A/N: Back from my holidays! Coincidently, I went to Shriopshire! Got to visit Telford a few times as well (where I was born), even manged to see the house I spent the first year of my life in! So glad to be reading these fics again and even more thrilled to be writing about Danielle's own little trip back home! Telford is set in such beautiful surrondings!

Little girl with the lights down and he's gone,
You've been here before
And you breathe deep
And you cry to sleep
But you didn't break,
You've done it all before.

The Jones's living room was a great taster for the cordial home in which Danielle had been raised in. Two identical lamps positioned diagonally across the room gladly let their light bounce from the terracotta coloured walls. A three-piece suite complemented the colour scheme with dark beige which softened the room. This was the ultimate space in which to dim the lights, cuddle up on the sofa and watch the best in romantic chick-flicks. Danielle would know.

She just has to look at me,
She knows how to melt me like before.
And she means everything to me.
She knows how to melt me like before.

Andy was sat in the middle of the three-seater aimlessly flicking through the T.V channels waiting patiently for Danielle to return from her shower. As the lights tenuously flickered signalling the stop of water flow into the bathroom, Andy glanced his eyes over the aligned photo frames along the mantle piece. It was lifting to have Danielle back home, he couldn't bare to imagine what state he'd be in tomorrow when she left (A/N: Don't all jump at once R&D fans, you don't know where she's going yet…)

Little girl, she's a rebel
And we know
Because we did it all before,
And she runs wild
And she comes to hide
With her pride
Like before.

He was so proud of the charming, magnificent young woman Danielle had become. She'd grown up in such a short space of time, become her own person so surely that it frightened him. She didn't need her daddy anymore…her hero.

Once bitten twice shy,
Can you look me in the eye?

"Dad…" It was unclear how long Danielle had been stood leaning on the door. Each photo Andy's eyes gazed upon, he was attacked by vivid memories which dragged him into the past, letting him loose all sense of realness in these blissful moments but never empowering him to forget how he was condemned to return to reality where the loss and pain would wash through him all over again. Reminiscence was nature exhibiting a path of escape, but how cruel, it looped right around until you fell back into life, each second of the plunge taking something away from the heart until you plummeted back into the unnecessary, futile routine that now defined your life.

She just has to look at me,
She knows how to melt me like before.

Andy sighed and smiled to his daughter. "Was their enough hot water love?"

Danielle moved further into the room. Monopolising the remaining two seats allowed her to lift her entire body onto the sofa and curl up to the cushions. Her hair slightly damp, Danielle wore a bright pink, fluffy bath robe wrapped tightly around her waist.

"Yeah it was fine." Her thoughts always seemed to haunt her in the shower; there was no place like it. The heated, consolatory water allowed her mind and body to rest, unwind, no longer making the effort to push certain concepts to the back of her head. The most chilling thought was she had no idea how her father would react. In some ways, it was the same feeling to what she experienced when she considered all the possible ways in revealing herself to Ronnie. If only she could get drunk again…

"Listen dad…" Danielle took a deep breath and almost ended up blurting it all out, but her tongue refused to arrange itself into the correct formations, not a word escaped her lips. Danielle could feel her heart against her chest. Her legs were starting to twitch and Danielle found herself placing a hand on her foot as a silent pledge for it to all stop.

Little girls to little women
Out on your own again…

Lizzie and Andy had always taken great pride in their children. Danielle was theirs; blood couldn't have made that status anymore unconditional. The central room was strewed with photographs of family days out, school pictures, music performances and other memorable occasions. Some were old, others more recent.

Danielle looked around the room. She'd seen these images a thousand times, but at this moment, they didn't feel right. Just out from the shower, Danielle still felt dirty, unworthy and selfish.

Andy was patiently waiting for Danielle to continue. It was time he found out what had been troubling his girl since her arrival. He knew his daughter better than she thought. He reached out his hand to lift Danielle's guilt-weighed head. "What's wrong Danielle? And I want the truth." He widened his eyes a little, knowing he was imitating his wife.

Danielle's face held the smallest of smiles for a split second before her face scrunched up and tears began to fall. Her crying made her raise her voice's pitch, Andy struggling to hear every word just as Danielle to speak them. "Dad, I've done something terrible…" She let herself be engulfed into his open arms. She would accept his solace however wrong it was. After all, it may not be hers to take for much longer.

