A/N – First, thanks to Elosun for reviewing the past few chapters. I think I may have lost a few people along the way so I'm sorry if this story isn't what you thought it would be. I know I've gone pretty far into the "romance" category. And this chapter is definitely the most romantic/angsty yet. So sorry, but I kind of had to go in this direction to fully explore the D/E relationship. Lastly, the last few paragraph are meant to switch between Danny and Elena's POVs. Just wanted to point that out so it didn't confuse anyone.
Walking into the bathroom, Danny chuckled. The new Jacuzzi was in the shape of a swan with bright gold fixtures. The inn was like something out of a movie and nothing like Danny had ever seen. Quickly, he undressed and carefully hung up his suit so it wouldn't wrinkle. He'd have to wear it the next day, unless he could get away with wearing the "Great Times At Cherry Hill" t-shirt.
While the tub was a bit much, the steam shower was fantastic. After the long day he'd had, it was amazing to be able to stand under the spray of the dual showerheads and let the steam completely engulf him. As much as he'd complained about staying there, he was glad that he had finally relented. The shower calmed him down and made him forget about the irritation he'd felt during dinner.
After giving himself about fifteen minutes to just relax and destress, he stepped out of the shower, dried off and then changed into the white t-shirt and black sweat pants. Not the most stylish thing he'd ever worn, but they were clean and dry.
Walking out of the bath area, he looked around but didn't see Elena. Taking his suit, he hung it up in the closet where he saw that Elena had also hung up her suit. Walking into the bedroom, he heard Elena's voice on the balcony. Danny gasped at the beauty of what was before him. Nearly 6:30, the sun was setting over the mountains. The sky was a combination of colors he'd never seen before. What made the setting even more beautiful was seeing Elena wrapped in a soft grey robe with her legs tucked under her as she rocked back and forth on a wicker chair.
"Oh, mamita, someday soon I'll bring you here. It's beautiful. The sky is pink. It's actually pink, mamita. And the mountains are like nothing I've ever seen," she relayed to Sophie on the other end of the line.
"I wish you were here, too, but I'll be home tomorrow. I'll pick you up from school. How does that sound?"
"Good girl. Listen to your abuela. Te amo, baby," Elena said as she fought to keep the emotion out of her voice.
Danny watched as she ended the call and then wiped a few tears from her eyes. "You miss her," he said as he walked out onto the balcony.
Looking up at him, she nodded as she wiped the rest of her tears away. "Whenever I see something like this, I always want her to be with me, so she can see it, too. When I was telling her about it on the phone, I told it was like a fairy tale place, completely unreal. It's like you could come here and just escape from everything. I don't take her places like this. When we take vacations, we visit family. I should just take her some place like this, just her and me. Especially now, while she still likes spending time with me."
Danny smiled as he sat down in the chair next to her. "I remember being Sophie's age. We couldn't afford to go anywhere, but we lived close to the beach. So my mom would pack us up and set up a tent right there on the beach. She knew nothing about camping or starting a fire, but she just wanted it to seem like we were going on this adventure together. One morning, she woke us up really early. We looked out into the ocean and there were dolphins jumping through the air as the sun was rising. In the scope of life, I guess it was small thing, and yet thirty years later, that's my most vivid memory of her."
Elena's breath caught as he told her the story. Even in their closest moments while they were dating, he'd rarely been so candid with her. "So you're saying take some time to create some small moments with Sophie."
Danny nodded. "I think you already do that. You already make her world a wonderful place, but you're right, she would really love this."
Elena smiled, glad that he seemed to be in a better mood. Knowing that Sophie was a safe subject for them, she continued, "She deserves something special, that's for sure. I didn't have the heart to tell her that you were here. Then she'd really feel like she was missing something."
"She's a great kid, Elena."
"Thanks," Elena replied quietly. "But I do worry, how all of this will affect her. She acts like she's over it, but how can you just get over your father kidnapping you and then holding you and your mother at gunpoint?"
