished and remove them for you. You have no need of them anymore. We only put them on last night as a precaution, just to check on you."

"Thank you," Danielle said gratefully. "I really appreciate that, but now can you get rid of them?" She smiled as she said this.

As if on cue, the door opened and 2 nurses entered, beginning to unhook Danielle's many wires and monitors. Within a couple of minutes, they were done. "Anything else?" Dr Merrick asked as the door closed behind them.

"No," Danielle said. "Thank you so much, Dr Merrick."

When the doctor had left, Danielle gave into her tears at last. "I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I don't even know why I'm crying! I know I'll be ok, it's just… fuck! I… I never thought I'd ever be glad someone was dead!"

"Wish we could bring him back to life," Colin muttered. "Purely so I can have a go at him!" Neither Dave nor Emma contradicted their son's statement. "Didn't record it did you?" Colin asked. "That fucking sucks!"

"Agreed," Dave said.

"How…" Colin started, glancing hesitantly at Michael. "How did he die?"

"Got his head cut off," said a quiet voice. It was Jack. Danielle hadn't heard him come in.

"Fucking awesome!" Colin said and Danielle was certain he slapped the killer on the back. "Amazing Michael! Fucking amazing! I hope he felt every second of it!"

"Considering he got stabbed several times first," Jack said. "I would imagine he did."

"Not to mention slammed against the wall head first," said Rick's voice. Danielle smiled at them both as they entered. She knew Adam's body would have a lot more than a bruised skull in the autopsy reports. That was, if they could even find his head.

"Danielle," Dave said after a few moments. "There's actually another reason we all wanted to be here. I know your birthday isn't until next month, but we have a present for you and we wanted to give it to you in person, now."

"You didn't have to…" Danielle began.

"Oh yes we did," Colin took over and Danielle was sure he was close to tears himself. "We love you Danielle Hayward as does Charlotte. When she wakes up, we want to give her a present too."

"Do you want us to leave?" Joanne, Rick and Jack said in unison. Dave, Colin and Emma shook their heads. Then Dave spoke. "Michael, you're Danielle's other half, you're part of this too."

She felt a rush of love for every one of them, including Joanne, Rick and Jack. Now Emma started to speak. "Danielle, last night you called me mom, which is appropriate considering you are as good as our daughter. Well," now her voice broke with emotion. "Well we want to make it official."

"What?" Danielle asked, unable to believe her ears.

"None of us have any idea where your biological parents are," Dave said gently. "Dr Loomis made considerable effort to contact them when you were admitted to Smith's Grove, but had no success. As far as we're concerned and Dr Loomis agrees, that makes it all too clear they don't want you in their lives anymore. Plus they sent that text good as telling you as much. Well, we do. Their loss is our gain, if you'll let us. We want to adopt you, Danielle."

"Are… are you serious?" It was all Danielle could say.

"Absolutely," Dave, Emma and Colin said together.

"That's why we're all here now," Dave said. "When Charlotte wakes up, we want to tell her that you're her real sister now. Dr Loomis has helped us pull some legal strings and all we need is your consent. We have the documents here and if you sign them, Dr Loomis can have them submitted in under 24 hours. It's not what you know, it's who you know. Doctors such as Dr Loomis and Dr Stark are able to do this, if it'll help with someone's treatment."

For a few seconds, Danielle was literally speechless. Ignoring the pain she got out of bed and hugged Emma, Dave then Colin, before they hugged as a family. Danielle blinked back tears as she heard Colin speak. "Hang on we're missing someone," before grasping Michael's arm and pulling him into the hug. Danielle was certain she heard Joanne sob, and Rick and Jack draw in sharp breaths. Danielle reached out and grabbed Joanne's arm, then softly called Rick and Jack's names, pulling them into the group too. Joanne sobbed and Rick and Jack both murmured "Aww, Danielle."

"Once you've finished your treatment at Smith's Grove," Dave continued after a while. "We got you an apartment close to our house. Tim's and Charlotte's house isn't very far away either. Tim is with Charlotte as we speak, but we will tell him as soon as we go back. It's a perfect apartment for 2, Danielle."

Danielle's face burned, but didn't try to stop the tears this time because they were now of pure happiness. "Oh my God!" She said when she could speak, her voice choked with emotion. "I… I can't thank you enough for this! I knew you thought of me as a daughter, I think of you as my parents! But I… I mean I never thought…"

Dave and Colin stepped forward and hugged her together. Then Danielle turned and felt Michael's arms close around her. She smiled up at him, the tears still sliding down her face. Was she really about to become Danielle Avery? Michael leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

"You might not be Danielle Avery for long though," Dave said as if reading her mind. For a second Danielle didn't understand, then she blushed. She couldn't deny that was an amazing thought. Danielle Myers? She smiled as Colin and Michael eased her back into bed.

"But you take your time with treatment Missy," Emma said sternly. "You're not coming out until you're ready, you hear? Michael, please keep an eye on her for us, we know what she's like!"

"Yes mom," Danielle said. Still shocked that Emma was about to become her real mother.

With another quiet knock, Dr Loomis entered. "Hi Danielle," he touched her arm. "How are you feeling?"

"Did Dr Merrick tell you?" Danielle asked.

"Yes Danielle," Dr Loomis said, squeezing her hand. "But don't you worry ok? The bleeding has already stopped and the bruising on your skull just needs to heal."

