They laid there silent for a while, Lacey and Danny reveling in the feeling of being in eachothers arms.

Periodically Danny would pull back from Lacey staring at her then he would kiss her head pulling her back tightly next to him as if to confirm that she was still there.

She was the first one to break the silence.

"Danny I think I'm okay now" she said trying to pull herself away.

"I'm not" he said slowly rubbing her arms refusing to let her go. "I know this sounds crazy but I'm afraid if I let go of you that I'll wake up and you'll still be gone and this moment will all have been a dream".

"I don't want this moment to end either" she said "but I'm more afraid of what will happen if I don't walk away from you now, while I still have a chance to".

"I'm not ever gonna give you the chance" Danny said darkly turning his face to hers so she could see the seriousness of his statement in his eyes. "You are it for me".
"Barring death I am yours and you are mine, and even then I'll be waiting for you in Paradise".

"You can't mean that" Lacey said a little rattled about the accepting finality in his tone". "I mean you're gorgeous Danny you could have any girl you want and you're charming and brilliant... and we're so young". "Why limit yourself"?

"I could have any girl I wanted huh"? Danny said smiling down at her amazed that she couldn't see how much she meant to him. "Well the girl I want is you, but even if I didn't want you Lace I meant what I said before I need you". "My qualities only work if I have you with me as my better half".

"I'm not your better half Danny" she said plainly.

"You're right you are more than that".
You are my Guardian Angel, My Conscience
My Muse My Nymph My Puzzle. "You're My Juliette".He said "Did I miss anything"?

"Why are you saying this to me" Lacey asked uncomfortably.

"Because" Danny said "when I looked into your eyes as I was holding you I saw so much uncertainty there". I knew that somehow you never really knew the amazing woman I see when I look at you". You already know you're beautiful but did you know that you are kind and selfless and strong willed and classy and talented and sexy and brilliant. "People look up to people like you"."People like you change the world".

"You're amazing too Danny". Lacey said wanting him to see himself the way she did. "If anyone could change the world it would be you". "When I look at you I see passion and compassion power and loyalty and charm and swagger and of course star level sex appeal. "You are so dynamic and irresistible its why I can't stay away from you but somehow I know I have to"...

"No Lace you don't" he said kissing her slowly , missing her lips as soon as they pulled apart from his. "You don't" he said and kissed her again "I can't stand being without you"

"When you were gone I felt like I died inside". He brought her hand to his heart to emphasize his point."Not being with you almost killed me"

"The night before I discovered you were gone I had a terrible nightmare. I saw you sinking into quicksand that I knew I couldn't touch or it would pull me in too. I tried to help you but the harder I pulled the faster you sank. I pulled one last time and it seemed to be working i could see you coming out of the sand little by little but you looked at me and you let go of my hand and I had to stand there and watch as you disappeared ...

"NO LACEY DON'T GO! LAACEEY! DON'T. Danny screamed out waking up panicking in a cold sweat. He had to talk to Lacey
"Cmon Lacey pick up, pick up". Danny said dialing her phone. He had a bad feeling in his stomach .."Damn it please answer me".
"Cmon please Lace pickup Please".
He pressed redial again
"Cmon Please Lace Baby Pleeaase Pickup". "PICKUP". Danny said just needing to hear her voice. He knew she said she wished she never met him but somehow none of that mattered right now.
"PICK UP THE PHONE LACEY PICK IT UP".
"SHIT" Danny said as he threw the phone across the room before running back to get it and pressing redial again...

"I went to your house the next morning but no one answered". "When I came back again that night the lights were out and the house felt abandoned and somehow I knew that you were gone but I didn't lose hope I kept coming back the rest of the week and that Sunday I saw a light on in the house"...

Knock Knock Knock Knock. Knock Knock Knock Knock. Knock Knock Knock Knock.

WHO IS IT? a voice called angrily from behind the door?

"Its Danny". "Danny Desai". May I please speak to Lacey" he pleaded. The door opened and Judy stood there with one hand on the doorknob and the other on her hip

"What do you want Danny"? She said looking tired and grim.

"Please Mrs. Porter I know you're upset with me about everything that's happened since I came back. But I have to see Lacey I just need to talk to her".

"I'm sorry Danny but Lacey can't see you anymore" she said. "You need to stay away from her". She slammed the door quickly before Danny could say anything else.

Danny walked around the side of the house and climbed up the tree by Lacey's window.
When he couldn't open it he climbed back down and headed home racking his brain about how he was going to get in contact with her...

"But your mother wouldn't let me talk to you so I started asking around"...

"What do you want" Sarita said as Danny approached her and Phoebe in the hallway at school.

" Well hello to you too Sarita" Danny said recently reinstated from his expulsion. "Have you heard from Lacey by any chance"?

"Like I would tell you if I did Socio". "Ha now that Lacey's not in our group anymore I can say it as much as I want Socio". Sarita emphasized again then she paused placing her finger under her lip. "You know what it doesn't quite have the same ring to it as it did". "Maybe Sicko would fit you better after the way you pimped my best friend and then left her out there for the entire school to see". "Yeah I like Sicko better" Serita said turning away from Danny and walking down the hall.

