AN: Thanks so much for reviewing you guys! I'm glad this story is getting reviews off you nice people. Also I recommend you read Danielle and Ronnie - The Truth is Out, I think it's called. The one that has over 200 reviews if you haven't already. It's really good.
Summary: Ronnie managed to save her daughter's life on that fateful night, but saving both Danielle and herself from Archie is going to be a whole different story.
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Dinner at Ronnie's flat was like a dream for Danielle. She could hear Ronnie talking but a lot of the time she couldn't do anything apart from stare at the woman who she now called her mother. She couldn't actually believe that they were acting like mother and daughter now, and to Danielle it seemed like they had known eachother like this for years. The way Ronnie talked to her now was so different to how she had before she had known. Now she was always asking Danielle if she was all right, and even insisted on giving her so many extra helpings at dinner that Danielle wondered if Ronnie had even managed to eat anything without giving it to Danielle, who tried her best to eat it all to be polite.
After Ronnie had cleared away their plates and tidied everything away, they sat down together on the sofa to watch a film. Danielle had suggested they do this; she wanted to do everything she could to take Ronnie's mind off everything that had happened, especially Danielle's injuries. Though she was still in pain, the medication was beginning to work better now and so Danielle didn't have a problem sitting down to watch a film with her mother. At first, as the film started (it was Knocked Up, one of Danielle's personal favourites) both Danielle and Ronnie sat as far apart from eachother as it was possible to, but as time went on and they got to talking and enjoying the film, Danielle began trying to scoot across towards Ronnie, however she found she hadn't needed to because after Ronnie returned from the kitchen after getting more wine, she sat down right beside Danielle and pulled her into a hug.
"I've got to tell you, and I hope I don't get an earful for this," Ronnie began slowly, "but this is the worst film I've ever seen."
Danielle burst into laughter, "I thought you'd say that, that's why I picked it."
Ronnie flicked Danielle's head, something they'd started doing to eachother.
"Kids today," Ronnie muttered, rolling her eyes and grinning.
"Careful, you don't want to try to sound older than you already are," Danielle quipped, not surprised in the slightest when Ronnie gave her a shove. She winced in pain slightly, and regretted doing this immidiately when Ronnie's eyes widened to the size of golf balls and she leapt up from the sofa.
"Did I hurt you?" she whispered, sounding panicked.
"No, don't worry," Danielle said calmly, in truth Ronnie hadn't really hurt her, she would have been in pain anyway.
"I'm sorry!" Ronnie looked almost beside herself now. "I was just.. I didn't mean..!"
"Mum," Danielle carried on patiently, "If you don't stop doing that, I'm going to throw this cushion off your head."
So Ronnie did stop, and sat down again. They continued to watch the film without talking much, and Danielle kept catching Ronnie glancing sideways at her, as if to check she was still alive and breathing.
Once the film had ended, Ronnie asked Danielle if she wanted any wine. Danielle obliged and sipped the wine carefully, watching Ronnie return from the kitchen to sit down heavily beside her. After a moment's silence, Ronnie turned to her, her expression serious. "I know it might not be the right time," she started, looking uncertain, "but I need to ask you some.. questions. I need to know you properly, what you like, what you dislike. I feel like I don't know you at all, Danielle."
Danielle understood completely. In truth she had been waiting for this. For her mother to say this to her.
There was so much Danielle needed to know about Ronnie aswell. She wanted to know what Ronnie had really thought about losing her. She wanted to know what her remaining teenage years were like. She wanted to know how exactly she had been concieved, well, not the full details obviously.
"I know," she said quickly, "I want to know about you, too."
Ronnie laughed, "There's not a lot to tell, really. I mean, after I lost you I turned into this icy... thing."
"I don't care if you're icy," Danielle said, "I love you the way you are. I always loved you from the moment we met, and even the times when we fought. If you changed I would hate it."
Tears seemed to appear in her mother's eyes. "Then I won't change, I doubt I could anyway."
"Good," Danielle replied, relieved.
"So..." Ronnie started slowly, seemingly unsure of what to ask first, "Tell me everything. I want to know about you."
"Well.." and so Danielle began to tell her life story to this woman she now called her mother. She told Ronnie everything she could remember, and it took her a couple of hours to say everything. She told Ronnie about her childhood, about her father, and also her mother, though that had been hard and she'd almost broken down in tears when talking about it. Then she talked about her teenage years, and about how she'd tracked Ronnie down. Ronnie watched her, fascinated, as she spoke.
"..and that's about it." Danielle concluded, looking at Ronnie sheepishly. "Now you go!" she said with a grin.
"Oh right," Ronnie sighed, "I have to talk now, do I?"
"You sure do," Danielle said with a light chuckle.
Ronnie groaned inwardly, "Oh all right then, if you insist. What do you want to know?"
Danielle thought carefully about what she wanted to ask. "Tell me.. tell me what you felt when I was taken away from you." She wanted to kick herself for asking that question, and Ronnie seemed to flinch at her words. Then she relaxed.