Andy's eyes widened and his body stiffened. He released a breath he never knew he'd held. Danielle was still his baby girl, she still needed her daddy. "Shh…hey, hey come on Dani, it's alright love…" He gently patted Danielle's shoulder as she sobbed into his shirt. As he waited for her to gain some composure, his eyes met with another photograph. More specifically, they were firmly locked onto another pair of eyes. Lizzie was beaming as she had her arms tightly wrapped around Danielle's shoulder's, who in return was trying her best not to let a violin escape the grasp of her right hand after staging nothing short of another stunning live performance. Andy almost let himself delve into yet another memory, but Danielle's gentle sobbing reminded him that she could potentially be in serious trouble here. He gently nodded as he looked into Lizzie's reproduced, but still sparkling blue eyes. He was going to look after this little one, just like he'd promised…

"Danielle," he said, a little sternly in an effort to gain his daughter's attention.

"I'm so sorry Dad, I am…" She didn't know what had suddenly come over her. Danielle lifted her head, but meeting her father's eyes only emphasised her deceit. She uncontrollably broke down once again.

"Hey come on Dani, tell me what's happened… It's all going to be alright." Andy was beginning to worry. What could such his sweet little child have done that was so dreadful?

Danielle lifted her head and sniffed. She looked Andy in the eye. His wide, concerned and loving gaze would easily break her down again if she didn't look away now. It was now or never, she had to be strong, explain everything clearly from the last detail. She owed him that at the very least.

Strengthening her voice, Danielle blurted out a sentence which she hoped Andy would catch on to. "I went to London to find her!" Her words were rushed, wanting nothing more than to be freed from the secrets of her self-seeking, ungrateful actions.

Andy scrunched up his face, racking his brain for any leads. Agitation crept into his voice, frustration at the lack of knowledge overpowering him. "Who? What are you talking about? What have you done Dani?"

Andy's panic sent Danielle into tears once more. She leaned into his chest without even realising. If her mum could see her now, god what would she think…

"Hey Dani, come on dear." He tried his best to comfort Danielle, but the growing suspense assured him that Danielle had done something horrific. A natural father's mind was racing with all the possible outcomes. "It's okay Dani, tell me what's happened. I'm…"

Danielle jumped out of her father's arms and faced him with a frightening stare. "I went to London to find her! Veronica Mitchell, my birth mother!" Her head ached from the crying, but the sobbing resumed.

Andy's body went stiff. The fact was, Danielle hadn't done something illegal, she didn't owe anyone money and she certainly was not on the run however, none of this registered with him. "It's okay," he whispered, a trance-like state ensuring his eyes remained fixed on the spot in front of him. An arm tugged at Danielle's back forcing her to return to her father's embrace. "It's okay Dani, it's okay…" the words were less convincing, his hug less consolatory.

Danielle's sobbing showed no sign of ending soon. "I'm so sorry; I'm so sorry dad…" Her muffled voice was nothing more than a mumble. The months her father had needed her most and she'd let her selfish needs blind her to his pain. A man who had taken her into his life, his home with no obligation, he'd raised her, taught her values, and ensured her the best life he could possibly give. Any sacrifice that could be made, he would gladly gratify for his little tiger. No journey was too far if she'd wanted to be somewhere, no amount of slogging hours were too long if it ensured Danielle the best of the best.

"Dani it's…"

"No! It's not okay dad! How can you say that? No one will ever understand!" It was too much. In that instant, she realised her crime ran much deeper. After acknowledging her betrayal, the worst thing was, she still wanted to return to Walford with all her heart. She wanted to return to Ronnie. Comparing the way she had been brought up by Andy and the way she had been treated by Ronnie, she still wanted to go back. Where was the sense in that? Why did she crave it so much? Danielle jumped out of her seat and headed to the front door.

"Danielle!" Andy was quick on his feet. His mind was spinning. Had Danielle found this woman? What had happened between them? The one thought at the front of his mind was the fear of loosing his daughter. Where could they have gone wrong? Why the sudden need to go searching for something that didn't want to be found? What had he not given to that girl, what could possibly be missing?