Shaking his head, Danny responded, "I don't know. Is she still seeing that counselor?"
"Yes, and the counselor says she's doing really well, but the counselor also says that she needs to make peace with Carlos. How does a seven-year-old make peace?"
Danny thought about her question for a few moments. He couldn't help Sophie directly anymore, but he could provide guidance to Elena. "As much as I would hate to think that Sophie would have to face Carlos again, I kind of agree with the counselor."
Elena's eyes widened in surprise, not believing that Danny would advocate making peace with Carlos. "Really?"
Danny nodded. "Yeah."
"Why?"
"We carry all of that with us as adults when we don't get closure as kids. Maybe there's no such thing as closure, but I think if Sophie could understand that Carlos didn't do what he did because of her, that might help…" Danny said as he shrugged. "I don't know…"
Even though he trailed off, Elena didn't say anything. She could tell he was on the verge of telling her more so she just looked at him with a supportive glance.
"You…you want to know why I had the 'attack' earlier, as you called it?"
"Only if you want to tell me," Elena replied quietly, seeing the pain in his eyes.
"I don't really want to tell anyone," he said in a hesitant tone, "but I'll tell you because it might help Sophie."
Elena just nodded as she continued to watch. He was staring straight ahead, not wanting to look at her.
"I've been lucky enough to survive some pretty violent events in my life. Sometimes I actually hate myself for being so damn lucky," he reflected quietly. "First there was my father who would get violent at the drop of a hat, but took it out mostly on Raffi and my mom. Then, there was the car accident that took my parent's lives and I walked away without a scratch. After that, there were several alcohol-fueled fights and violent episodes where I was just trying to get through my adolescence and college years in one piece. And finally, there was the ambush when Martin was shot and I…well, once again, I was just left with a scratch. Lucky me," he deadpanned. "The ambush and what happened to Martin set off this chain reaction of feelings that I couldn't control and didn't want to face. That's what today was about. I saw the mangled car and the blood and I was right there with Martin in that car again and then with my parents when they died."
Resisting every urge she had to get up and put her arms around him, she replied, "God, Danny, I'm so sorry."
"It barely ever happens…the panic attack or whatever it is. Usually, I can get it under control pretty quickly without anyone knowing, but it's there and sometimes it's in my dreams. But I think I know why it's so hard for me to let go of it all."
"Why?"
"For a lot of years, I blocked out all the awful things my Dad did. It was like it all died with him, you know? I never got a chance to find out why he was like that. As angry as I am that he was such a bastard, I'd give anything to talk to him one more time to find out why he hated us so much," Danny said as he tried to contain his emotion. "I wouldn't want Sophie to have those same questions, thirty year from now. Thing is, we both know that Carlos loves Sophie, but he's so caught up in all this anger because he can't have you. That's not Sophie's fault and he needs to tell her that."
Elena took a deep breath as she wiped a few tears from her eyes. "You're right. I'll talk about it more with her counselor. Thank you, Danny."
Danny looked over at her, his eyes locking with hers. "No matter what's happened with us, I'll do whatever you need me to do for Sophie."
"I know," Elena responded, never doubting his commitment to her daughter.
Wiping her eyes one more time, she rose from the rocking chair. The sun had gone down completely and now they we almost in the dark, save for a few candles Elena had lit in the bedroom and on the balcony. As she stood up, so did Danny.
"I'm going to get in the shower now."
"Okay," he replied quietly, standing in front of her.
Knowing it was a bad idea, Elena rose up on her tiptoes and caressed his stubbled cheek with her hand. Then she lightly pressed her lips to his.
On sheer instinct, Danny put his hand against the small of her back to pull her closer, but then just as quickly, he pulled away.
"This can't just be your escape from reality, Elena," he said, referring to what Elena had told Sophie on the phone. "I can't be that for you."
