Taking a deep breath, Elena ended the phone call. She'd stepped out on to the balcony to call Sophie's school to make sure Sophie was still there and to let them know she'd be picking her up. Even though Kwon and Feldman thought something had happened to Carlos, Elena couldn't help but think he was just laying low so he could take Sophie again.

How had things become such a mess, she thought? First, she'd almost lost Sophie and now she feared that circumstances had driven Danny to do something they both would regret. She should never have encouraged him. She shouldn't have let him kiss her that first time. She shouldn't have let him get close to her and Sophie. And she certainly shouldn't have started sleeping with him. It was all a mistake that seemed destined to ruin their lives.

Even though those thoughts were invading her mind and making her second guess everything, she still couldn't get the memories out of her heart.

Walking into her kitchen, Elena couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of her. Sophie and Danny were surrounded by all different colors of construction paper and poster board as they carefully cut out different shapes. As Elena filled two mugs with coffee that she'd just made, she listened to them talking.

"Are you sure you need all of these, Soph? I mean, I think your class will get the idea with what we have so far," Danny said as he continued to cut carefully along an edge.

Sophie stopped cutting and looked up at him. "I want my tree to be the best. I want it to really pop, you know?"

Stopping in mid-cut, Danny looked at the child like she was an alien. "You want it to pop? How old are you really?"

Sophie giggled. "I'm almost eight, silly."

"I don't believe it. I think you're more like twelve. You're really scaring me," Danny responded as he refocused on his task of cutting the construction paper.

"She's scaring me, too," Elena interjected as she approached them and put a coffee next to Danny. "Because she was supposed to be in bed a half hour ago!"

"Mommy, I have to finish this tonight," Sophie pleaded.

"How much do you have left, mamita?"

"Just these five leaves here and those branches there," she answered motioning toward Danny.

"Okay, well, I'll finish cutting them out for you. And then you can paste them tomorrow morning."

"Mommy!"

"No arguments, Sophie. If you planned on doing something so complicated, then you should have started on it days ago."

Shoulders slumped, Sophie stood up.

"You did a great job, Sophie. This is going to be the most beautiful family tree ever," Danny said enthusiastically.

"Thanks…and thanks for helping me," she said as she hugged him goodnight.

"It was fun," Danny said before kissing her forehead. "Sleep well, mija."

Elena just smiled at him as she led Sophie down the hall.

Ten minutes later, Elena returned to find Danny continuing to cut out the shapes. He was completely focused on it and looked absolutely adorable.

"Danny, you don't have to finish that," she said as she picked up her coffee from the counter and took a seat next to him.

Briefly looking up at her, he shrugged. "Come on, it will take us a few more minutes to finish it. I'm kind of committed to getting it done now."

Elena smiled, completely overwhelmed by the moment. Reaching out, she traced her fingers over his wrist and arm.

Looking at her again, Danny stopped cutting and returned her smile. "What?"

Shaking her head, Elena leaned into him and brushed her lips against his. Putting her hand on his cheek, she continued to kiss him for a few moments before pulling away.

"You're a really good guy, Danny Taylor," she said as she let her fingers linger against his cheek.

Rolling his eyes, Danny laughed as he shook his head. "It's just a little help with homework, Elena. Not such a big deal, but I'll take the kiss anyway I can get it," he said as he continued cutting again.

Elena didn't answer. She just picked up a pair of scissors to join in. Little did Danny know, but the simple task of helping her daughter meant more to her than she could ever describe to him.

She couldn't help but smile at the memory. It was moments like those that had made it impossible for her to give Danny up. But what had her actions lead him to?

"Elena."

She heard Danny's soft, gentle voice say her name and her heart sank. Turning towards him, she crossed her arms as their eyes met. Very quickly, her good memory of him was replaced with the more recent knowledge that he'd lied to her. Not able to speak, she shook her head and looked down as she tried to move past him.

Taking her arm, Danny stopped her. "Elena, I need to explain."

Gently, Elena pulled her arm away as she looked into the windows, self-consciously, to see if anyone could see them.

Raising his hands, Danny took a step back. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry. He didn't say anything new or make any real threats. It was—"

"You should have told me, Danny," Elena cut him off, finally looking up at him. "You let me tell you how worried I was, and you didn't say a word. Because I didn't know what happened, now Kwon and Feldman know that you kept it from me. They baited me into it, Danny."

"I know. Jack told me and I'm sorry. It was stupid. But I thought I could deal—"

"It's not your business to deal with."

His brow creasing into a deep frown, Danny got angry. "It's not my business? Get real, Elena. He's threatened Rafi. And…and, no matter much of a secret we've tried to keep this, we are still very much together. The only reason he's so angry is because of me. So it's absolutely my business," he stated emphatically.

Taking a moment to look at him, Elena saw the anger and frustration in his eyes. Without even thinking, Elena asked, "Did…did anything happen after…after I left you that night? Did you…did you…" she stopped, not able to finish her question.

His eyes softening as she struggled with the question, Danny sighed softly. "I didn't do anything to him. I haven't seen him since that night in front of my building."

After carefully regarding him for a few moments, she felt satisfied with his answer. "Okay, um, I…Jack said that we shouldn't talk…he doesn't think—"

Reaching out to her, he cut her off, "I don't care what Jack thinks. He—"

Raising her hand, Elena stopped him. "He doesn't want it to look like we're getting our stories straight. And I agree with him. If Carlos is missing or if something has happened to him, then Kwon will come after you. I know he will, Danny. So I think we should listen to Jack and just lay low."

Running a hand through his hair, Danny stepped aside so she could move past him. "Fine."

Elena started for the door, but then turned back. "I'm going to pick Sophie up from school now. I want to keep her close until we find out exactly where Carlos is. I'm sorry about all this."

"It's not your fault," Danny responded quietly as he looked straight ahead. "It's not your fault."