Her full name was Margot Danielle Verger, but when her Father sent her to Toronto, he had her use the last name of one of her Mother's cousin's. She had been twelve at the time. It was as separate as he could make her without completely disowning her as family, but that suited Margot just fine.

Toronto became her safe haven where she was Danni Goodwell and had nothing to do with her brother. Her father had sent her to Toronto when she started Middle School but probably also to skip the fight that was about to break out between her and her brother. Mason had had her horse shot in the head, saying he was past his prime. Her father had agreed since the horse had been dropping a rail lately, but Margot had loved and cared for him since he was born in their stables. She knew Mason had killed him for no other reason than his own sick delight, but instead of any sort of reprimand, her Father had given her two hours to pack and would have other necessities shipped to her.

She met Gail during the first week of school. Danni's temper had gotten the better of her and she had bloodied a boy's nose. When she was being questioned by a teacher, Gail had interjected that he'd had it coming, and they both wound up sitting outside the Principal's Office before third period. By lunch they were the best of friends. It had warmed Danni's heart that instead of shying away when she told her full name, Gail merely rolled her eyes and said that her Mother would either be thrilled or it would drive her up a wall and she was hoping for the latter.

They had supported each other through the years the best they could. When Gail was still in the hospital, Danni brought her Mario Kart on a DS and a change of clothes which had resulted in the nurses calling Gail "bearable" as a patient. Gail had gone through the first aid training not only because it was a good skill for a cop to have, but because of how often Danni came back from family affairs wounded. Growing up, Gail had often treated Danni's injuries but it wasn't until she was trying to recover from her own trauma that she saw the full extent of them.

Gail had been staying back in her old room at her family's home which had thankfully been empty since Gail had been in an absolute rage. There had been tears streaming down her face but she hadn't cared as she yelled that Danni couldn't understand, that her brother couldn't understand, no one could understand what she was going through! She'd had to leave the apartment with Dov and Chris because Dov complained about how she never turned out the lights in her room! She couldn't tell him that if she woke up in the dark, she thought she was still in that fucking basement. That her Mother wanted her ask Nick about advice on how to just "push through". How silence freaked her out now because she found herself listening for footsteps and when she heard them she started reaching for her gun and she was afraid she was going to shoot someone by accident all because her head was fucking with her. Danni had been sitting on the edge of Gail's bed, listening as Gail paced and yelled, but at some point she had taken off her shirt and she was now standing in front of Gail and blocking her path in nothing but a black bra and jeans. Once she was sure she had Gail's attention, she turned around, showing Gail her back. Gail was speechless, never having seen all of Danni's injuries at once before, and those were just the ones that had left scars. Pulling her shirt back on, Danni told her that her parents knew it was Mason, and that sending her to Toronto was probably her Mother's attempt to keep her safe, but neither of her parents put a stop to the abuse. In fact, her father made sure that Mason was made the sole heir in his will and that Margot would have to depend on him in the future. Danni helped Gail through her trauma more than any of the therapists her Mother made her see and Gail provided Danni with a new family of sorts with herself and Steve as Danni's siblings.

The morning after the horror movie sleepover, Danni came downstairs and into her small kitchen to the sound of Johanna and Gail talking.

"So what if I wanted to like, adopt a kid that is in the Foster System now. Like just put in?" asked Gail around her Marvin the Martian mug.

"We're talking a specific kid here, right? One from a case maybe? That might be a little tougher since you were involved in the case, but it's still doable" answered Johanna as she stirred the Cheerios in her bowl.

There was a pang in Danni's chest that she tried to ignore except it seemed to echo in the scar across her abdomen. There had been a part of her that had thought she was too damaged to be any sort of mother to a child but once she had left her brother and returned to Toronto, she saw things clearer. Yes, the idea of Motherhood had been put into her mind by Dr. Hannibal as a way around the "male heir" clause in Father's will, but she'd wanted a child.

Gail had gone on at length about the little girl Sophie and how she was so full of life and energy to share with the world and Danni had known exactly what she meant. Working at the Huxley, she often saw parents that were far to busy for their children, but every once in a while there were those who knew what a gift their child was. Danni could tell from the way that despite the fact that the kid might sit in the lobby or lounge for a few hours reading or playing video games, the moment that business was done, the parents had lunch with them and actually talked or they went out to do something. When she started seeing Johanna, they kept things light but now there were cases that got to her as well and she'd talk about the kids she worked with. Danni knew that Mason had probably taken care of any chance she had of having children of her own and that even if she adopted, the child would receive nothing since they weren't part of the Verger bloodline (Father was very specific in his will) but she couldn't care less, she still yearned for a child. Johanna had a nephew from her sister, but the issue of actually having children hadn't ever really come up between the two of them. The more she thought about it though, the more she had a feeling that Gail wouldn't be the only one looking into adoption. She looked at Gail as she stirred her coffee. She could see it. Gail would be a great Mom. In her own little awkward and donut managing way, but she would. Especially, with a good support system, and Danni had always been there and that wouldn't change now. She supposed if Gail got approved, and if she did, they'd have to ask themselves that big question though.

What do you do with a kid?

AN: PLEASE REVIEW!