Biting her bottom lip to keep her emotions in check, Elena backed away from him and then turned quickly into the bathroom and shut the door.
After the door closed, Danny collapsed into a chair. Running his hands through his hair, he was literally shaking – his desire for her too much for him to handle. She'd told him that she didn't love him. She'd said that they didn't have a future, yet sometimes when he looked in her eyes, he saw something there. Something real. Shaking his head, Danny tried to figure out what to do. He could just go in the next room, close the door and turn out the light all while pretending to sleep while she's just a few feet away from him. He could leave all together…that would be the safest bet.
Or he could just give in. He could just give in and escape from reality with her…just for the night. As that thought was racing through his brain, he heard the shower turn on in the bathroom. He wasn't strong enough to deal with his. He needed her now because he hadn't been ready to give her up that morning she broke up with him.
Just one more night.
Rising from the chair, Danny walked toward the bathroom door and knocked. Elena opened the door as she kept her robe closed with her other hand.
"What—"
But Danny didn't let her finish, instead he dipped his head down to capture her lips with his as he backed her into the bathroom. In one smooth motion, he pulled the robe from her body as he continued to kiss her, then she quickly helped him discard his t-shirt and sweat pants. After they were both naked, he backed her into the shower and under the hot spray of water.
Feeling completely out of control, it was all Elena could do to just keep breathing as the water and Danny completely washed over her, his hands and lips all over her body. She was confused and exhilarated all at the same time. All of sudden, she gasped as she felt him push her against tile wall – their bodies so close together they might as well be one. She wasn't sure why this was happening…why he'd changed his mind, but in that moment, she didn't care. She just wanted to be as close to him as possible – all the consequences be damned.
After their intense, almost primal encounter ended, Elena had expected that Danny would just leave her there in the shower. She'd pushed him to this point and he'd gone against his better judgment.
But he didn't leave.
Instead he stayed in the shower with her, helping her wash her back and her hair…followed by another longer, more intimate encounter between them.
Through all this, Danny didn't say a word with the exception of some murmurs here and there. That was the only other thing that was unsettling because usually Danny was a very playful and talkative lover.
But not this time.
They finally got out of the shower and attempted to dry each other off in the steamy bathroom. Danny kissed her neck and shoulders as he moved the towel over her body.
Taking her hand, Danny led her out of the bathroom and to the heart-shaped bed, despite the fact that her hair was still soaking wet. It would have taken too long to dry it and they were both desperate to make love again. Pulling the sheets down, Danny watched as Elena slipped into bed. He followed her, immediate taking her in his arms and kissing her passionately.
Elena was overwhelmed, not able to really understand what was happening between them. It was as though Danny had shut down his brain and was just giving in to the mutual attraction and desire that was between them. She felt guilty for bringing him to this point, but she couldn't help but feel happy to be in his arms again. She'd missed him so much, feeling the weight of him above her, his breath and lips against her skin and the ecstasy of feeling him inside of her. She knew this was much more than that just wanting and needing a lover; she'd found her soul mate who knew how to fulfill her in every way.
Danny tried not to look in her eyes as he moved inside of her. It was easier that way. If he looked in her eyes, then he'd have to stop. And he didn't want to stop. Being with her like this was better than not being with her at all. It didn't matter that she didn't love him. She wanted him and maybe that was enough, he lied to himself.
She moaned and gasped, breathing heavily, as he brought her to yet another orgasm. After he finished, he rolled away from her and collapsed against a pillow, trying to catch his breath as she did the same. He knew he should leave the bed and go into the next room. That would signal to Elena that he was very aware of what this was to her, just sex…just escaping reality for a little while. But he couldn't do it. He couldn't leave her. Reaching over to her, he pulled her closer as she moved to her side so her back was flush against he chest.
"Danny…" she whispered in the darkness, finally breaking the silence between them.
"Shhhh…," he responded in a tone that made it evident that he had no desire to speak about what had just transpired between.
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