"Well.." Ronnie glanced downwards, her long blonde hair falling into her eyes,"I felt broken. Like someone had punched me in the stomach so I couldn't breathe properly. It put me in a dark place, that's for sure. But I got through it somehow, but at a price." She looked up at Danielle with sad eyes. "I turned into this ice queen who didn't want to deal with anyone. I hung out with people I shouldn't have, and it nearly destroyed me. Somewhere along the way I began to pick up the pieces and move on. By the time I hit thirty I was barely thinking about it."
She drew breath and continued, "Then we went to see my father, me Roxy and Peggy. And he told me.. you'd died."
Danielle felt a pang of sympathy for her mother. Without thinking she scooted over to her and put an arm around her shoulder for comfort. Ronnie broke down then, sobbing hysterically.
"He.. he threatened to kill me," she choked out through sobs, "And.. and my whole world fell apart. I didn't want anything to do with anyone again, not even you. Infact I resented you the most out of everyone because you were trying the most to get close to me. Anyone who gets close to Ronnie Mitchell usually gets shot down."
Danielle frowned and held her mother tightly. She felt pure hatred towards Archie, for him to do this to his own daugher was despicable. She wanted to go out right now and find him and kill him. She must have been showing that she was angry, because Ronnie looked up at her in surprise.
"Don't be angry," she sniffed, her nose running, "I should have seen what he was. I did, before he got with Peggy. Then I was just sucked into his.. his.."
She sneezed violently. Danielle decided she should get Ronnie to bed. She was in a state and needed to get some rest.
"Come on, mum," she said softly, "Let's get you to bed. You need to get some sleep."
"No, I'll just sleep on the sofa," Ronnie mumbled, pushing her away, "You go and sleep in my bed again."
"No," Danielle snapped, "This is your flat, remember? I'm not going to sleep in your bed forever."
Ronnie started to cry again then and didn't object when Danielle led her to her room. She set Ronnie down on the bed and went about looking for pajamas for her mother to wear. She found a fresh set and gave them to Ronnie. "Get changed, and I'll go stick the kettle on, all right?"
Ronnie grunted in response. Danielle went into the kitchen and made her a cup of tea. When she returned she was surprised to find Ronnie had undressed and was now already wearing her pajamas. Danielle pointed to the bed and gave her mother a stern look, "Get into bed, right now," she said firmly.
Looking like a zombie, Ronnie stumbled over to the large bed and got in. She pulled the covers up to her face. Danielle wiped her make-up off for her as she lay down and then decided to get into bed with her. Ronnie sighed. "And I thought I was meant to be the one looking after you," she said with a sad smile, looking at Danielle.
"You're in no shape to do that right now," Danielle replied, "Just get some sleep. I'll be right here."
"But what about that cup of tea?" Ronnie croaked, her eyes closing slowly.
"I'll have it," Danielle answered, "You just sleep, okay?"
"Mmm," Ronnie nodded and then began to snore lightly.
When she was sure that her mother was fast asleep, Danielle sat up and drank her tea. Then she began to get sleepy herself. She lay down and stared across at her mother, who was smiling slightly as she slept. With a slight smile herself, Danielle lay down and slept.
When she woke up it was light outside. Ronnie was still asleep beside her. Danielle glanced across at the alarm clock on the beside table and saw that it was nine thirty. She wondered if she should go and see Stacey today, to see about working on the stall again. She'd enjoyed working with Stacey, and now maybe they could be proper friends again.
Just then, Danielle heard a vibrating sound. It was Ronnie's phone, laying on the beside table beside where her she slept. Ronnie stirred suddenly and made a grab for the phone, almost dropping it. "Hello?" she murmered groggily. She started to sit up, "Oh, Jack.. erm, I don't think it's a good-- look, Jack.. no, you can't come 'round here. Okay, fine. I'll be over in about half an hour, just give me a chance to get a shower. All right, bye."
She hung up and looked startled when she saw Danielle was awake. "Sorry babe, I just need to go to the club for about an hour to discuss some things with Jack." She stretched and got up then turned back to face Danielle. "I'm sorry I was a stupid old cow last night. Tonight I promise I'll tell you more about me, okay?"
"Okay," Danielle agreed, "You'd better hurry up if you want to be out of here in half an hour."
Ronnie smiled, "Yeah, I'd better. Just help yourself to anything in the kitchen and you can go in the shower once I'm done, all right?"
"Yeah," Danielle replied. She did want to wash her hair.
Once Ronnie had gone into the bathroom, Danielle lay down again and stared up blankly at the ceiling. She had dreamed that Archie had come to the flat to hurt them, and that she, Danielle, had hit him so hard she'd knocked him out. She just wanted him out of the picture. She wanted to spend time with her mother and be a good daughter to her. But what if Archie came back? What if her chance at knowing her mother was taken from her somehow? She had to know that Archie was gone for good.
Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Ronnie was thinking the same thing.