Chapter 9

On your knees you look up
Decide you've had enough
You get mad, you get strong
Wipe your hands, shake it off
Then you stand, then you stand

Stand – Rascal Flatts

For Danny it'd been 4 extremely long days since Anna had left for Australia, even the few texts she'd sent him letting him know she was okay Danny still felt extremely worried. Something in his gut was telling him things were far from okay but he knew he couldn't pressure her into telling him what was wrong, when she came home she'd tell him, of that he was sure.

Danny wasn't even sure where they stood in the relationship department yet, was it a relationship? He wanted to know it was more than just sex; he was feeling things deeper for her than he had for any other woman in a very long time. With that in mind Danny vowed that when she came back they'd have to have the talk. According to her last txt she was due home tomorrow so until then Danny could wait.

It was already turning out to be an exhausting day. The team found themselves still no closer to catching Claire Fields killer, as of now the case was at a dead end and that made Danny sick. Knowing that someone capable of doing that to a young girl like Claire was still walking the street did now sit well with Danny and he made no secret of it.

Luckily for his workmates though the plenty pissed off Danny was off home. After grabbing his jacket from the locker room he marched down the halls, his steps tense and quick he wanted out of there today. Glancing briefly at Mac he could see his boss was busy talking to someone, so he just carried on to the lifts where his steps immediately faltered.

With a frown he turned slowly his eyes searching Mac's office again and immediately landing on the small read headed figure stood talking to Mac. Danny felt his skip a beat and his entire body relax.

Though when she turned away from Mac threading her fingers through her hair before looking back to their boss, his body immediately tensed again. His hands tightened into fists and his jaw clenched.

Ignoring the now opened lift doors Danny marched forward, not missing the way Mac stopped talking his eyes landing on Danny just before he crashed through the office doors and marched right up to Anna who had turned sharply in surprise at the noise.

"What the hell happened?" he asked, not missing the way her eyes had widened slightly upon seeing him, she'd obviously not expected to see him.

"Danny..." she said his name softly, her eyes flickering back to Mac as she crossed her arms over her chest defensively avoiding looking directly at Danny who was now glaring at the nasty looking bruise on her forehead with a small cut and the one on the opposite side of her face yet this one rested on her cheek bone.

"What happened?" he asked her again already knowing but needing her to tell him. Anna sighed, both of her hands rising to tuck her hair behind her ears before she looked at him.

"You know what happened." She replied, gently picking up her jacket and holding it to her, whilst she turned to Mac, offering the worried looking man a soft smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She nodded, before turning back to Danny her hand reaching out for his as she pulled him out of the office with her and towards the lifts. "I'll tell you everything just not here." She muttered not once looking at Danny who was by now visibly shaking, his eyes burning as he shook his head turning to look at the lift as they stood in silence.

The trip to Danny's apartment had been a silent one, Anna had toyed with the dog tags he had given her, clutching them between her fingers, and twisting the chain around her fingers, anything to keep her attention off Danny who hadn't seemed to relax one bit since they'd left the lab.

Anna was tired, sore and just emotionally drained from her trip back home. The funeral had been big, which hadn't been a surprise, her grand-dad had owned a lot of small businesses, he'd known a lot of people, he'd been loved by a lot of people and his death was leaving a big hole in that small beach front town. It made Anna smile; at the funeral she hadn't felt so alone in her grief.

Despite not having the support of her parents, she'd stood at the front of the huge crowd which had gathered to bid goodbye to such a wonderful man and felt proud, not for the first time in her life. Proud that this man, who'd been loved by so many people, had been her Grand-Dad, it helped her to not sink into the grief that on the plane ride over there had threatened to overwhelm her completely.

There was always going to be a huge part of her that missed him that yearned to sit on the beach beside him as they shared a picnic whilst fishing and watching the sun rise, to smell the tobacco and peppermint smell she'd always associated with him. It was something that always gave her a sense of comfort as strange as it may sound. Those were the things she missed more than anything else, but for now the memories were enough to keep her smiling.

Danny pushed his apartment door open and Anna followed him inside quietly, her eyes downcast as she shut the door behind her. "That son of a bitch did that to you didn't he." He spat as he threw his jacket onto the sofa.

Anna didn't answer; instead she slowly moved to sit on the sofa. Pulling her knees up to her chin as she did a horrible sense of loss began to wash over her and she did her best to clamp down on it. It wasn't the loss of her Grand-dad; it was pain from the loss of parents she'd loved so much.

The couch sunk slightly as Danny sat down beside her, one arm going around her back as the other gently took her hand in his. "Anna..."

"My Grand-Dad left me his beach house back home, he owned a lot of properties but this one was my favourite. It's secluded, right on the beach and so beautiful. My parents got extremely mad; I mean it never took much at all for my Dad to get angry. Usually just one look at him was enough to warrant a beating, he just lashed out..."

Flashback

"You self centred little bitch!" Frank Harris growled as he hovered over Anna, getting a small pleasure when he watched his daughter shrink back, her hand wrapped around a chain hanging around her neck.

"You abandoned him and he's still left you in his will."Diane Harris scoffed as she pushed away from the desk she'd been sat at. Behind it Alf Harris's lawyer watched the exchange with a frown, his hand ready to reach for the phone and ring for security if needed.