"Those motherfucking bastards," Colin's voice shook. "Thought they could… could just rape Danielle whenever they wanted, like she was just "property"," using air quotes on the word, property. "How fucking hard did they hit your head into that wall? How fitting Adam lost his! I hope the other guy is dead as well?" Dave, Joanne and Emma murmured in agreement. Danielle was sure, judging from Colin's soft, "Yes!" That Michael had very slightly nodded, or Rick and Jack had.

"Dr Loomis, is there a risk that it could start again?" Danielle asked. This was 1 of only 2 doctors she truly trusted, the other being Dr Stark. "The bleeding?"

"My medical training isn't as good as Dr Merrick's," Dr Loomis answered. "My field is Psychiatry. But based on what I do know, it's highly unlikely, unless you deliberately do something silly like smash it into something on purpose. As long as you're careful for the next couple of days, it'll be just fine." Danielle nodded, hoping he was right.

"Anyway," Dr Loomis said and Danielle knew he was deliberately changing the subject. "I'm here because I believe you have some papers to sign?"

Danielle couldn't help smiling up at him. Dr Loomis handed them over to her and Dave showed her where she needed to sign.

"Do my biological parents even know?" Danielle wasn't sure why she asked the question or even why she cared, but something in her wanted an answer.

"I…" Dr Loomis hesitated. "I did manage to get hold of Mrs. Hayward by phone a few days ago and… she was…" he hesitated again.

"Please just tell me," Danielle said quietly.

"Indifferent," Dr Loomis finished reluctantly. "Said she didn't care what happened to you."

"Wow!" Emma sounded furious. "What a bitch!"

"Agreed, but as I said, their loss is our gain," Dave said.

"Indeed," Dr Loomis smiled. With her hand shaking, Danielle signed the papers. "Ok," Dr Loomis said when she was done. "I'll have these submitted and you, Mr. and Mrs. Avery, will be notified when it's official."

"Please," Dave said. "Dr Loomis, call us Emma, Dave and Colin,"

"Done," Dr Loomis smiled again. "Dave, Emma, Colin, you'll be notified when its official, and Danielle, I or Dr Stark will tell notify immediately."

"Thank you," Danielle said, her voice shaking. "Thank you so much guys." After a second, she spoke again. "Would you mind if I had a minute alone with Michael, please?"

"Of course not," her family said together. Dr Loomis, Joanne, Rick and Jack joined them heading out the door which softly closed behind them.

…

Danielle lay back against her pillows, as Michael came to her side. This time she reached out an arm so it came around the killer's waist, as far as she could reach from her bed as he was so tall. The killer rested his hand on her shoulder and lovingly stroked it.

"Michael, I wanted to tell you something. Mom…" her voice shook with emotion at the word "mom" knowing it'd just become real. "Mom wants me to go back to Smith's Grove so do dad and Colin. They want me to get some more treatment after what… what happened 2 days ago. I've agreed, I think I need it I can't lie. Dr Stark has apparently already gone back, but before she did, she told mom that we would be in the same room as before and would not be separated again. Would you be ok with that? I assume I'll be going back when I'm discharged."

Of course without a word, Michael leaned down and softly kissed her lips. Danielle couldn't help herself when she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. The killer kissed her again.

"Please don't move yet?" Danielle pleaded. This was the closest she'd been with Michael since Adam's death and what'd almost happened with Laurie. She was sure she heard Michael quietly chuckle, but he didn't straighten up. Danielle raised her head ever so slightly and this time it was her to take his lips, a long, deep kiss. "I love you Michael," she whispered when she finally pulled back. "I love you."

The killer straightened up, but kept his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. Danielle hesitated for a few seconds, then decided she had to. She had to say this to him if their relationship was ever going to stand a chance. Holding back was not an option, not with this man.

"Michael," she started, then took a second to get her words straight before saying them. "Michael, why are you so determined to kill Laurie Strode? Why do you hate her so much? What made you go after her in the first place in 1978?"

She heard the killer take a breath and let it out in a quiet sigh, before he leaned down to her again and put his arms around her. Danielle wasn't sure why she'd even asked the question, after all it wasn't like Michael would answer, was it? He was affectionately stroking her back as he held her in her bed and unable to resist, Danielle tentatively moved in for another kiss and Michael didn't stop her.

"I'm sorry," she said after a while, "I didn't mean…" Michael pressed his lips tenderly against hers, silencing her. This time though, their mouths opened and their tongues touched as they kissed. As they drew back, Danielle's phone buzzed with a text. She checked it, having been able to turn it back on when the monitors were removed. Yet again her heart gave a jolt of longing and love. Because it was Michael. She hadn't realised he still had his phone with him.

Not now. I want to focus on you.

Danielle hesitated. "If I hadn't turned up," her voice was quiet and shook slightly. "She'd be dead Michael and we both know it. I heard you throw her from you when I appeared. I know I saved her life. I just can't help wondering why?" There was a few seconds of silence, before another text came through from the killer.

Later, not now.

Danielle sighed, but knew better than to pursue it, not with Michael Myers. So she simply nodded. Michael must've realised how she'd interpreted his words though because he immediately leaned down and kissed her again, lingering a little.

I'm not angry, I just have more important things to focus on at this moment, meaning you.

Danielle read this text and smiled up at him. Michael knew her so well already and knew exactly the right words she needed to hear. She felt tears fall once again and Michael lovingly wiped them away with a soft tissue.

"I love you Michael Myers," Danielle said again. "I love you so, so much."…