Phoebe tilted her head sideways pulled her lips in and closed her eyes in pure Phoebe fashion and said " Umm I haven't talked to Lacey since that night after Archie admitted he poisoned Cole and that was days before he and Scott got expelled".

She went on to inform Danny that Sarita and the rest of the group had really begun freezing Lacey out once they found out she told Chief Masterson what Archie and Scott had done".

"I did see her last week I think it was Wednesday in the halls She had a janitor with her". "I guess she was trying to get him to scrub her locker again". Phoebe sighed."She looked so lost, but you know Lacey she just kept her head up and walked by us like it didn't affect her".

"If you see her Danny tell her nothing's the same without her". Phoebe said then left trying to figure out where Sarita went while Danny thought of other people he could talk to...

"I tried talking to the Principal"...

Principal Tang looked weary wondering what it was now that brought Mr. Desai into his Office.

"How may I help you Danny"?

"Look Principal Tang I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm here trying to find out about a student. "Lacey Porter she's been absent from school for a little over a week now and I wondered if you knew anything about it".

"Danny you know I can't divulge that information". The Principal said

"Please Principal Tang" Danny said rubbing his hair furiously giving off an air of desperation "Lacey was a very close to my family but ever since the tape her parents won't let her see me". "My mother and I are both worried about her". "She's undergone a lot of stress from the bullying as you well know. I just want to know that she's okay".

Principal Tang seemed to struggle especially after Danny mentioned Karen's emotional involvement but he said " I'm Sorry Danny my hands are tied".

Danny got up to leave when he reached the door Principal Tang said to Danny's back
"I can't say what I know but I will tell you that Mrs. Porter has been pulled out of Green Grove High School but she is Safe". "I hope that helps you and your mother".

"I even tried talking to Kyle" Danny said chuckling...

"Chief Masterson I'd like to file a missing Persons report". Danny said

"On who Danny" He said thinking that another murder case was about to hit his department.

"Lacey Porter". "Its been a month and no one has seen her or heard anything from her and I'm not leaving until you tell me what you know".

"Look Danny every time I see you there's a crisis. 3 weeks ago you just barely got out of being arrested because the evidence was suppressed by the judge in the Crane murder investigation. DON'T make me arrest you again. Its getting to be a habit".

"You might as well" Danny said miserably
"What's the point of getting out of Juvie if everything I love keeps getting taken away from me". "Without Lacey it doesn't even feel like freedom". He put his hands over his face and leaned against the wall.

Chief Masterson pulled him out of his woe by stating " She's not missing Danny from what I understand". "So here's what I'll do. "I'll let you know if I hear anything telling me otherwise". "Okay".

"Okay" Danny agreed...

"I've never given up looking for you Lace..

"Mom did you hear anything" Danny asked just coming in defeated from a Soccer Championship loss.

"No Danny" Karen said. "Judy won't return any of my calls".

"Its okay" he said looking down. "I'm gonna run by there tonight to see if she'll at least talk to me".

"How'd the game go" she asked looking at him expectantly.

"We lost". "It was my fault actually I can't seem to stay focused for too long". Danny said thinking of how he kept looking at the bleachers imagining he saw Lacey there.

Karen could feel his anguish. She placed her hand on his shoulder and said"Well find her Danny"."Don't give up"

"Oh I'm not mom" he said, then quietly to himself he mumbled."I'm not"

He ran up to his room and reaching into his duffel bag he pulled out some letters that he had taken from Lacey's house the day before flipping through them for addresses. There were bills and Junk mail and one Hallmark card with the envelope addressed from Seattle. He placed it back in his bag his hope renewed as he figured out how he was going to get to Seattle this summer...

"And now that your really here I'm not going to waste time or energy waiting to tell you how I feel". "You told me that I was worth the risk". "My biggest mistake was forgetting to tell you that you are too". He said leaning his head against hers.

Danny ..Lacey began before her stomach began growling loudly.

They both laughed

" I guess whatever you had to say will have to wait until you eat something

"I'll be right back" she said quickly pulling on her pajamas and running out of the room. She checked that her mother was sleeping in her room before going downstairs to grab the bag of takeout on the table and running back up to her room.

"You said you wanted to catch up" she said smiling at him at the door in a way that made his heart melt. "How about over dinner".

Danny fed her noodles and they tried to reenact the spaghetti scene in Lady and the tramp. But Lacey kept eating the noodles before they could kiss.

"ah ah ah" she said tsking her hand. "Not until you say my name".

Danny smiled "Like this" he said then kissed her lips seductively before saying "Lacey"in a husky tone. He kissed her neck and said in lower softer octave "Lacey". He pulled his face up to meet her eyes and he slowly whispered "Lace" and softly kissed her again.

Lacey pulled away understanding that in order to be truly intimate with him she had to open herself up and hope he didn't reject her.

"I have something to tell you she said tensing up suddenly. " Being without you ...It almost killed me too"...