Danielle wasn't prepared to run, she was no coward. Instead she stepped out into the evening breeze and leant against the family car, burying her face into her hands. She had never expected to feel so much guilt. Being in her father's presence brought her whole life back to her in flashes. Seeing him so broken and lost was heart-breaking. She remembered thinking yesterday how she would do anything to take away the pain, but the thought of how she'd left him for London was a murderous one. She'd put herself before her father; A man who would never contemplate doing the same.

Andy took a deep breath as he approached his daughter. He and Lizzie had always known this issue would be raised someday, he just wished Lizzie was here to magically ease the situation like he knew she could.

Andy took one glance at the car and knew what to do. He spontaneously closed the front door of number 24, pulled out his car keys and unlocked the vehicle. "Get in, we'll go for a ride," he said in the most gentle tone he could muster. Danielle always loved taking car rides when she wanted time to think (as long as they weren't on the motorway).

Danielle shook her head like a cheeky girl being told to go to her room. Her father smiled at her childlike feature but stubbornly opened the passenger door. He waited for Danielle to give in, which she inevitably did without a word.

It took less than a minute for Andy to manoeuvre the car out of the driveway and onto the main road. It was then that Daniele broke the silence. "Why are you doing this, how can you be so cool about everything?!" Her insides were burning. She felt angry towards her father, how he seemed not to see the problem.

"It's all going to be okay…"

"Dad! I lied to you! Don't you understand eh? I left you when you needed me the most, just after mum died!" How could she expect her mother to be happy for her? It was like she was saying 'fuck you' for dedicating her whole life to her children.

Andy's eyes remained on the road ahead. He didn't deny the fact, nor did he try to reassure Danielle. He couldn't forget how he'd needed his daughter, someone to tell him everything would be okay. It had been impossible to fill the empty days, to fill the house with voices for even a few hours just so he wouldn't have to be alone.

"Did you find her," he whispered, not too sure what he wanted the answer to be.

Danielle could feel the pounding in her head with every heartbeat. She had shed many tears the past month, but she had never suffered from such a headache.

Her answer was blunt, as if it didn't matter. "I didn't like what I found." Danielle clenched her thighs closer together, her hands the only obstacle between them. "It's a long story dad. Basically, she's only known for about two weeks."

"What?" The car drifted noticeably to the left causing Andy to urgently direct his gaze to the road again. "Dan you've been in London for nearly a year…"

"I know dad, I know!" She hadn't meant to snap. Why could she not find the words to explain? She sighed and continued in a much toned-down manner. "It got complicated."

Andy tried to absorb the information being thrown at him. What had she not liked? Had she been hurt? Was she planning to return to this woman? "Why didn't you tell me?"

The passenger began to cross her fingers between her hands. She bowed her head and sighed. "I thought you'd try to stop me."

Andy nodded, deep in thought. He signalled right and entered the M54. "And what if I had stopped you anyway?"

Danielle looked up the driver, who still hadn't realised how dangerously slow he was driving for a motorway. She sighed, owing him the truth at least. "I was stupid. I'll be honest; I probably would have rebelled. I'm sorry dad. I've had time to think now and I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. The one time you needed me…"

Andy showed no emotion whist his daughter admitted her neglect. Speeding up to overtake a lorry, Andy took note of the number of miles between them and a service station. "What if I said I didn't want you going back to London?"

A deafening silence filed the surroundings. Andy was sure his heart could be heard pumping throughout the car.

It took a minute before Danielle came up with an absolute answer. "Then I'd stay…" Her voice was determined but regretful. She wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. As much as it pained her to think how much she wanted to return to Walford, her father's wishes would have to come first. There was no question; she owed everything to her parents.

…You did it all before.
And she sets them free
And she pulls them in
Under the wing
Like before.

Once bitten twice shy,
Can you look me in the eye?

A/N: Next chapter kind of written up as well. Continues directly on from here but the whole thing was approaching 4000 words, hope people aren't getting fed up of this. Thank you to all my reviewers, please don't stop, good, bad & constructive, I don't mind! It's what keeps me wanting to carry on.