"I didn't abandon him, Grand-Dad encouraged me to go to New York, he knew what kind of an opportunity that was," Anna replied, looking at her Mum. Diane just laughed, shaking her head as she turned away, Anna bit down on her tongue as she forced herself to look at her Dad, determined to show she wasn't that little girl he could intimidate anymore.

"You didn't deserve anything and what now you've got that house, plus his money! That's his daughter she got nothing after everything she did for that old coot!" he yelled, the stench of whiskey on his breath. Anna flinched back at his tone, her eyes flickering back to her Mum,

"Don't you dare! He was a great man, but neither one of you would know that because for the past 10 years neither one of us heard anything whatsoever from you" Anna yelled, she could take the abuse but she wasn't going to let her Dad begin to rip apart her Grand-dad.

He Father's reply was unexpected yet not surprising. A resounding crack echoed through the room as Frank hit his daughter hard across the right side of her face with the back of his hand. The force of the smack knocked Anna off balance, causing her to fall down her head cracking on the side of the lawyer's desk before she fell to the floor.

The lawyer was on his feet in an instant, his phone in his hand as he barked for the secretary to get him security. With that done he rushed around to Anna, helping her gently up, "Are you okay Miss?" he asked, keeping his eyes trained on Frank who was breathing heavily. Diane had barely flinched, instead she proceeded to look at her perfectly manicured nails, obviously bored.

Anna gripped the lawyers arms thanking him as he helped her up, there were tears on her face, yet they weren't from pain, well not physical pain. Taking a breath she looked around at her Dad, using her tongue to lick away the blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

"Once again Frank Harris acts the big hard man and hits his own daughter." She whispered, shaking her head slightly when she looked at her Mum. Tears now spilled over onto her cheeks, "I don't deserve this. Why do you both hate me so much?" she asked,

"Hate's a strong word." Alison replied rolling her eyes as she looked at Anna, her eyes lingering on the already nasty looking bruises forming on her face as well as the small cut on her forehead.

"I don't think it is." Anna countered, "Since as early as I can remember, it has been a constant struggle; I love you both so much, even after everything. Even after all the beatings, the taunts, the constant belittling I loved you, and I always thought if I stay quiet, if I don't reply or fight back. If I keep it a secret then maybe one day... maybe one day I'd finally hear you tell me you were proud of me. That you did love me."

Frank's fists were clenched at his side as security came into the room; his eyes though were trained on the girl in front of him. "Now I'm seeing that's never going to happen and you know what, it's taken till today to realize it. I don't need you; it was you both who needed me. I am strong, and I am a survivor and I sure as hell deserve to be loved just like Grand-dad used to tell me. I deserve to be happy, and I finally know how I can be."

Anna lent down to pick up her bag, swinging it over her shoulder as she looked at her parents one last time, a sad smile on her lips. "I never want to see either one of you again. You're never going to get another chance to hurt me." With that said, she handed a card she'd pulled out her pocket to the lawyer, asking him to call her so they could finalize the will.

Not once did she look back at her parents as she left the room. It amazed at the weight that seemed to have been lifted from her shoulders. If she had turned back she would have seen both Frank and Alison stood stock still, shocked and watching their daughter leave with her head held high.

End Flashback

By the end of her telling Danny what had happened, Anna was curled up into his firm body, her arms wrapped around his waist. Danny held her tightly to him, his cheek resting on top of her head as he listened; his presence was giving her the comfort she'd so craved the last few days.

"Babe I'm so sorry. You should have called me, I did mean what I said when I told you to pick up that phone anytime." He muttered, Anna nodded against his chest, "This is more than just a casual arrangement for me, I want to be there for you."

Anna sighed softly, pulling back enough to look up into his eyes, a small smile playing on her face, "Well I'm glad you feel that way, I'm not usually the girl who falls into bed with a guy over and over..."

"Well I'm not usually the kind of guy who falls for someone this quickly or hard but, that's what's happening here." He whispered, his fingers tracing over her bottom lip as Anna smiled. It was the first real one she'd managed over the last few days and it felt good.

"So we're a thing?" she asked coyly, her fingers playing with the top button of his shirt.

"Well I'm sure as hell not going to be sharing you with anyone else." Danny growled, his arm pulling her tighter against him as if to prove his point. Anna smiled, biting down on her lip as she moved her body slightly against his,

"If that's how you feel I guess you could say I'm your girl-friend." She whispered huskily, shivering against him when Danny's fingers traced the bare skin on her lower back. Danny smiled brighter, a soft chuckle escaping his lips as he leaned his head closer to hers,

"Well that's what I've been telling everybody bella." He said before his lips claimed hers in a searing kiss.

Sorry for the late update but hope you enjoy the chapter. Thanks to those who reviewed.

Thanks to Donna for all her support again with this story.

Kayla – Yeah Anna's going to be alright, she has Danny, and he's not going to let anything happen to her again, he's already feeling extremely protective of her.

Sam – Thanks for the review hun, yeah everyone has their secrets and parts of themselves they don't like, Anna's parents are her big dark secret. They're not a nice pair.