Darkness; it was everywhere, swallowing everything around him leaving his world cold and empty. The weight of it pushed against him, holding him down as he fought to escape it. But it seemed like no use. Danny Messer was stuck in a perpetual black hole with no way out. It didn't mean that he'd give up. No, he was a fighter. He'd been through worse in his life. This was just another ditch in the road he'd climb out of and triumph over.

But the darkness was so heavy, rendering his limbs useless as he tried to scramble through the black muck. Slowly, it sucked the life out of Danny, leaving him to sink deeper and deeper. He was becoming desperate now, looking for a way out and hoping that someone would throw him a lifeline. No such luck; it seemed as if his efforts had been in vain as he slowly drifted through the sea of darkness. The feeling of hopelessness soon began to sink in when he realized that there would be no one to save him from this. He was destined to float in this black sea for the rest of his life. He hoped to God that it wasn't hell.

Just as he was about to give up hope, Danny heard the faint sound of a woman's voice in the distance. It took him a few moments to recognize who it belong to, but when he finally did, his heart nearly skipped a beat. Lindsay! He wanted to cry out to her, get her attention, but his lips wouldn't move and his arms were too tired. Something amazing was happening, though. Just the sound of her voice was giving him the strength to press on. He might not have understood much of what she was saying at first, but for a fleeting moment, he could have sworn she'd said she loved him. Never had those words meant so much to him than they did now. They gave him a reason to continue this fight.

With renewed vigor, Danny fought the darkness surrounding him, pushing against it just as hard as it pushed against him, gaining ground little by little until it began to lighten. Black started to turn dark grey. The weight pressing against his body diminished. He could feel small, delicate fingers entwined with his own as another hand caressed his cheek. Again, he wanted to cry out, but his body was useless. Her soft, gentle voice continued to guide him away from the darkness.

"I'm here, Danny. I'm not leaving you," he could hear Lindsay say from somewhere above him. She was so close yet still so very far away. He kept struggling, wanting to let her know that he could hear her, that he was there too. Danny pushed as hard as he could until finally something happened.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ooh, a first for this story... A cliffhanger!! I know, I'm sooo CRUEL! Such a short chapter, but packed with a ton of gut wrenching emotion! Hehe. I've got a feeling you guys wanna kill me right now. So, kill me with your words. I'll take whatever you dish out! Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions? Spelling and grammer mistakes? Whatever you got, give it to me, baby! HAHA! Oh, god, I've gotta stop now. Onto the review responses (it's funny how these are actually longer than the chapter):

prplerayne: Yule log... YULE LOG! HAHAHAHA! You had me laughing all day after I read that. Same with Martha... Oh, god, I was in stitches! Naming the doctor Martha... You know you coulda killed me with that comment?! Like the first time?? You're so evil! But I still love ya! You are my beta and one of my bestest friends. Thanks for sticking with me, even when life has been shit. Sorry to hear about it. You know you've got a shoulder to cry on, so call me anytime you need me. Take care and thanks for the review!

Liffey: Thank you! I don't think there will be 8 more chapters before this fic is finished, but I guarantee that the tension between Danny and Lindsay will remain until the very end. :) And thanks for reminding me to put info about what happened in Lindsay's past that made her so afraid to open up! I nearly forgot to mention that! It's coming up in the next chapter, so I thank you for making that comment! I woulda felt like a real retard if I'd forgotten something so important. :D

peanut2lb: Hehe, I know someone who would appreciate that pregnant woman comment. At least you know Danny's finally awake now. :) As for the calm before the storm... Next chapter, Lindsay finds herself back in hell. I just can't leave her alone! It wouldn't be interesting if things just shaped up after something like this. No, there needs to be more drama if you asked me! Lots and lots of tense energy that gets released at the end, which I know everyone's gonna like, but that's all I can say, aside from I'll be getting to it soon. ;) Thanks for the wonderful comment! I really do appreciate it and I can't wait for your take on this chapter.

chili-peppers: Thank you!! So glad you're enjoying this story so much! I really do appreciate your reviews. They're always so much fun to read! So full of energy and spunk! Don't lose that! I really do enjoy it! And, look at that, Danny's awake! Next chapter... Drama. :D Again, thanks so much for your reviews! Have a great day!

fatkat: Hello! Nice to meet you! Welcome! Thanks for stopping by! I really do appreciate it when people come out of the woodwork and comment. I feel so encouraged that I'm actually doing a good job with this story. Thanks for sticking with me! I can't wait to hear what else you think about this story. Have a nice day and another big thanks!

Tiantian Wang: Welcome and hello! Nice to meet you! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! And thanks for catching that little spelling error. I really do appreciate it when people point that out, especially since I seem to just skim through things when I'm posting. And thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment! I appreciate that even more! Have a great day! I can't wait to hear from you again! One more big thanks for reading!

Melting: Shortly being the key word... At least I hope, hehe! Me and angst, two peas in a pod. The drama is definitely not over yet. :D I just can't seem to leave Lindsay alone! There's just a little more she needs to struggle through before I get to the good part. Hehe. Thanks for stopping by! I hope you liked this chapter too! Can't wait to hear from you again!

Everyone who's been silent but reading: THANK YOU!! This story has definitely turned into my most popular story ever thanks to you guys just reading it! You're AWESOME!! THANK YOU!!!

Stay tuned, the drama still isn't over yet! I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! I definitely enjoyed writing it. More coming soon!

-DK